Prime- only newbies sing the praises 2

Thank you for the post cactusjack. That was exactly my point in the other thread.

I don't think we have to go so far as to apply Robert's Rules of Order, but if you want to argue a point everyone's interests are best served if you can argue in a manner that is respectful. Unfortunately, some people are too BLIND to understand that....

 

I recently turned in my truck due to being in the hole for 15 weeks. Not because I don't know how to manage my money. The truck was not road worthy at the time of signing the lease. You can't check the mechanical condition of the truck driving it around the parking lot or around the block without a 40000 pound load on the end of it. That is when the slide into the hole started. 120.00 a day lease payment for the first 2 days truck is in the shop, then if it's a major issue, you are told to "keep an eye on it" and get it to the shop in Springfield or Pittston to save them money,my issue was a 5th wheel issue-had to fight tooth and nail to have it looked at-two days at 75.00 a day at the hotel and they refused to have it fixed at the dealer and was told to keep an eye on it . How would you like your family and kids on the highway with a truck hauling a 45000 pound load "keeping an eye" on the 5th wheel? I believe the only real way you would notice if the 5th wheel broke is if the trailer passed you on the highway or spun you out off a cliff off I 66 going through Virginia- as if they aren't making enough money off you in the first place (lease payment/28% of every load you haul-mostly PURE profit) minus the trailer wash and occasional reefer fuel adjustment due to a company driver/lease operator thinking they might not catch it. Not to mention the lowball contractual bids they have with most of their customers makes it impossible for a solo lease operator to turn a profit. They know this. That's why between Pittston and Springfield they probably bring in 50-100 new drivers a week(numbers could be off but not by much) I turned my truck in on Friday afternoon. Before I had my belongings out of the truck, they had another driver assigned to it, but he was a company driver, and from what I have heard, the only way a company driver is making any money is if they are training. But we all know most of these so-called trainers (Im not talking to those of you who actually want to teach a new driver the right way to operate/survive driving a tractor trailer with some of the as*&^%s on the road) run the truck as a team operation, once they think in their mind that the trainee probably won't kill them or others on the road. I went to Prime because their equipment looked good and somehow the information on the way they REALLY treat their drivers never made it to the internet. As far as the 3 yo-yos that I have been hearing about, defending Prime's honor, obviously aren't lease drivers because they wouldn't have the time to be on this website tooting their horns. They would be driving their a%$## off, probably in the hole with the contractual freight Prime tries to sell off to the lease drivers rather than the company drivers. Then the lease op takes the loss, not the company. I stood and listened to a planner complaining she had 9 Anheuser Busch loads that she could not get rid of because no one would take them, so they had to be put on company drivers and Prime took the loss on those. By the way, the reason no lease ops would take those loads is because Anheuser Busch loads generally pay about .75 a mile after the fuel surcharge depending on how many miles it is, the extra 100 bucks or so you have to deduct from the linehaul for fuel you have to buy that the surcharge doesn't cover and the .34 cpm for your truck payment which drops the per mile pay quite a bit. And as for all you newbies singing the praises of Prime, eventually they are primarily motivated to kick you in your a&# and it's up to you how long you stick around and take it. Is driving a brand new Pete or Cascadia and making believe that you own it and telling everyone you do really worth it? Good luck to you all.

 

Bummer dude. I feel for ya.

Then why o why did you sign the lease??? Besides, don't you have 30 days to come back to the lease office with maintenance problems before they become YOUR problems?

No, but you can check the maintenance records, and have them do a full download of the ECM.

Not exactly pleased with that myself... they've changed the policy on having on-the-road repairs done. A year ago, we just took things into TA or Petro, and got them taken care of. Since John Hancock took over the maintenance program, its take it into one of the company shops.

So... what was wrong with it? Had the return spring on the lock-out pawl break on mine back in June, and got it fixed at Freightliner in Amarillo...

Rates are down all across the industry... it's not just at Prime. They were busy trying to raise rates a year ago. It's more the JB Hunts and Swifts putting their trailers on trains and charging customers 80 cpm that got us to where we're at.

Not true, but it depends on your FM. Which I'm not all that sure of... they're paid a small base, and then commission based on your performance.

There is a difference between a CDL instructor, and a driver trainer.

They tell me we're all dispatched out of the same freight pool... first empty, first to be loaded - only real difference is when they require a team for security or there's not enough time on it for a solo to run it. From what I've seen hanging with a mixed group of lease-ops and company drivers, that's the way the QualComm tends to beep, with no particular preference for company or lease. When I started a couple of years ago, it seemed like the lease guys always got their loads first.

Two years ago, when freight rates were up, everyone was making money. Fast forward to the last year... freight rates are severly depressed across the industry. Given what Prime wants for a lease tractor payment, there's very little chance that a solo lease operator is going to make it. Glad I didn't make the jump from the company side myself last year - didn't believe a word of what George & Co. was saying about the economy, and am really glad I didn't. So... a couple of you guys are claiming I'm some kind of shill for the company... here it is.

I am a company driver. I am making reasonable money.

I drive every day... drive my butt off. That's how I make it. Like everyone else in this industry, I get a wonderful 10-hour gubberment mandated break. Do you sleep for 10 hours? I don't. That gives me some time to get on this site and yak back at you guys.

