Prime Running Low On Trucks?

I think the old style cascadias had rougher suspensions. "Like floating on a cloud" is exactly the wording I used to describe my 2019 Cascadia to my former trainer when I compared it to his 2018.

It actually freaked me out for a little while because I felt detached from the road.

I think the old style cascadias had rougher suspensions. "Like floating on a cloud" is exactly the wording I used to describe my 2019 Cascadia to my former trainer when I compared it to his 2018.

It actually freaked me out for a little while because I felt detached from the road.

I agree. My first Tractor was a 2015 Cascadia with about 115,000 on the clock. The 2019 I wad issued last month is much smoother and quieter in my opinion. The AMT is sooooo much better. The 2015 would go thru every single gear starting at 1, even bobtail! This 2019 skip shifts flawlessly. I have no complaints. Hopefully I will drive this one for its complete lifecycle at Swift.

Hopefully, my next Tractor will have Diamonds on it!

Thanks for the Reply Rainy!

Just curious as i will start the next book (finished with the last one..:) ) of my life on Mar 11th and was wondering if this is something i should expect towards the end of my training.

I know I'm counting my chickens before they hatch , but one cant help but wonder.

Anyway, Thanks for the response

GW

Just finished (3/3/19) 40 K mile ,90 day,4 trainer, TNT training with Prime. Took 1 week off and ready to return 3/12/19, called to see about returning to finish upgrading. Was told NO TRUCKS available now, call back this coming Thursday 3/14/19 to see if trucks will be available the following week. This will cause me to wait another week, without pay, before I can possibly get a truck. I feel like a corporation as large as Prime, should have anticipated my completion of training and have a truck ready to go. I have done everything asked of me and now I have to wait further to finally start my trucking career.

"called to see about returning to finish upgrading"

If you didnt finish the upgrade process, you are not even eligible for a truck. You need to complete the classes and walk into the leasing office and put yourself on the list. If someone goes on the list and are called and do not respond by picking up the paperwork, they are skipped over and the truck goes to the next in line. A lease op who wishes to hold a truck on the inventory list only gets a hold for 3 hours and cannot put a hold on the truck unless they are there. (this is stated on the success leasing website)

Springfield just got a new shipment of trucks yesterday. They are getting more new trucks every week, as well as those who turn them in for various reasons.

Sure if you are sitting at home and not "in their face" they are going to give the trucks to everyone else.

I feel like a corporation as large as Prime, should have anticipated my completion of training and have a truck ready to go. I have done everything asked of me and now I have to wait further to finally start my trucking career.

Most drivers never make it through training, so they couldnt possibly anticipate your upgrade for a certain date. Once the trucks come in, they are then put through our shops to put tires on, add APUs , and a ton of safety features. This takes time. they are also detailed. Of they are turned in by those going out for medical, quitting, or ending the lease, they are put through the shops and detail.

Did you actually complete the upgrade? Some people fail the SIM test and need to go back out with a trainer for another 10,000 miles.

You sound as though you aren't there and are not returning until someone has a truck for you. Holding a truck for you costs the company money. Every day a truck sits is debt being racked up.

You can call next week, but I assure you, there will always be people ahead of you if you dont actually go there. And if you did not complete the upgrading via CBTs, SIM, and Prime Safety Class, elogs , etc... then you are not yet an A seat, and not eligible to be on the list.

I was told on Wed i was number 73 on the list. On Fri i was 2. On Saturday, they tried to put me in a 2017 but I need a condo for training. She told me i would have to wait for Monday and an hour later on Saturday, i got a 2020 International condo. I'm already on my second load after having all my appliances and stuff swapped. Unless you are at another terminal , that is how springfield works. Nancy on this forum just got a condo out of SLC the other day without any difficulty. Pittston only gets trucks when people quit or get fired, so yeah you could be waiting there for weeks. Otherwise, you could get hooked up with any prime driver to run you into Sprimo... they do it all the time.

My suggestion is to get to sprimo, finish the upgrade if you havent and get on that list. the list is added to every day, YOU are prolonging your wait by not being there . good luck.

Elog:

Electronic Onboard Recorder

Electronic Logbook

A device which records the amount of time a vehicle has been driven. If the vehicle is not being driven, the operator will manually input whether or not he/she is on duty or not.

Elogs:

Electronic Onboard Recorder

Electronic Logbook

A device which records the amount of time a vehicle has been driven. If the vehicle is not being driven, the operator will manually input whether or not he/she is on duty or not.

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APUs:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

The red statement shows how they only hold the lease inventory for 3 hours. As a company driver, they will only hold it so long. If you were driving and picking up recovered trucks, which my student did and got paid...or offered to use a truck to shuttle empty trailers to and from local customers, you could have been making money. My trainee went to MN and back and they held his assigned truck until he got back. They paid the rental.car there and hotel so he didnt have to sleep in the truck. Others just didnt show up by the end of the day after being called and the trucks were given to.other drivers.

that is still an option you could ask your FM about... or Driver Lineup about recovery or trailer shuttling so you could make.money. Plus, there is no time restriction so.it is less pressure without appointment times, but gives you a sense of the job as well as some.money.

Thanks for the Reply Rainy!

