question about prime

Prime is not alone in this. Many trucking companies are adopting this, because high BMI indicates a lot of health problems, as U2 points out.
As far as it being difficult to get through to a recruiter, I was joking with one of them that this is how they weed out the ones who don't really want a good trucking job. Patience is the key - and is an important requirement for a trucker as opposed to a steering wheel holder.
I agree with Pony that the best way is to start from scratch with Prime's CDL school. Outstanding program and is how I started out seven years ago.

 

Thanks Ironpony, my trainer seems to be pushing me towards becoming a lease driver. That was one thing he told me, company drivers were not allowed to install anything. I appreciate you clearing that up

 

Your trainer isn't allowed to "install" anythiing either - he gets to pay for any damage he does to his truck. We get in trouble for the same thing. The idea is to not do anything that can't be reversed. Besides, what exactly do you want to do to a truck that can't be reversed anyway?

As far as being pushed into leasing... until freight rates return to the levels we say in '06 and '07, its a bad idea right now. Talking with the FM I had on my trainers truck, he says the same thing -especially when it comes to the idea of running solo lease. The revenue isn't there right now to make it work, unless you really know how to run a small business, have a lot of luck and a good FM. And then you're just going to squeak by. You can ask for the revenue numbers on the loads you pull as a company driver, and I've yet to see the money necessary to support even a short term (older truck) lease. Works out differently for team ops though, but it's still not pretty.

My suggestion is to go company... if you want to drive solo, you'll probably make more money than a lease op would, and you can do the lease thing later when and if the economy will support it. Mean time, you can hone your skills for that day, and you'll have a much better idea of what you need to do in order to be a successful lease-op.

 

Yeah, what are you looking to install? I've found that Prime has done an excellent job equipping my truck, and I don't have a new truck. The APU's they give us are excellent, unless you get stuck with a RigMaster. I have a fridge, microwave, and TV that all run off of the APU power converter with no problems. Plus I run this laptop off of it, and a few other various things. I kind of smile a bit when I park next to other trucks from major companies and they have their windows open in 90 degree weather because they don't have APU's. All trucks at Prime have APU's as far as I know. There might be a few that don't, but I haven't seen them. This is HUGE in my book. With more states (including Texas now) inacting no idle laws, an APU is a must for a good nights (or days) rest. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night because I'm too cold and have to turn down the AC. That's a fantastic problem to have, and I'm very greatful Prime hasn't cheaped out on this front like so many other companies have. APU's are not cheap by any streatch of the imagination.

As far as leasing goes, my advice is to STAY AWAY! It seems my words fall on deaf ears when I tell people this, but it's just not a good idea right now. I run into lease ops all the time who are complaining and are stressed out. Loads aren't paying well these days, and that's getting passed right on down to the driver. Why do you think so many lease ops train and team drive?

At the risk of offending lease operators out there, I will tell you that leasing simply takes all of the risk from the company and puts it right on your lap. Why would you want to deal with that? The stress factor of being a lease operator is much higher than a company driver. Even if you make 5k more than a company driver, is it really worth the stress and liability? I simply drive my truck, get paid by the mile, go home after I put my 4 weeks + in, and come back out on the road with money still in my bank account. Lease operators have to make that truck payment whether it's sitting or rolling. I'm tellin' you, time and time again I run into lease operators who are totally stressed out, when I tend to live a fairly stress free life and still collect a decent paycheck...without EVER going in the hole. I'll continue to drive the way Prime wants me to and collect my paycheck in the end. The possibility of making a few extra dollars while taking on all that added risk just doesn't seem worth it to me. Are there successful solo lease operators? Sure there are. Do they make THAT much more than company drivers (enough to assume all that risk and stress)? I have my doubts.

Before you lease, become a company driver first, and ask to see the settlement amounts. Subtract your truck payments, insurance, tire fund, QualComm fees, and all the other things they nickle and dime you for, then see how much you'd actually be making as a lease op. After a few months, if you're totally convinced you'd be making a bunch more money as a lease operator, then by all means go ahead and do it. But you need to run it as a business. Like any business, you need to research the hell out of it before you pull the trigger, or you'll end up like so many who are turning in their trucks and going home right now because they've lost everything.

