A PSA For Those Considering Prime Inc.

I hope you're all OK with me sticking around

We are happy for you to be in here and learning as much as you can about our industry. Unfortunately it is very difficult to get a real picture of how everything works in this business when you are on the outside looking in. There is so much misinformation out there on this business, and there are so many people who have failed at their attempts to be professional drivers who are more than willing to place the blame in all the wrong places, that you have got to be very careful about making determinations about how things work based on your research online, and even your own private conversations with people. I could give you a thousand examples of conversations I've heard in truck stop cafe's where the person spouting off all kinds of information was 180 degrees out of phase with the truth. We pride ourselves on being a source of Truth, and we adamantly defend it in here.

Once hired you need to prove yourself as a valued employee. if you don't like working there for what ever reason you need to move on or live with it.

Bullwinkle, recently we had a discussion where someone took offense that we teach that you should just accept the fact that you are not happy with your job and stick it out anyways. That is not our line of thinking at all. We do try to help people realize that they need to realize that trucking has problems that are inherent to the business at times. So many people get started in this career with false notions about companies, or even the job as a whole, and they always take the approach that they've chosen a "bad company" to work for when they are unhappy about something in particular. Therefore the next logical step is to move on to another one that is a "good company." It is a vicious cycle that people put themselves into because they don't ever get the chance to establish themselves as productive employees in a business that is known for leaning on it's most productive people. The truth is that most professional drivers would be very happy with the way they are being treated, and with the amount of miles that are being given to them if they would just have some tenacity in putting forth the effort it takes to make sure they are productive members of the team. That is something that takes time. A professional driver has got to establish a recognizable track record, and a positive relationship with his managers, if he ever dreams of being considered a top tier producer on the team. What I'm trying to address is your comment about not liking working somewhere. You stated that you should "move on or live with it." My point is this: let's say you are unhappy with the miles you are being given. Your choices need not be that you "move on or live with it." Here's what you should do, and I am going to give you my personal examples.

I spent sixteen months at my first trucking job with Western Express. If you care to do some research on them you will be hard pressed to find anything good about them posted anywhere. How could it be that they are considered such an evil empire by almost everyone who has worked there and yet I was always treated fairly and respectfully, all while making good money and running my rig across the country just about as hard as I could have ever wished? The answer lies in what we try to teach people in here all the time, and that is that you will be the determining factor in not only your success out here in this career, but also in your happiness with your situation as a professional driver. How are you the determining factor? The answer lies in your performance. A good steady driver who is always managing to "git er done" gets totally different treatment than the average driver will ever get. Is that unfair? Is that unprofessional? It is the way it is, and that is what we work really hard around here to convey to people. To be one of those top producers takes time, especially for a green horn rookie who is just getting started. One year is a minimum of commitment to try and establish ones self at this.

Continued...

I moved on from Western because I received a generous offer from Knight Transportation. I didn't seek this out, but someone who knew me at Knight recommended me to them for a new dedicated flat-bed account they were putting together. I've been at Knight for two years now, but when I first started I soon discovered that as a new guy on the job you are back to being nobody again. You have no track record established with your new company yet. Just recently my driver manager and I were having a discussion and he said,

"You know I still remember that day that you came in here to my office and said to me that you were ready for some longer runs. I had been just giving you some short hauls because I wasn't sure what kind of driver you were, or if you knew how to manage your clock or not. That was funny to me. You wanted me to know you could handle it, but I was still just sort of feeling you out."

This is exactly how it works out here. They will give you just enough rope to hang yourself with, but they are hoping all the while that you will prove them wrong and show them that you are one of the chosen few who can handle himself out here like a professional.

Had I decided to leave Knight because I was only getting short runs, it would have been a huge mistake. These days I'm making extremely good money for this job, and I get my choice of loads when and where I want to run. I get preferential treatment when it comes to how I want to handle my home time. I am treated professionally and respectfully, which are the two most common things we hear drivers complaining about. Respect in this career is hard earned, and unfortunately there are way too many complainers about it that never put in the effort to gain the respect they are so quick to claim they deserve.

Talk about sermonizing, here I go laying out a sermon myself! I better put the brakes on this before I go over board. We are happy to have you in here Bulwinkle, we just want you to realize that we jump all over anything that we realize isn't true. It is not a personal attack against you, it is so that we have good reliable information available in these discussions for the readers who come in here later on. I don't think most of our readers realize just how much traffic there is in here, and we want people who visit these pages to come away from them with valuable information that is helpful to them when making a start in this career. It is difficult enough as it is to establish oneself in this career without us piling on a lot of misinformation that will only lead them astray.

Well... I'm going to.keep.making my case for prime cause I want everyone to be assured the truth lol

Prime has many extra little things that might not seem important to everyone, but to those who care it is really a big deal. For example, Springfield has dog runs (not four ft by six ft kennels, but 25ft long runs) so drivers can lock the dogs in a long cage to give them exercise and off the truck for a bit. They feel comfortable leaving their dog there knowing full well there are security cameras and tons of drivers around who would put a stop to anything suspicious.

We have a doctors office in the terminal so we don't have to take home time to get things done. Plus the company shuttle will take us to the local dentist, testing labs, and eye doctors... Who all accept our insurance. Everyone complained about the sleep apnea test and cpap when in first got there including me. But then I met drivers who use the cpap and they said they sleep better , feel more alert, and get less fatigued when driving... Meaning they are SAFER.

At my old job (a federal govt job)/my health insurance was $300 to/$500 per month for just me. At prime when I hit my one year next month, the insurance will drop from $240 to $88 per month. Yes my doctor copays are more but my prescriptions have all been free whether for antibiotics or birth control. I was not offered any form of disability insurance and had to pay about $400 per month "just in case". As fed employees we were not entitled to state disability not even for maternity leave. I pay less than $10 per week for short and long term disability and $250k life insurance.

