Flatbed With Prime?

This is the trucking fantasy. It's not the same amount of time off. Your going to reset on the road 3 times in a 4 week period then take 5 days off. Im no mathematician far from it but the writing is on the wall. My guess is a minimum of 10 thousand dollars in losses to the driver if a he raN this way. But it's not all about money so if being home 5 days in a row is worth 10k a year I say go for it then. Being happy is what it's all about. I'm just trying to tell the truth on the trucking truth because that's the truth.

Rubber Duck states:

What’s really going to happen is your going to lose a ton of money going home for a whole week and at the end of the year your going to be missing thousand and thousands of dollars compared to what you would of made doing resets at your house every weekend.

Whether someone takes a 34 every weekend or instead takes several days off in a row at the end of the month, the amount of days taken off are the same. So the argument that you'd lose thousands and thousands of dollars is false.

Income potential at both companies is largely identical, and based on a driver's effort.

Michael W says:

Last I knew, trucks are governed at 67-68 MPH. That's Lease. I think it's lower for straight company trucks.

Lease is governed at 65 mph on the pedal and cruise. However, I've been in two lease trucks and both are 2 mph slower than the speedometer. So you're really governed at 63. Company is governed at 62. If the same speedometer error applies, you're governed at 60 mph.

Also, their Lease payments are pretty high. The average when I was there in 2015 was $650-$800 each week, and that's JUST THE TRACTOR (not the related fuel and maintenance expenses).

See the current inventory and weekly lease rates:

Success Leasing (Prime) Inventory

Had I been a total rookie, 30K wasn't enough. I'm glad they raised that to 50K.

I disagree with Michael W. I'm 35,000 milesinto TNT and feel that is PLENTY to learn this job. I have not secured steel coils or structural steel yet, but once you haul a variety of loads with both straps and chains, you pretty much figure out what to do. My trainer had never hauled Bobcats, but I figured out how to secure them while my trainer was talking to the Prime securement trainer on the phone.

As far are Prime respect for drivers, I agree with Michael W's perspective on the company philosophy:

Since Rob Low was a driver and still runs the joint, he's pretty good at keeping the offices respectful of us cranky, stinky, sometimes really stupid road nuts.

As stated above, my trainer calls the Prime securement trainer on a regular basis. So far, the guy has answered the phone immediately. No, leave a message and call back later. I have had interaction with benefits, logs, flatbed equipment, inbound, outbound, road safety, dispatch, and road assist. Their respect towards drivers is always the highest.

With regard to Road Assist, Prime has this app for your phone. There is a Road Assist form that you fill out if you need repairs. We had a flat on the trailer. When I followed up with a phone call to Road Assist (again answered directly) our Road Assist manager had already submitted the authorization for the work to the Love's Connect to get the work done. While I was sitting there waiting for the work to be done, I heard another driver talking to the Love's mechanics trying to get work authorization for his repair.

However, with regard to training, don't expect a trainer. Expect a "host." Someone that gives you a place to sleep, a truck to drive, and loads to secure. If you get any actual training that would be a bonus. If fact, expect to be told things that are flat out wrong. As I mentioned, we have secured Bobcats. My trainer remains adamant that the symbol in the picture below does NOT indicate "tie down" point and refuses to use these for tie downs:

Your trainer probably shouldn’t be training then in my opinion because that’s exactly what that symbol on the sticker means. It’s to mark the securement point they want you to use to properly secure the equipment.

Your going to reset on the road 3 times in a 4 week period then take 5 days off.

And you're basing that statement on what?

You see, I actually drove a flatbed for prime, so I'm basing my statement on facts and experience. Never once in my time did I take 3 resets in a month.

My guess

Exactly. It's only a guess on your part. We don't deal in guesses here, we give people unbiased facts and let them make their own decision.

I can't speak for TMC, but my time at Prime showed me that days can turn into weeks in a row when freight is good. Ebb & flow.

Statements such as Rubber Duck's are simply guesses with no basis in fact.

I did very well at Prime, because I put forth the effort. I'm confident I would have done equally well at TMC.

That is the truth.

I did very well at Prime, because I put forth the effort. I'm confident I would have done equally well at TMC.

Turtle,

Do you have any thoughts on PGT trucking? Thanks.

Your trainer probably shouldn’t be training then in my opinion because that’s exactly what that symbol on the sticker means. It’s to mark the securement point they want you to use to properly secure the equipment.

I agree wholeheartedly with Robert that when a flatbed "trainer" doesn't recognize this very basic securement symbol, it's concerning.

Turtle,

Do you have any thoughts on PGT trucking? Thanks.

Sorry, but I do not. I'd never even heard of them until you brought them up in your your other thread.

Sorry, but I do not. I'd never even heard of them until you brought them up in your your other thread.

No problem. Thanks for the response. I hadn't heard of them until a few days ago, but spoke with a recruiter and had an interview with a Fleet Manger. I was very impressed, and I have a decision to make.

I don’t doubt you did good. What I doubt is you took 5 days off in a row after 4 weeks and did good. I’m not just basing this on a guess. I shouldn’t of said that. It’s actually a matter of fact that your going to reset or your going to run recaps. Either way your taking off time each week either by being short hours or doing a reset. If you realized my way of thinking which is the right way of thinking before you take a job then you can make the best choice on which job to take. If your plan is to take 5 days off after 4 weeks your running like a part timer. Your losing Lots of money.

Your going to reset on the road 3 times in a 4 week period then take 5 days off.

And you're basing that statement on what?

You see, I actually drove a flatbed for prime, so I'm basing my statement on facts and experience. Never once in my time did I take 3 resets in a month.

My guess

Exactly. It's only a guess on your part. We don't deal in guesses here, we give people unbiased facts and let them make their own decision.

I can't speak for TMC, but my time at Prime showed me that days can turn into weeks in a row when freight is good. Ebb & flow.

Statements such as Rubber Duck's are simply guesses with no basis in fact.

I did very well at Prime, because I put forth the effort. I'm confident I would have done equally well at TMC.

That is the truth.

What I doubt is you took 5 days off in a row after 4 weeks and did good.

Well I guess that's just a personal problem you are going to have to deal with. I know what I did, and have the facts to back it up. But I don't need to prove anything to you. Frankly I don't really care what you think. What I care about is you telling readers they're going to lose thousands upon thousands of dollars by choosing one company over the other. That is simply not true, and a cop-out for your lack of performance.

Either way your taking off time each week either by being short hours or doing a reset

The same can be said for either company. You're going to have short days at TMC also, followed by a reset at home that makes for a really crappy paycheck that week or month.

Likewise, slow weeks happen at Prime. Clock management becomes vital if one wants to keep the money coming in, way more vital than for the weekend resetter. One can possibly manage their hours at Prime so that they might run recaps and avoid any days off besides scheduled home time.

Once again, I'm not telling the OP to choose one company over the other. Rather, I wanted him to know the home time differences. You show me some data to support your theory, and I'll look at it with an open mind. Until then, I'm going on my own first-hand experience.

If your plan is to take 5 days off after 4 weeks your running like a part timer. Your losing Lots of money.

First, I never said exactly 5 days in exactly 4 weeks. The general rule is you're allowed one day off per week. So taking 4-5 days off every month or so is normal, and no different from doing resets every week.

Second, I made nearly 80k as a "part timer", as you call it. I'd say I did pretty good.

I see now the errors in my calculations but found more. I see now your talking about getting home Friday and leaving back out Monday once a month. Now in that case I think the income potential is greater but much less home time than a regional driver would get. I was thinking home not driving for 5 days in a row. Which is what a new driver might of believed when you say 4 or five days home.