Prime: Let's Do This!
Topic 22543 | Page 8
If things were so great, how come everyone isn't leasing? If it's so awesome there wouldn't be anything but a lease waiting list for us noobs! 
Stick to your guns, brother. We've been advised by some of the best in the business - and their only agenda is safety and integrity. We're doing it right, so no worries!
The Kool aid always has hidden components! He was telling me after everything he puts about 2-3k in the bank and he has been doing this 9 years. I'm thinking to myself Suuuure and if the truck breaks what then? I still plan on doing company, even if I was slightly tempted.
heres some reality for you... If you go.the way of your TnT trainer, you get his or her FM. So, Splitter got my company FM when he upgraded. If i was lease, and he went company, he would go.to.a different FM. If he went lease and i was lease, he d keep our FM.
Now, think about this...if i did my job and helped Splitter become a great driver.....my FM.will be very happy with him and making good money. That would give me brownie points with my FM. I have a funny suspicion the lease guys get a bonus if the student goes lease, but i dont know that as a fact.. just a suspicion. So brownie points with the FM and possibly bonus money...yeah, they encourage leasing.
Plus, most lease ops were talked into leasing by their trainers who were never company drivers....which means there is a lot of misinformation passed down. One guy told.me "I went lease cause i didnt want them searching my truck. As company, they will bring you in every 3 months and route through your personal stuff".
Not only is this false...but stupid. Prime owns the leased and the company trucks and can search all they want....but they dont. Not without cause at least. The contract says lease ops must remain DOT compliant... hence their trucks can be inspected for anything...including in cab....or how about drugs and alcohol? hmmmm DOT, signed a contract to be compliant...hmmm. idiot.
what is weird is that Prime does not pressure people to go.lease...the lease ops do. Bragging about how much they make.
Ask him this...."Please show me your end of the year settlement. I want to see your gross revenue (about $230k) subtracted by your total operation costs including fuel, maint. and insurance. (probably about $150k). Then I would like to see the amount of taxes you paid out (probably $15k or so) and subtract that from the difference. This is your net profit.
After, Please divide your gross revenue ($230k) by the number of ACTUAL miles you drove. This will give you a rate per mile. Im guessing about $1.25 per mile based on three of my friends statements. Now...divide the operation costs by the total annual miles....this gives you an operation per.mile. (about 75 cpm). Deduct the average operation cost per mile from the average rate per mile ($1.25) ....and you get 50cpm. Without a fuel.bonus. which means a solo brand new Lightweight driver can bring home the same or more than a lease op team trainer.
after i check out those numbers, i might be interested."
odds are he doesnt know what you mean lol
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
I've tried to get more info from him about his cost and everything, usually I just get that he puts 2k at least in the bank a week. I was slightly tempted at one point, but I just remembered all the advice here and the totals that you have posted Rainy.
My current plan is company and starting out in a lightweight. I can deal with the space to make that extra cash for now. Plus with company I'll get better benefits, especially after first year on medical, and I won't have added stress.
I agree that Prime fully wants folks to go company, one if the in house trainers even said so. The main reason I'm seeing a lot of the people out of training go lease is their head is filled with dollar signs put there by other lease drivers.
My first full week’s settlement came ti $1313.00 this includes a $200 reimbursement for flying instead of taking the greyhound. Also includes $300 tax deduction & $162 in deductions for my training loan, load locks, abloy lock set & snow chains. Once I pay off those accessories, that’s an extra $162 in my pocket.
I’ve heard the same lease ops ramblings just from being at Sprimo. One dude went on about how much he made & I asked how much time off does he take? He said he just took 2 months off & in the same breath says, “my truck never stops!” Over 200K in a year & a half. Yeah!! I’m not out here to kill myself.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I'm with a Splitter, tho I still prolly won't go home every 4 weeks or I'll only take 2 or 3 days instead the 4. Also congrats on being out there! On one hand I can't wait to finish PSD and TNT ...on other hand I know I have a lot to learn. You have a LW right? How are you liking it?
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
- Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
- Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
- Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
- Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
- Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
- Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
Yea, show me the money AFTER expenses. Stick to your guns and let the company foot the bill at least for a while. Stay safe!
You too man! I did my first 10 hour drive today and I'm wore the heck out. About to grab some food then to pass out. Tomorrow we are going to do some pad practice at Springfield, MO, then go deliver our load by st Louis tomorrow evening. We are gonna try and get another load to get us to the weekend after that and I should be back by middle of next week at the latest to test out if all goes well.
Hey Bran! Get used to those long hauls. I’ve been doing avg 8+ hour drives since the 14th in Burbank, WA & delivering tomorrow morning in Detroit, MI. I’ve flipped my sleep cycle twice in 2 weeks.
Yeps! I love the LW except for the new learning curve on descending steep hills & crawling uphills with heavy loads. The huge plus for me is the extra 5 cents per mile along with my fuel bonuses. It’s definitely more cramp then the condo but I need the income over the comfort.
As an aside, my passenger seat was removed when I got it. On top of that, a driver that was switching companies sold me his Walmart fridge & microwave for $50!! So it all cane together perfectly for me. All I had to do was pay Prime to have the base for the fridge installed & I strapped them both down.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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Prime Inc Becoming A Truck Driver Company Trainers First Truck Driving Job Leasing A Truck Life On The Road On The Road In Training Sleep Apnea
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The Kool aid always has hidden components! He was telling me after everything he puts about 2-3k in the bank and he has been doing this 9 years. I'm thinking to myself Suuuure and if the truck breaks what then? I still plan on doing company, even if I was slightly tempted.