No freakin' way I'd lease a tractor from Prime right now - or any other company for that matter, and as I tell EVERYONE... don't do it. You'll loose your butt, because the money isn't there... it was two years ago, it isn't now. That's not Prime's fault - and if you remember during orientation, they said that the lease deal is full of RISK. But when that risk runs sour, then it's Prime's fault, and none of it is your own - at least that's what you appear to be saying. NOBODY PUT A GUN TO YOUR HEAD AND MADE YOU SIGN THE LEASE. And it's not Prime's fault that you didn't do your homework to find out if it was a good deal either. Did you take the lease contract to a lawyer before you signed it? I'll bet money right now that you didn't.

Has Prime done me wrong? NO. Are they perfect? NO.

So my experience with Prime has been good, and yours hasn't. BFD. I put in the time and effort to study this from the inside, and I'm here to tell you right now that I wasn't stupid enough to sign a lease. I'm an employee, and you tried to start a business in a tough industry in tough times - and you lost. I may not make as much money as a lease op during good times, but it pays my bills. Looks like I made the better decision to not get "fleeced."

 

This is from ATTITIDE ADJUSTER!! Had the maintenance records. Said nothing about any of those problems. Bushings on the 5th wheel were shot. By the way, your lease payments don't stop, even if it's in the shop within the 1st 30 days and actually you have 60 days. You eat the first 240.00 for the 1st 2 days the truck is in the shop, then you get 175.00 a day which doesn't even cover the truck payment if the truck is in the shop for a week. Surprising that Freightliner in Amarillo fixed your 5th wheel, the majority of Freightliner dealers won't touch 5th wheels with all the liability attached to it. The rates Prime gets are the rates they bid for the contracts they have. That is the problem with their rates. The planners decide who get the loads, the FM's are data entry/lemon salesmen. Their job is to push that load by any means/intimidation of new drivers fresh out of school and ignorant people who don't know how to use a calculator. Another thing, Prime is right in the boat with JB Hunt, Swift and Werner because the only one they are screwing are the drivers. They make their money regardless. As you being a company driver, you get the loads that the company loses money on you hauling if again, they can't get an inexperienced lease driver to take it. You drive your butt off, I'm sure your logs are very legal at all times. Just remember, if some nutcase decides to commit suicide and dive under your truck and your logs aren't right on the money and they go back and look at all of them, Prime will hang you out to dry. You are the only one that protects your CDL. Believe it or not, they don't care about you. And if you are all dispatched out of the same freight pool, then why are there lease dispatchers and company dispatchers??? As far as your 10 hour break, I remember quite a few times I had to get into a dock on my break to unload freight, which I am sure you have had to do. But, you come on this website and talk about how great a company Prime is. As far as your opinion, BFD. And by the way, it was a company driver that got that truck, and wouldn't have known ANYTHING was wrong with it hadn't I told him. It was quite a large list too, and Im sure they plan to jump right on fixing that for him while he sits FOR FREE or 50 bucks a day after the 1st 48 hours.This is from ATTITIDE ADJUSTER, not Billsgirl!! the only business they have for you is they make the money you drive the truck

 

Both sides are making some pretty good points here.

 

Please get on with life, for every one of your posts a reply will come back, be it the truth or not. Sorry that your husband did not make it out there and tried everything he could to do better but it is time to move on and take this as a learning experience. There is no need to keep going on this issue as your point is well posted here on this board and you and your husband should be spending your energy and time looking and planning for the future.

If you look at all trucking companies, and follow the news and data available on the transportation index world wide, all are undercutting each other in order to survive. Just look on this board and you will see that many companies have cut pay rates and many more have gone out of business.

One has to remember that in any business you must have capital to work with, be it a lean time in the business or to construct a new building for the business or just to purchase goods for the business. I can tell you that as a business person (i own two, one of which is a restaurant) that times are tough for everyone and if you do not have the cash flow and if there is none and you do not have a piggy bank for such an economic downturn, one will not survive. (sorry, but this is just not happing to you)

Yes, I know how companies are to hype up the company and make everything sound so good, but remember if it sounds so good it may not be true.

I have been pretty lucky in my life as I started out working on our farm as a child and than worked three jobs in my younger years and saved as much as as I could along with a job as a paid firefighter/paramedic and retired from with a good pension. I set my goals what I wanted to do and made a business plan way in advance before I started each of my business's and in doing so I always think of the negative side of things. Therefore, putting cash aside for these very such lean times. Sure I am losing money, but I can say that I am not out of cash and each and every day the economy is coming back. I foresee and others do also that it will be a long road ahead and will most likely not be like it was just two years ago, but it will get better.

Please remember that there are people out there that can live off of $700.00 a week, and that is good for them. But you and your husband need to move on and plan for down the road. Posting the same issue here is not going to change anything that already has been down, bad or good.

Peace

 

CJ you beat me to my idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is exactly what I wanted to do - a 'Part 2'

It's unfair how some evil protagonist gets pinned to the ropes and then the thread gets locked. It's not a moral ending.

To give you an example how prime pushes unfair programs on their recruits take the mandatory "Wellness" class they have. When I was a recruit I attended this nonsensical 'class' only to find out the insurance premiums they were charging were 4X (read that: FOUR TIMES) the market average.

In other words, you paid weekly on their plan what you would pay monthly on an average health insurance plan! When my classmates saw me dump all the application forms in the garbage they were surprised! Their surprised subsided when I translated the bs into plain english.

One more explanation why prime needs a constant supply of 'trainees'.

 

If I can keep one truck driver from making the same mistake we did then I will continue to post and relate our experiences in the appropriate threads.