Just curious as i will start the next book (finished with the last one..:) ) of my life on Mar 11th and was wondering if this is something i should expect towards the end of my training.

I know I'm counting my chickens before they hatch , but one cant help but wonder.

Anyway, Thanks for the response

GW

Just finished (3/3/19) 40 K mile ,90 day,4 trainer, TNT training with Prime. Took 1 week off and ready to return 3/12/19, called to see about returning to finish upgrading. Was told NO TRUCKS available now, call back this coming Thursday 3/14/19 to see if trucks will be available the following week. This will cause me to wait another week, without pay, before I can possibly get a truck. I feel like a corporation as large as Prime, should have anticipated my completion of training and have a truck ready to go. I have done everything asked of me and now I have to wait further to finally start my trucking career.

Just curious, why did you have 4 trainers?

"called to see about returning to finish upgrading"

If you didnt finish the upgrade process, you are not even eligible for a truck. You need to complete the classes and walk into the leasing office and put yourself on the list. If someone goes on the list and are called and do not respond by picking up the paperwork, they are skipped over and the truck goes to the next in line. A lease op who wishes to hold a truck on the inventory list only gets a hold for 3 hours and cannot put a hold on the truck unless they are there. (this is stated on the success leasing website)

Springfield just got a new shipment of trucks yesterday. They are getting more new trucks every week, as well as those who turn them in for various reasons.

Sure if you are sitting at home and not "in their face" they are going to give the trucks to everyone else.

I feel like a corporation as large as Prime, should have anticipated my completion of training and have a truck ready to go. I have done everything asked of me and now I have to wait further to finally start my trucking career.

Most drivers never make it through training, so they couldnt possibly anticipate your upgrade for a certain date. Once the trucks come in, they are then put through our shops to put tires on, add APUs , and a ton of safety features. This takes time. they are also detailed. Of they are turned in by those going out for medical, quitting, or ending the lease, they are put through the shops and detail.

Did you actually complete the upgrade? Some people fail the SIM test and need to go back out with a trainer for another 10,000 miles.

You sound as though you aren't there and are not returning until someone has a truck for you. Holding a truck for you costs the company money. Every day a truck sits is debt being racked up.

You can call next week, but I assure you, there will always be people ahead of you if you dont actually go there. And if you did not complete the upgrading via CBTs, SIM, and Prime Safety Class, elogs , etc... then you are not yet an A seat, and not eligible to be on the list.

I was told on Wed i was number 73 on the list. On Fri i was 2. On Saturday, they tried to put me in a 2017 but I need a condo for training. She told me i would have to wait for Monday and an hour later on Saturday, i got a 2020 International condo. I'm already on my second load after having all my appliances and stuff swapped. Unless you are at another terminal , that is how springfield works. Nancy on this forum just got a condo out of SLC the other day without any difficulty. Pittston only gets trucks when people quit or get fired, so yeah you could be waiting there for weeks. Otherwise, you could get hooked up with any prime driver to run you into Sprimo... they do it all the time.

My suggestion is to get to sprimo, finish the upgrade if you havent and get on that list. the list is added to every day, YOU are prolonging your wait by not being there . good luck.

Rainy D, Thank You for your reply and insight. I was going by what I was told by those I reached out to at Prime. They never considered that I still had training to complete. Your advice makes sense to me and I will return back to SPRIMO this Tuesday, as originally planned, to complete the upgrade process and get on the list. I also will be following your advise and going Company Driver.

Appreciate You General G

Elog:

Electronic Onboard Recorder

Electronic Logbook

A device which records the amount of time a vehicle has been driven. If the vehicle is not being driven, the operator will manually input whether or not he/she is on duty or not.

Elogs:

Electronic Onboard Recorder

Electronic Logbook

A device which records the amount of time a vehicle has been driven. If the vehicle is not being driven, the operator will manually input whether or not he/she is on duty or not.

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

APUs:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Thanks for the Reply Rainy!

Just curious as i will start the next book (finished with the last one..:) ) of my life on Mar 11th and was wondering if this is something i should expect towards the end of my training.

I know I'm counting my chickens before they hatch , but one cant help but wonder.

Anyway, Thanks for the response

GW

Just finished (3/3/19) 40 K mile ,90 day,4 trainer, TNT training with Prime. Took 1 week off and ready to return 3/12/19, called to see about returning to finish upgrading. Was told NO TRUCKS available now, call back this coming Thursday 3/14/19 to see if trucks will be available the following week. This will cause me to wait another week, without pay, before I can possibly get a truck. I feel like a corporation as large as Prime, should have anticipated my completion of training and have a truck ready to go. I have done everything asked of me and now I have to wait further to finally start my trucking career.

Just curious, why did you have 4 trainers?

1st guy was just Nasty, stayed in the sleeper whole time I was driving and was only in it for the Money.

2nd guy was a control freak with OCD. Our personalities conflicted.

3rd guy was perfect, patient, knowledgeable and supportive. He had medical problems and stopped driving.

4th guy was very good and helped me finish my final 7k miles.

Sometimes it takes a Village...

Good luck!! and rest assured, there's an upgrade class every morning at 0700 in the SIM lab.

when you get to campus inn, just give them your comdata card and they will give you a solo room at no charge.

You meal tickets during the one safety class.

and...welcome to Prime