Accepted To Prime

So I recently obtained my Cdl and I've accepted an invitation to orientation at Prime. Cool. I've read so many posts my eyes are burning and I'm numb...but this is where I am... My wife supports me and her brother is staying with her till she gets her Cdl and gets on the road with me. They accept dogs, killer, and I'm coming to terms with the time away from home. I'll run flatbed, not because I necessarily want to, but because I'll be routed home more often and that's important to me. I'm anxious and nervous but excited. I hope this is something that can become more than a career for me but I'm cautious. I'll refuse to lease a truck, EVEN IF IT SOUNDS AMAZING, EVEN IF THEY SAY IM A FOOL NOT TO. There will be plenty of time to change my mind. I've owned a business before, it was no walk in the park. Everybody seems to ask a lot of questions to the forum their recruiters should have answered. Everybody seems to want the world before they've even dipped their toes into the water. We've all been blessed with a chance to earn a living and have a shot at greatness. Let's get out there and make our families proud! Prime may or may not be the best deal going but it's an experience. A lot of us were searching craigslist for retail and construction jobs not 3 months ago. Never again!!!!!

That all sounds great to me!

Simply knowing that you'll have to put in the work, make some sacrifices, and prove yourself over time before you'll get the special treatment the top tier drivers get is a huge part of making it in this business. It's the part a lot of people don't get. Maybe they've never done something as difficult and dangerous as trucking is, something that required as much of them as trucking will. Or maybe they heard truckers are in high demand so they think they hold all the cards. Different people have different reasons for taking the wrong approach to this career but you seem to get it. That's gonna make a huge difference in your performance and the happiness and success you'll find out there.

Let us know how things go! When do you start?

Hi.. Fellow Primate ;)

First.... There is no pressure to lease. I'm a company driver and they simply asked me ONE time if I was interested because they needed to assign me a truck and dispatcher. That's it. I make my FM a lot of money and he's not pressuring me to lease cause he doesn't handle lease ops. ;)

Second.... If you don't want to flatbed then don't. Prime policy is four weeks out, four days off as a company driver. You actually earn one day for each week you are out.. So it is feasible to say... Stay out for 6 weeks, take the four days off, and you bank the other 2/days. Stay out for 2/more weeks and use the new 2/days plus the banked two days.

That is company policy no matter which division. Now... It is possible you might have more customers near your home and therefore might get routed near home... So you might be able to steal a night here or there... But it is not a regular thing. I lso know FMs who do not route drivers near home. For that reason, I say choose a division that will make you happy.

Also be aware there is a $1000 pet fee.. They take $300 the first payment and $50 per week there after once the pet is on board. There is a weight limit for pets too... So if its a German Shepherd, that probably won't work.

Policies and information as well as laws change all the time. Because of this recruiters don't know everything. But they try.

Feel free to ask any questions and if you tap on my name you will see a ton of prime posts I have made. ;)

Prime is am awesome company... Just this week for driver appreciation week, all A seat drivers were given $50 in rewards points to be used in the company store, cafe, or spa/salon. That a FREE hour massage I have common to me lol

Welcome to the club. I am a fairly new lease operator in flatbed division. There is absolutely no pressure anywhere through training to lease. I was asked a few different times about company or lease but all for sorting the paperwork. There is no sales pitch in other words. Flat bed is great! I will say this however. The only time I have seen my hometown area is when I request home time and my fm sends me that way. 99% of the time I'm 750 miles plus from home. Probably mostly depends on where you live. However my fm has been great about getting me home when I request it. Loving prime so far haven't been here long enough to form an opinion on lease. We'll just say I need some more time to figure out if it was a mistake or profitable. Definetly more complicated than just driving. It's a business. Anyways. As I started. Welcome.

