thinking of going with prime

You will get home. When you ask for it don't ask. Tell them when you want off . Period. They don't need your reason, Do not say OK after you tell them. It just turned into a question and if your not home when requested the answer was NO. Most drivers that stay out for long periods are either no home life or are trying to get bills paid down. A few don't know how to request time off . Remember, Your a person too. Some dispatchers look at drivers a revenue bonuses, and a tool to get the job done with.Now and again remind them gently your not sleeping in your bed each night and allowed to grab a beer to relax.

 

If the OP does go with Prime, he'll find that all he has to do is request home time. It works better if you are a bit flexible with your arrival date. A couple of weeks in advance just let your FM know, and he'll put the request into the computer. When I was on the company side I had ZERO problems getting home. Most of what the other respondents have posted here is what you will encounter at other carriers. You will not be forced to give up your truck, unless you take an extended leave of absence. Company policy is 3 weeks out between home visits for not more than 4 days... not including arrival and departure days. You can always work something else out with your FM if you need to for something special. You accrue 1 home day each week out. After you are A-seat qualified, you'll earn 5 days vacation with vacation pay every 125,000 miles.

I sure wish random drivers with no connection with Prime wouldn't try to answer these posts with total bull crap.

 

I've always gotten home when needed. Had an emergency come up once and my fm got me home in 2 days. Such a terrible company we work for. (sarcasm)

 

Prime won't do that to you, I have stayed home for over a week and the truck stays in my driveway

 

I agree, If they don't know the policies and procedures of our company they should not comment

 

Trolling for recruiting bonuses on one of our threads...

 

with the vacation time can I add to that with the days I accrued from being out? for example my family goes on a 7-day cruise once a year. if I only get 5 days of vacation time can I tack on a extra 2 days from the days I accrued being on the road prior to my vacation start date?

 

As with any mega carrier your dispatcher/fleet manager is going to make those decisions, unless its company policy and then still. If you run hard, arent a "problem child" your dispatch should not have a problem with this. Some dispatchers are nearly impossible to get along with.