Time for Prime.....

Trust me....They're getting it back somewhere. Prime does have fuel @ the terminals. But, with our discounts, a lot of the time we can get our fuel cheaper out on the road......Prime sells us the fuel @ what it costs them....(Supposedly). I know this last week I got fuel @ the T/A in Nashville, TN(Antioch) and I paid $.29 LESS than the CASH price on the pump! We have some really good discounts in place all over the country. And that helps keep our costs WAY down. They even have a page that we can log onto on the website and find the cheapest fuel along our route....which is really helpful when you're planning your trip. They also have a macro on the Qualcomm that will tell you where you need to fuel along your route to optimize your revenue. A lot of drivers out here don't really look @ the REAL price of the fuel....they see the sign....they don't stop to think that fuel in one state may be cheaper....after you take the taxes off....sometimes you can save several cents per gallon.

 

Hard to believe it's been almost a week....and a lot has happened....I complained to my travel agent that I wanted more miles....I wasn't happy doing short runs....so....he gets me a load. Going to Westfield, MA. But...I asked for it....and I got it....so, I decided to take the load. From Jonesboro, AR to Westfield, MA....$2074 for 1640 mi. Worked out to $1.25 mi. (roughly). So....lesson learned.....don't complain about miles.....complain about revenue....OK get empty Friday night....that's right...night receiving.....about 2130 Central.....Already got me set up on another load.....loads Sat 8-12 in Schenectady, NY....delivers Sun 0300 in....get this...Assonet, MA....yep 302 mi. $572... $1.89 mi....good quick load....and we have a shipper in the Boston area that has good freight going close to home.... Well, I show up @ the receiver around 1500 local yesterday to get a good place in line......"receiving is closed till 2030 SUNDAY" they tell me....well, needless to say, I get on the phone with dispatch to see just who got lied to.....me or the company. Well....looks like the shipper pulled the wool over the company's eyes.....2 of us showed up to get unloaded....and they turned both of us around. Well.... I talked to my dispatcher this am and he verified that we got screwed....But he will be getting me a day of Layover pay....WooHoo.... $175 Better than nothing.... I guess. Up to this point everything has gone good.....and I have no reason to believe that this will change.

One positive note for the week! MY WIFE PASSED HER CDL PERMIT TEST!!!

She starts her orientation on the 28th.....and we'll be hitting the road after the Company party Labor Day weekend! Can't wait to get her behind the wheel.....gonna be a blast!

On a bad note.....my 20 yr. old daughter lost a good friend to a sudden heart attack....he was just 21.... In excellent shape, active, good lookin' guy.... Playin' basketball one minute.....gone the next. Needless to say, she's devastated....Those of you that do, please pray for her and her friends.... This is something no one her age should have to deal with.

 

Well....I finally got out of the Northeast.....I've never had any luck running up to that area. Made it home last night.....got a chance to stop by Knoxville and see my baby daughter's new apartment on the way.....She hasn't gotten to enjoy it because of the death of her friend....but, I know with time, she will be able to enjoy it. Had to deliver in Nashville.....so, I got to sleep in Mama's bed....(Yipee!!)....and Mama got up early and went on my delivery with me!! Then we turned around and came home! Gonna get her stuff packed up and put in the truck and she takes off from here Sunday. Her Orientation starts Tuesday......Can't wait to get started with the training. Hope everyone has a good finish to their week!

 

Actually, once you come in and get your license you would get bumped up to .12 mi....so the 6000 mile week would pay $720.

And....HOUDINI.... It is in the trainer's best interest for you to be happy with your environment.....and IF you got someone you didn't get along with you can have the company put you on another trainer's truck....and they will ask you what went wrong....and the trainer whose truck you got off of would have to answer some pretty hard questions.

If I had 0 experience....I would not think that 4 mos would be too long. A lot of these companies that train someone for 3 weeks and turn them loose have some serious safety concerns.

The people that read and post in this section are some of the most experienced drivers on this board. I don't think you will find more than a hand full....if that many that would tell you that you don't need to be with an EXPERIENCED trainer for at least 3-4 mos. You won't have the opportunity to pull all the different types of loads....in various locations/situations even in that length of time. But, you will be able to drive and operate the truck safely after that amount of time.

I would rather have to spend a little extra time on the front end getting trained right than have to learn the hard way......and the hard way usually involves someone getting hurt. And I know that no one would want to cut their training short on purpose...and go out and hurt(or kill) someone.

This job is not like any other job in the world. We have a responsibility to train the younger(less experienced) drivers in the RIGHT way to do their business. When we cut corners.....something usually gets run over! Literally!

I hope you will reconsider your thoughts. And remember, your not married to your trainer......well.....my wife is gonna be....LOL! If there is a problem.....talk to them first.....give them a chance to work it out. Then, if it's not working....give the company a call...they will switch you..

 

Knighton....I didn't forget you... This was my first stint on the East Coast since returning to Prime. And, it was my choice to go. I told my dispatcher the first of last week that I wanted some miles.....This was the most miles that they had in my area.....Sooooo....I sucked it up and took it...cause' I had asked for it. Otherwise, I don't think my dispatcher would have even considered it. That's OK though...I realized that I really hadn't missed it that much...So, we got that out of our systems...... If I had refused it.....I don't think my dispatcher would hold it against me. And I don't think it would affect the way we interact.....I just told him that I had had my East Coast fix and he knew what I meant. However, if I were to refuse loads all the time.....like some do....I'm sure that feelings would change. Think about it....you try to get someone some work to do.....it's not good enough for them...they say no... Sooner or later(Sooner with me)... you're gonna get tired of trying to help the guy out. Because if he's not willing to help you.....you sure aren't gonna keep trying to help him.

To date, I haven't refused any loads. I know that if I get a bad load...the next one will make up for it. My dispatcher told me that's how it would work if I got one.....And SO FAR I can't see any instance where it hasn't held true.

The reason freight pays good going TO the East Coast is there are A LOT more consumers than there are producers....that drives up prices. Now... on the other hand....when it comes time to get out of there....you got literally thousands of trucks in a small area......you're gonna be lucky to get a good load out......so you take what you can to get out and grab another that pays like crazy to get back in there.....just a vicious cycle.

Now, there are some guys that will manage to get it good both ways....But, this is not the norm. Anywhere you got more trucks than loads...the price is gonna go down....just like in the 8th grade when I learned in history....."The law of Supply & Demand"....YUK...I can still remember how all that crap sounded Waaayyyyyy back then.