PRIME NEWBIES~Any comments from orientation?

Thanks ironpony how long have u been there? I do like the way the trucks look and th recruiter did mention a "smaller truck" more hometime and no passenger seat...I would like a nice truck and take very good care of it (azcat) I like topolish the tansk and rims ...I know coming over to a big company is th e"unknow" but I am still little bervous will I ever get to Springfield to see the people there????

 

There's quite a bit of room inside of them... just less places to stuff things, so you get to be a bit more inventive. Built a small bench that fits into the bunk tray on my Cascadia... rises over where my feet go, great for my printer and microwave. Fridge fits great where that useless passenger seat got pulled from the lightweights.

Going into my 4th year with Prime.

 

do they let u poilsh thing like the rims or they do it? how much home time do u have?

 

Chrome and Home !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Company drivers earn one day per week, that can be used as you wish up to 4 days consecutively. The would like you to be out 3 weeks between visits home... we are afterall an OTR company. That may work differently if you get yourself into one of the regional deals - can't speak to how that works myself. Lease ops can take as much hometime as they like... however the truck payment doesn't stop. Practically speaking, for a company driver, you sacrifice a paycheck essentially for four days at home. In that respect its no different for company or lease.

You want polish? Roll up your sleeves!

 

Living in Vermont, how will that work ?????????

 

jtrnr1951 going to work well according to them we have the Ben and Jerrys Ice cream plant which they pull out of..........the recruiter says 2-3 weeks out but she has to say that..... does anyone know if I will be going to Springfield Mo by there home terminal to me people or not??? heading out Saturday night at 6:30pm arriving in Pittston PA sunday noon time then relaxing till monday 8:00am start time.

 

There's lots of freight we pull up there throughout the region. Good for hometime - and yeah, you'll get through Springfield. Be early to all of your appointments/classes, and no alcohol!

 

ironpony thanks! wow getting alot of good post here thanks it is helping me out......so what to expect at Orientation??? how is the physical and drug test?? oh yea Prime has ezpass and prepass right? and do they tell me where to fuel or is up to me I have all the major fuel cards meaning for free drinks and showers...

 

Paperwork... you get to fill out in your handwriting everything you've already done online. They'll do a much deeper look at your background - make sure you are painfully honest with everything - they're good at what they do. Physical and drug test are the usual. They are looking at BMI and neck-size as a check on sleep apnea, but I'm sure your recruiter did the pre-screening on that already. Drive test at Srpingfield uses a simulator - no idea if that's the case at Pittston now. Then its the usual bunch of classes for company policy. Don't know whether you'll go straight out, or they'll have you drive with a trainer for a bit - that's probably a good thing just to get the hang of how Prime works. You'll probably be taking a Smith System class as well.

Company drivers get a fuel route and fueling points downloaded with load assignments. You can get additional fuel points added to a trip by sending a macro 27 fuel routing request over the QualComm. The fuel desk will always open a comdata card for a reefer stop - but they are limited to getting you enough fuel to get to a mac 27 stop now, and I never had a problem getting a fuel stop changed via my FM - especially if it made the process go smoother in the long run. Prime has a fairly extensive fuel network they've negotiated with the major truckstop chains, and quite a few smaller ones. We use EzPass and PrePass.

As far as routing goes, talk to your FM about what he expects. My company FM allowed me quite a bit of freedom concerning routing, and I always returned the favor by letting him know what I was up to and why. That will depend on who you're working with.

Good luck man!