Time for Prime.....

Hey S&L, glad to hear you both are doing well. And also glad that 'Rover' is doing fine too.
Good to hear that despite the weather, you guys are still moving well. Can't wait to hear from you guys again!

 

Glad to hear you pup is ok. Thanks for the response about the refer fuel. I have another question on the subject, if you drop a trailer with a full tank of fuel you bought and pick one up thats empty, are you out for a second tank of refer fuel? Seems that could get expensive as people probibally leave them low on fuel to save some money.


oh, and , nets or doors. Thanks

 

I have been reading the adventures of Steve & Lo for a little while, and find them to be great and promising. I am leaving a management job Jan 2, 2008 that I have been with 15.5 years due to company downsizing.

I have my Class A CDL from previous driving experience from 1992, but need to take a refresher course (160 hrs), or sign on with someone like Prime to go through their training program. Tentatively, I have agreed to go to Prime Jan 9, 2008, but also bouncing the idea of going through Roadmaster's school for their 3-week 160hr course, as I also have a pre-hire approval with US Xpress and trying to get a few more to have options.

Any thoughts out there. Have been reading some good things on Prime's training in the earlier posts. Will look forward to anyone's and everyone's insight.

Thanks and Merry Christmas to All!!!!!

 

Prime does have a good training program, but leasing a truck with Prime is a business, not just driving a truck. If you go with Prime, be a company driver first, then if so inclined, take the next step.

 

Slick50,

I agree that I will remain a company driver for quite awhile...I have no plans on leasing a truck in my first year or so. Eventually, I will give the matter some serious consideration since I have a management degree and have successfully manage a business over 10-years profitably.

Thanks and have a Merry Christmas!!!!

 

well where the heck did they runn off to. slips in then slips right back out under the radar.. hey steve and lo i will be in your neck of the woods in a few hours (Tenn), wondering where the hell you guys are at..
take care be safe jugg

 

I just wanted to take a minute tell all of you thank you. The information that each and everyone of you have provided has been invaluable to me. I am an unemployed Corporate Director of Engineering who was laid off (2nd time in 3years) in late September. I have always contemplated driving for a career. I can remember even as a kid of dreaming of being behind the wheel of a truck. Fed up with all of the corporate bull I have decided to take the plunge. I will be attending the Prime training school in January. I am excited at the prospect of becoming a driver for Prime. In reading all of your comments I feel that I have made the right choice (Prime). My only regret is not making a decision sooner but it is hard to get me out of the tree stand October through December.

 

To Higgins and/or anyone else concidering going to Prime. If I were you I would look elsewhere. I have been there and done that, you will make good money at least for a while. Just don't piss that dispatcher off or you will end up in Bankruptcy. Believe me I know what I am talking about. My husband and I worked for them not once but twice. The first time we left because we had been home for so long for personal reasons that our truck feel into the hole and once we got back on the road, we had made one paycheck before we were to be home after 4 weeks on the road. We ended up in a wreck a little less than a week before it was time to return home, due to my being the one in the sleeper at the time of the wreck. I could not get any sleep from that point forward due to fear of being slung around again, so I couldn't do my job of driving for lack of sleep. Once we had made it home we ended up being home longer than we should have been once again the truck was in the hole. Well there was another 3 weeks no paychecks while pulling the truck back out of the hole. The fourth week we get a paycheck, my jaw dropped when I sent for payroll info on the Q-comm. My husbands check was $1.84 and mine was $112.48. Can you imagine supporting a family of 8 kids at home, and paying the bills for them on that for a months worth of work. Not to mention the car payments, cell phone, house phone, gas, electric, and water bills that were falling behind, and less not forget the car insurance that got canceled. By this time it was home time again, we were home only 3 days. Once back on the road we were sent up on the east coast to deliver a load and then we were deadhead back to Memphis,TN. a little over a thousand miles to reload with cheap freight going west to CA. was given 5 days for a team to deliver this load and they couldn't or wouldn't change the appointment on the delivery. It took us two days to get there and we sat in CA the other 3 days waiting to deliver. Once we were empty they still did not have us preplanned on a reload. We sat and waited the rest of the day, and overnight. They finally give us a load going east that we are only going to make eighty cents a mile off of this is a 42,000 lb load, with 2 days to spare on it. They tell us just pick it up and start rolling with it, and they will get the appoinment changed. Well it only moved forward one day, so we sat yet again. This kind of stuff went on for a month, with still no paychecks going home to pay bills. Mind you now, you make no money while sitting, and the lease payment on one of those pretty Prime trucks cost you roughly $120.00 per day. So what it boils down to is even if you get the decent paying loads (we were given low paying loads) from Prime's dispatchers, if they leave you sitting you will still end up owing them money. When we pulled out of our lease we ended up owing close to $5,000.00 to Prime. We had not had a paycheck in a soild month by the time we pulled out. Oh and don't let me forget to tell you how they really put the screw on you, when you lease a truck you have to inspect it. If you miss writing something down they will charge the damages to you even if you didn't do the damages. When we had the wreck they gave us an older truck to us till ours was fixed. That truck the fan control for the heater and A/C in the bunk worked on hi only, and because it was on blowing when we inspected the truck. We didn't turn the knob to the lower settings, we assumed they worked. Assume nothing, when it comes to Prime. Oh and I had asked that they replace a seat because it was out right nasty, well they wouldn't replace it for us. Once we turned the truck back in they charged us to replace the seat, so they could turn the truck back into Freightliner. The little things is how they put the screw on you. As for reefer fuel if you do not do the macro 52 I believe it is when you fuel the trailer (which has to be done in the first 12 hours after picking it up) you do not get reimbursed for the reefer fuel. Don't let no one tell you that leasing from Prime is good, for they are lieing, or just to dumb to see. Being a company driver for them might be alright, but they pay so little for company drivers, because they want you to lease. You are better off going to a private school somewhere, and going to a company that will start you out at the higher pay than dealing with Prime. There are schools in Alabama that only charge about $2500 for the full course, may be less for what you are needing. Heads up on this the JTPA program through the state employment office will pay for your schooling, and pay you $2.00 for every hour you are in school. The school will help with job placement once you have your license. I would check on that one before jumping on board with Prime. Good Luck