At Halloween the local employees and the drivers had costume contests and trick or treating at the terminal. It was fun and SAFE for the kids. As a company driver I get to choose which holiday I want to be home for... Christmas or Thanksgiving. It took me six years to get Christmas off at my last job and after 18 years I was still forced in all the other holidays. If you are on the road for Thanksgiving you scan your meal receipt and prime reimburses you. I never received a Christmas bonus in my life but at prime with only two months as an official employee I got $35 and the amount goes up the longer you stay.

I could go on and on cause there is two much to.mention. but I have said in other threads and will say again... Myths about prime are "you will be forced into a lease....you will be forced into a lightweight...you will get only 1200 miles a week as a rookie." All lies and I have the pay stubs and truck pics to prove it. Miss Myoshi was actually told she would have to wait for the lightweight she wanted. Another myth is that I would wait for home time. The first two months I told my FM two days earlier than what I wanted thinking I would be delayed. Wrong again. I usually get home the day BEFORE my requested home date. And my last run home was a sweet 1800 mile run that put me right into the town where I park the truck ;)

Do I have some frustration and aggravating days? Sure. But my last job I was on edge everyday expecting an argument with a boss any boss. That just doesn't happen here.

I have a hands off type of FM. I literally talk to him on the phone once month but he's a great guy.

I just hate people get the wrong impression about things. If the company sucked I would tell you and leave next month after my year. The first thing I noticed about prime was all the spouse teams. THAT impressed me more than shiny building and million dollar SIMS. n who brings his wife to a company is at risknof being nagged forever.."I left my job for this? We sold the house for this crappy company?" Etc. So what does it tell you that many men work for prime first then train their wives after the kids grow up?

Old School,

I really appreciate the time and effort you spend writing the columns in this website and taking the time to speak personally to people especially myself. Writing an article is no easy task.

I've quit some pretty good jobs in my life because of my hotheadedness lack of tenacity and not being able to deal with my superiors in an organization. Head of Network and Computer Services for the Kenosha Public Library System, Network Administrator for Kenosha Beef International. These were the best paying most excellent jobs I've ever had and I walked out on them. It will be a long time if ever before something like these 2 jobs will ever become part of my life again. It's been 16 years since I've left these great opportunities for employment and have yet to recover from my stupid mistakes. I could stay in the computer industry it pays very well but I have no interest in doing it professionally anymore because I get no enjoyment from it.

Lesson 1 of the sermon ( I say that tongue in cheek you coined the phrase, hahaha ) is Seek a job and do it because you get some sort of fulfillment from it. Don't do it strictly for the money.

The second lesson I've learned from the school of hard knocks is to stay away from the "Grass is always greener" mentality and attempt to stick it out.

My last and I hope my final computer job was spent in a call center fielding calls for technical support with WiFi issues in hotels and motels across North America. I lasted 6 years. This for me was my worst nightmare come true. Call after call all day long. People with limited knowledge of how to use a computer ( no fault of their own, not trying to be condescending towards them in the least ) who were staying at a place where the management refused to invest in a decent network that operated correctly ( something completely out of my control) . Rude and irate guests ( rightfully so ). Dealing with Internet Service Providers. It was ugly and very depressing. But you know after I finally figured things out the hard way that its not a perfect world I finally got battle hardened enough to learn to just stick it out.

I had to quit my last job because as an on call driver I was only getting 15 hours per week spread over a 7 day period. It was not paying the bills and I was required to be ready to roll at anytime of the day. That was a Class E Permitted job, my first professional driving experience. I really liked hauling the old folks to their doctors appointments at the rest home. My current job is Class C. I'm getting the hours + overtime and you know what? I like this one too! I really enjoy driving around Missouri State University all day long. So now as I think about stepping up to a Class A Permit and Driving OTR I really have to search within my self to determine if I'm looking at the "Grass is Always Greener" Mentally once again.

The 3rd and final point is that if you decide you have to move on to a new employer look deep into your self and ask if you are really doing it for all the right reasons.

So in closing as people are starting to nod off as has been known to happen when a sermon drones on, I'd like to say that the content of this website is a huge asset for people like myself who are trying to make good well educated career choices in life. I value everyone's efforts tremendously.

Great thread! If I can ask my own Prime Orientation medical question, medications currently taking:

RX list: 1. Simvastatin - for lowering cholesterol (I have good blood pressure though) 2. Aspirin 82mg 3. Androgel topical testosterone & ineluctable Testosterone Cypionate (hypogonadism aka low testosterone production)

Questions: 1. Will any of these be Disqualifications 2. Will they need to fax my doctor for any of this? My doctor usually takes weeks to get back to anyone via phone or fax including the pharmacy no matter how many times I ask to expedite. Yes, I'm working on getting a new doctor.

Thank you!

Hi Chris. The truth is, companies don't tell you ahead of time what drugs are approved or declined..discrimination lawsuits arise.

What I would do is to get copies of your record from your doctor and bring them with you. There are plenty of people here who have blood pressure or anxiety problems. I do have a friend who takes cholestoral meds, i coukd ask her which one. One person I know was sent home for 30 days to change meds and came back. Yes, this is really difficult when leaving a Job and making life arrangements.

They asked me about my meds, how long I had been on them and when I ended them. I took something for a short time two years prior and they didn't care. They didn't make me send a doctor note to confirm. But my blood pressure etc was fine.

Turtle is a flatbedder who started with prime in the fall. He had blood pressure issues that he might have mentioned in his CDL Diary. Not sure if he takes cholesterol meds, but he probably mentioned it in his diary if he does. And honestly flatbed is hard work...I wouldn't want to do it Good luck