Thanks so much for all of the feedback! I take the dreaded greyhound out Sunday night from Austin to Springfield...if I survive the potential knife fights and drug traffickers I start on Tuesday! Awesome news about the no pressure to lease situation. I applied to Trans-Am and quickly turned down their offer based on posts I had read from current and former drivers. The dog fee is pretty steep, but come on, it's my dog! She'll keep my wife company till she gets her CDL in February. I heard from my recruiter that I'll be blue to train her after only 3 months with the company. Hope that's close to true...I might actually have her do half with a more seasoned trainer before I get her, but we'll see. Im only considering flatbed because they offered regional position (home every 2 weeks) and that would be nice. My most recent job was as a driver for a moving company so I'm no slouch and am used to hard work. Thanks again everybody! I'll hit u up if any questions come about, but it sounds like everything is on the up and up...

Congrats Richard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks so much for all of the feedback! I take the dreaded greyhound out Sunday night from Austin to Springfield...if I survive the potential knife fights and drug traffickers I start on Tuesday! Awesome news about the no pressure to lease situation. I applied to Trans-Am and quickly turned down their offer based on posts I had read from current and former drivers. The dog fee is pretty steep, but come on, it's my dog! She'll keep my wife company till she gets her CDL in February. I heard from my recruiter that I'll be blue to train her after only 3 months with the company. Hope that's close to true...I might actually have her do half with a more seasoned trainer before I get her, but we'll see. Im only considering flatbed because they offered regional position (home every 2 weeks) and that would be nice. My most recent job was as a driver for a moving company so I'm no slouch and am used to hard work. Thanks again everybody! I'll hit u up if any questions come about, but it sounds like everything is on the up and up...

I heard from my recruiter that I'll be blue to train her after only 3 months with the company. Hope that's close to true...I might actually have her do half with a more seasoned trainer before I get her, but we'll see. Im only considering flatbed because they offered regional position (home every 2 weeks) and that would be nice...

Just a heads up... This is probably NOT true. Because its your wife there might be some clause I don't know about...... But to train at prime you must have NINE months driving including one winter season. If you come from another company.... Even if you have been driving 20 years... You must wait three months. I'm guessing the recruiter either screwed up or its different cause of the wife..... But knowing prime... No.. They don't want a very very new driver training.

And IMHO, no one should be training at 3/mos. It takes almost six for.most drivers to feel more comfortable with backing, and just as long if not longer for time management.

Heck it took three.months just for me to stop thinking I was getting fired each time I got routed through the terminal hahhah. And I'm good

I heard from my recruiter that I'll be blue to train her after only 3 months with the company. Hope that's close to true...I might actually have her do half with a more seasoned trainer before I get her, but we'll see. Im only considering flatbed because they offered regional position (home every 2 weeks) and that would be nice...

Just a heads up... This is probably NOT true. Because its your wife there might be some clause I don't know about...... But to train at prime you must have NINE months driving including one winter season. If you come from another company.... Even if you have been driving 20 years... You must wait three months. I'm guessing the recruiter either screwed up or its different cause of the wife..... But knowing prime... No.. They don't want a very very new driver training.

And IMHO, no one should be training at 3/mos. It takes almost six for.most drivers to feel more comfortable with backing, and just as long if not longer for time management.

Heck it took three.months just for me to stop thinking I was getting fired each time I got routed through the terminal hahhah. And I'm good

Totally agree with you here Rainy. Three months is barley scratching the surface,...imagine training someone else with no experience at that point in your career. Scarey! No thanks...

Another point... You might not even go solo until Feb. I depends on your trainer and how they run their truck. I got to prime Sept 19th, got CDL Oct 30th (mischief night how appropriate), didn't go solo until Feb 14. So... How would you feel training as soon as you get in your truck???? Haha.

I asked several times in various ways and Was repeatedly told I would be able to trim her after three months...but it kind of blew my mind. That's why I even suggested in my earlier post I would likely send her off with an experienced trainer either way. But 40,000 miles is extreme considering we would both be OTR and likely wouldn't link up for months. If that were the case I would consider looking into a slightly less rigorous training program with a different company To team drive with. Of coarse, if we want to do it right....I would want her to get as much training as possible so that she will be prepared for the challenges I can only imagine we will be up against on the treacherous US highways, docks and city streets. I don't know guys, guess I'll play it by ear. We've been inseparable for 10 years now and will probably do anything we can to be in a truck driving together as soon as possible. Hopefully we make good decisions and don't let impatience and loneliness get in the way too badly!!!