Thing is, if you play your cards right, you can save money out here unlike any other career. I am able to get by on about $40 / week for food. I spend $10 here and there for a DVD or a T-Shirt. But I really watch my spending. The way my budget is planned out, I should have my credit card debt paid off by the end of this year, and my car and student loans paid off within 18 months. I will be completely debt free at that point, then can start investing and putting money away. I didn't need to become a lease operator to do this. If you budget yourself correctly (stay away from the casinos, eat out of your truck, etc.), you can save some serious money, unlike any other profession. Granted, I don't have a mortgage to pay, no wife/kids back home, etc. So my situation is a bit different than most. But my point being, you can easily get by out here on $50 / week. If you make between $600 and $1000 per week...well...you do the math. So just be a company driver, and focus on budgeting yourself. No need to take the added risk of leasing.

Just my .02cpm.

 

I'll go on the record here. I did manage to go in the hole as a company driver at one point. Don't remember how, but I know I did. I also can honestly say I've never been in the hole as a lease operator in the over 2 years I've been leasing. That's thanks to the fact that I keep an emergency fund to cover me whenever I take time off.

 

Sazook, that's fantastic. And I hope my post wasn't offensive to you. It's a personal choice whether to lease or drive on the company side. So words on both sides of the arguement can be taken personally. It sounds like you know how to run a successful BUSINESS. And that's tough to do in the trucking industry (like all commodity businesses) especially right now. It's amazing how many people go into a lease without considering it a business decision. Good for you on your success, and I hope that continues for the remainder of your career.

 

Hey thanks truckermike, I wasn't looking to "install" anything. I'm familiar with the setup, I'm already a Prime employee, I was just mislead by my trainer, who is a lease driver and I wanted to get some clarification. His truck is well equipped also, fridge, tv, microwave..etc, but he tells me that in order to have all that in my truck, I'll need to be a lease driver, as company drivers are prohibited from having those luxuries. I appreciate your help

 

That is a total crock.

I have a two-compartment fridge, microwave, 'puter. Don't deal with TV.

Prime won't install this stuff for you as far as I know (Truckermike??) - I have a Century, pulled the drivers side lower cabinet (six bolts, one spline screw) put the fridge in there. Bungied the microwave to the top of the passenger side cabinet. Inverter is something the company requires that they put in due to the chance that a fire could start because of the high-current wiring.

The trick is that you can't do anything to the truck that can't be reversed. So tell your trainer to shove it!

 

You can have a fridge installed by Prime... it will cost you an arm and a leg... You may luck out and get a bit of a discount if the detail shop has a used fridge lying around...

Approval has to come from your FM, whether you pay for it up front or have it deducted in payments from your check.

I looked into it and its almost $600... install is $175 so that makes the fridge somewhere in the neighborhood of $425 from the Company Store. For that price you could go through 6 of those Colman coolers that fit in the fridge compartment already.

I did watch a little of an installation while I was waiting to have a chain rack put on my truck.... I didnt see the final product, but its more than just wiring and placement... I watched the guy fashion a couple of metal plates to close up some gaps and help secure it in place.

Plus side of having the $600 Prime installed vs. buying your own fridge (not a cooler) is that YOU didnt modify the truck and cant get dinged for any damages if you happen to mess up, lose the parts, or put it back together incorrectly.

There were a couple other items on the install menu... like side boxes, cb installation, VieuCube (sattelite TV)

 

Put the nuts back onto the studs, spline screw back into the nutplate. Can't loose it - self locking hardware. You gotta be kidding me... screw up 6 nuts, one screw??

Fridge... $200 at Lowes for the deluxe model with freezer. F&&& coleman coolers - they suck. CB installation... two wire nuts... black to black, red to red, screw on antenna lead tight, slip CB under elastic hold down. Done.