Thinking about Prime.

Wish I could give you the prospective of a man with a family, but I can't. What I can say, is that regardless of the company, there are several men and women out here making it work for the family.

This job is not for everyone. Being prior service will help in coping with the separation issue, and the confined space living, but there is more to it than that.

As for the money, yes it can be done. Many on this board are doing it and have been for years. Will there be tough times, sure, but you stay focused and move on.

I work at Prime, but my situation is very different from yours. I am semi-retired, drawing a pension plus driving. Only been out here for a year on my own, but love it. Guess it is like most jobs, you get out what you put in.

Be Safe and Have Fun !!!

 

Ok, I'm usually a very upbeat person when it comes to OTR driving, because I love my job. But I'm going to go against the grain here and tell you that you shouldn't do this. Here's why.

First, I don't have a family, so I can't say exactly what it's like. But I in good conscious just can't recommend OTR trucking to a family man. You will miss so many things, and there is a very good chance it'll put a strain on your marriage. Will you be able to leave your kids when they ask you not to go? Is money more important than being there for your wife and kids?

Which brings me to my next point. Do not ever, ever, ever consider truck driving as a means to support your family financially. For the amount of hours you'd work out here (many times for free), you could have 2 full time jobs at home making minimum wage and make the same money, plus be home every night / weekend. The first year especially is brutal for OTR drivers. I'm not talking about Prime here, I'm just talking about OTR trucking in general. The first year pay is not good, and after the first year it is nothing to write home about. Sadly, the pay for drivers has not only remained stagnant over the passed 20 years or so, but in some cases, has actually gone down.

My last point... I never recommend anybody (with or without a family) to ever get into OTR trucking as a job. This is not a job at all. This is a lifestyle. A life of long hours, solitude, danger, and just so happens to come with an average paycheck. Please, I'm begging you, do not get into this for a paycheck. It is a recipe for disaster.

After attending college and working in an office for 2 years, I decided the office life wasn't for me. I got into trucking for the lifestyle of it. I love what I do and I am extremely happy driving for Prime. But if I was doing this for a paycheck, I would have gone insane long ago.

I know nothing about you other than what you've posted here, so take my response with a grain of salt. You know you best, and you know your family best. Do what you need to do in order to support yourself and your family. I'm simply giving you some things to think about. And it's actually hard for me to write negative things about a job I love. I just don't want to see your family life suffer because you thought you could make a decent paycheck here. Like I already said, that first year is brutal on the bank account.

As for getting home, remember that the more you come home, the less money you'll make. Prime's hometime policy for a company driver is 3 weeks out earns you 3 days off, 4 or more weeks out earns you 4 days off. But let me tell ya, if you go home every 3 weeks, you will suffer financially.

Sorry for being so blunt and maybe discouraging. I just want you to fully understand what you're thinking about getting into. This isn't a job.

 

Trucker Mike is absolutely correct. Right on. I started seven years ago with four kids at home, and a wife. I started with Prime. The money BACK THEN was decent, but the strain on my marriage and family was horrendous. We found thought that it was hard to get out of once we were in it... and three times I have tried to come off the road and ended up going back. We left Prime the first time because I was NEVER home. This is not really just a Prime thing. Industry standard is one day off for every week out, and they really want you to string a couple days together so they don't have to try to route you home every week. SO you end up with (maybe) 3-4 days at home in an entire month. Prime also seems to have a policy of routing you everywhere EXCEPT through your home area, so you don't even get to "pass through" town! Living in the middle of the country along a major east-west artery (I-80), we thought it would be easy to at least get through Omaha. Not so.
Lots more stories, and lots of other drivers can tell you more. I will say this... if you do decide to go to Prime, go as a COMPANY DRIVER and avoid the lease at all costs.

 

If you have kids, OTR is not something that is going to allow you to watch them grow up.

Yeah, I do get back home quite a bit, and I do get "routed through the house." But it's not the kind of quality time that your kids deserve. The money is ok; no one is going to "get rich" off of this, but it beats min wage and average office wages.

 

Nick==Semper Fi Marine !!!was in 7 years and with 1st, 2nd and 3rd MAW got out when they located me to CA.. Lived in San Fernando Valley for awhile (great that you worked for Riverside PD !!)after that and last 16 yrs moved to midwest which we love. How did you like the training at Prime, good & not so good points, as well as, how are you enjoying it now Sir & any advice. Take Care, God Bless & Semper Fi.

 

I went through training there back in 05 and I personally thought it was awesome. O Semper Fi 1 Mar div here 3 battalion 4th marines out in 29 palms right here! 1 more month and I am on terminal.

 

Best of Luck & Thanks for the info. Liked 29 Palms as I went to school out there 2 times. Hopefully are paths will cross someday. Semper Fi.

 

Jason, If you can stand being away from the family till you get on your own truck, Then you will be fine, I have been out for 3 weeks I have a wife and 4 kids with the youngest 1 month old, I can tell you that it is a good company to work for, If you need training come here and get it, I went to my community college but they will deduct some of the miles you have to run to get you in your own truck faster if you train at Prime, I would check all of the factors of the Lease Operator process, It looks good from the outside but check it out completely. Come on over the water is fine here at Prime!!. See Ya. TD.

 

Sorry marine but I have to. First the Air force picks up the food on land and flys it out to the Navy. The Navy boys cook it up all nice and warm, load it onto a Coast Guard boat. They take it to land where you marines un load and serve us ARMY MEN Air Cav....