Profile For Gary E.

As a team driver, I can tell you that this choice is an important one. Getting good rest is a top priority if you are going to be able to operate the equipment safely. Here are some things to keep in mind: While the cab is normally temperature controlled, breakdowns happen and usually at the worst time. Be prepared to deal with cold. Synrhetic shelled bags do compact smaller and stay very warm, but on some matresses can slide easily which can literally be a pain! Think fast stops, hard turns, winding mountain roads... Avoid the mummy bag. Being able to stretch out makes it easier to sleep and in the event of a need to evacuate the truck, will make your escape faster.

Agreed....be prepared for the worst. Have a thin blanket for the warm seasons and a 5 season bag for the cold which may include winter breakdowns and heater breakdowns which are common in higher mileage trucks. Also some companies no longer allow you to idle, in winter you will need that 5 season bag. I experienced the Chicago snow storm of 2014 on a Walmart parking lot with no idle thanks to Prime, I was ready for it though with that 5 season bag. Also because buy a toweling style blanket to wrap around the mattress, it stops you slipping around. I sleep in a team truck 8hrs no issues on the worst road in the Midwest 69s75s Dallas.

Correct Old School....I'm British...been driving on CDL over here for 2.5 years now but the state of Missouri would not allow me to apply for my CDL permit without 1 year of driving on a standard car license.

Frank, I'm thinking the big issue with having a Driver's License for one year is more of a State issue than it is a company issue. Many of the States will not allow you to obtain the CDL without proof of holding a U.S. Driver's license for one year.

Sorry, I would post pics but I am posting from my iPad.

Try Meteor Crater, Ext 233, I40. It's only about 6 miles from the highway and yes it is accessible for semi's with trailers although you must park on the RV lot (first left as you approach the parking lots). Get there early if you can and you will have no issues parking your rig. It was about $18 I think when I went but if you like science, history, geology or just tourism it's well worth it. Take your camera and a deep breath because the views are breathtaking. Wish I could post some pics for you. Let's face it most of us probably pass this place and think it's not for us truckers but it is.

I'm in year 2. The key for me was research, research and yes more research. I started out with Prime making about $800 per week but out for very long periods at a time. I stuck it out, served my time but all the while I was researching the best possible opportunities out there. I now run the "Gravy Train" with a co-driver. Midwest - West, same route, same drop yards, drop n hook both ends, home every weekend and scrape in $80,000 😜 This was the job I always had in my mind ( never thought I would find it though, I must admit) and would not settle for compromise, in fact my financial target was $60,000. That's why I call it the "Gravy Train". Best of luck to you.

I'm thinking I could be approaching it. I've been sitting in Jacksonville,FL at the Busch warehouse waiting for my load for 27 hours. My dispatcher thinks it fine and just tells me to hang on in there. There are several other fully loaded Prime trailers around me but they are not mine I'm told. He's not sure if I get Detention or not, "maybe" he says. What's your longest wait ? Not including extreme weather events.

Thanks for all the replies guys n gals. I had a good talk with my wife last night and dug around researching on the internet and yes it's almost impossible with this type of income in the first 24 months as Jolie says. So thanks once again to all but I'm outta here and going to see if I can find something with driving class A or B by the hour. Now I have a whole new set of issues no doubt, like experience behind the wheel etc but hopefully I can find some mom n pop outfit around central Missouri with such opportunity. Thx to all

I went into trucking so I could make a better life for me and my wife. I'm originally from the UK so had to start a fresh when I came over here. I waited 12 months before I joined Prime because I had to have held my US driving license for that time before I could apply to Prime. I've been driving for them for 4 months earning great money. Today I decided to apply for a mortgage. I have a 717 credit rating, no debts and no bills, so I stand in what I thought was an excellent position. However today I'm told by the mortgage people that the way I earn my salary (paid by the mile) is classed as a commission based wage and they need 24 months history under those circumstances!! This is potentially the end of my "by the mile" career and a return to "by the hour" is on the foreseeable horizon suddenly. Has anyone ever had this issue and if so did you get round it?I have zero intension on waiting for that period.

Thanks in advance

Gary E

My husband is a new immigrant in the US and he's interested in getting his CDL. He's been a licensed driver in his home country for almost ten years but he just received his US DL last December. I've read something about a one-year requirement for the potential CDL driver to have had his non-commercial license for one year before he can obtain a CDL. Is that true across the board or does it vary by company/state? Thanks in advance.

Hi Amanda, I researched this a lot when I came over from the UK 2 years ago. Yes, it is a requirement by every company I found except one. USA Truck and PAM have an arrangement with a company called Driver Solutions that will allow you in schooling for your CDL after only 9 months of having held the US driving license. I tried this company but did not like the way they ran the course. Too many students to instructors and very old equipment, I left the course after only 1 day, no fee to pay. In the end I waited out the 12 months and now drive for Prime Inc. Great training and one of the best pay structures around. Hopes this helps

Gotta love unproven rookies expecting brand new 2015 trucks!

Don't sweat it Dude. It won't always go your way. I started at Prime with experience and my truck wasn't much better. It's the luck of the draw.

Work your way up and when you become one of the top drivers they'll quickly recognize you and gladly hand you what you deserve.

I got one last Friday😀. We'll almost, only 35k on clock. However the downside is, she has many little creases to iron out and my first assignment was Chicago rail yard for the entire weekend shuttling trailers 11 miles through suburbs in the Snowstorm with no APU and very little patience. So the new truck gloating soon passed away over the extended long tiring weekend. I'm moving on slowly.

You can also use the cruise to bump the idle up and it will not shut down.

Disabled, I tried that one. I could do it on the Freightliner but now I got 2015 international. Company spotted that one and took it away from us.

Those Pro Stars are getting popular with fleets....

cause its the cheapest truck out there

Agreed, but it's its a nice looking truck and It was given to me by Prime (as a company driver). I have a way of making things work for me, so I will stick with it until we manage to bond together and DRIVE!. A little tape and glue here and there and we'll be fine. 😜