Returning to Over-the-Road after extended sabbatical

Reefer is what I did with Prime Inc. I enjoyed it. It does have drawbacks at times, but the positives outweigh the negatives for me personally. I don't mind the extended waiting periods and multi-stop loads and load counts. The days when I did drop and hook dry loads I considered gifts that made the overall workload week fun and interesting. I liked Prime a lot, but I encountered some very unfriendly managers there that made me feel like I wasn't in a good company for the long haul. It seems the West coast based drivers (Salt Lake City) receive less training and less quality opportunities than the Missouri truckers. Otherwise I considered Prime to be a quality long-term company. I was appalled to learn the variance between new CDL student training exercises and experience when speaking to Prime CDL students out of Missouri compared to Salt Lake City. But I'm pleased that I got my start with them, in spite of this. I'd like to join a company doing OTR/coast-to-coast reefer/dry for my next company. That's what I'm currently looking at specifically. Thanks again for your detailed response Chinatown! I read just about everything you posted back in 2021 when I first started trucking and I found your advice to be spot-on. Cheers!

 

You mentioned that you don't recommend reefer trucking for new drivers. I started in reefer at Prime Inc. I commented on this in a reply to Chinatown. I'm wondering if you could elaborate on this more -- why would you avoid it? What are the problems that you've encountered as a reefer driver? The biggest issue I encountered was after chaining up during a snowstorm at the topside of the Eisenhower tunnel in Colorado, the chains (properly attacked) managed to whip the fuel line for our reefer unit as we crawled down the mountain at a snails pace. Fortunately, outside temps worked in our favor (team trucking) and we were able to haul ### to Salt Lake terminal where repairs were made and we got the load delivered on time within a viable temperature range. The only other headache assignment was during a multi-stop vegetable run along the Mexico border. Middle of the night, tight facilities to bump a dock. Definitely required lots of care and patience. I enjoy the process of bumping a dock in tight locations. I'm careful, thorough, and its one of the few major challenges I encounter that keep the job interesting. My only other complaint is the wide pick-up/drop off windows that were frequently in the middle of the night. It made getting quality sleep difficult in the context of a team-trucking environment. I think it would be manageable driving solo.

Thank you again for all of your detailed responses. I keep re-reading them to process them fully. I wish the trucking community had more folks like you!

 

PS, expand the quote in my previous post, I replied to your questions in blue font. !~!~!

 

Much appreciated!

 

One last question: would I be improving my odds of getting hired if I find someone to team drive? If so, any recommendations for two drivers like myself finding each other? I took a personality assessment that paired me (introverted; quiet/docile) up with someone I can only describe as exactly the wrong person to pair me with when I did TNT with Prime, Inc. (I'm starting to wonder if that was purposefully done). Anyone have suggestions for how to figure out if someone is a match for team trucking for yourself? Questions? Habits? Routines? Driving style? Financial goals? Thanks all! Getting ready to start applications this week.

 

Just saw this website now has a section for folks looking to team up! That wasn't there last time I looked into that. Cool.
Drivers Looking for a Team Driver