Prime Drivers: Please Weigh In On The Different Divisions
Topic 4545 | Page 1
While I don't drive for Prime I can tell you this and it goes for every single trailer type out there. Those that like a certain type of trailer love them and those that hate a type of trailer absolutely hate them. Reason being each persons personal experience is just that. Their own experience. Oh I could tell you the pros and cons of each but you can read that anywhere on the Internet. Old School and Starcar love flat beds. I completely hate them and all for very different reason than they love them. It's all based on personal experience and until you really deal with them then it will be hard to understand our reasoning behind our opinions.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Prime's tankers mostly run in the northeast. They run food-grade so you will be pulling smooth-bore, no baffles or bulkheads. I don't really know much more than that. From speaking to other truckers, they definitely have their preference on the different types of trailers, they all seem to have different challenges.
Baffle:
A partition or separator within a liquid tank, used to inhibit the flow of fluids within the tank. During acceleration, turning, and braking, a large liquid-filled tank may produce unexpected forces on the vehicle due to the inertia of liquids.Bulkhead:
A strong wall-like structure placed at the front of a flatbed trailer (or on the rear of the tractor) used to protect the driver against shifting cargo during a front-end collision. May also refer to any separator within a dry or liquid trailer (also called a baffle for liquid trailers) used to partition the load.
Hi...I've been TNT training on the reefer side and know that it's the biggest division within Prime Inc. but I've also seen a lot of Flat Bed Guys in the Mid South and Central US. I think Tankers look cool but have only seen 3 or 4 Prime Tankers and since their food grade don't know how hard it would be to stay busy...Lots and Lots of Miles for the Reefers...
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
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 14ยข 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.
Hey Mr M. I was seriously looking into Prime myself, and my recruiter said that the tank division will generally get less miles than the reefer side. The recruiter's name is Dustin, very cool guy, pretty straight-forward. If you're looking to start a trucking career by driving a tanker, consider Schneider as well. I would've picked Prime over Schneider, but Schneider might give you more miles, depending if you go OTR rather than a north east regional. As Matt M said, Prime's tankers mostly run in the NE, my recruiter said it wouldn't be a cross-country type of gig.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
I'm in Primes flatbed division, just started 3 months ago and I love it so far. I get plenty of miles and I have my girlfriend and my dog ride along with me. It can be a hot, sweaty, and dirty job sometimes, tarping loads in near 100 degree weather. But I just try to get a shower on load/reload days. Some loads are not bad at all though, I delivered a load of shingles this morning no tarps just straps and vee boards. Didn't even break a sweat.
Everyone above posted very good advice. I drive refer for Prime and I enjoy it. Stay busy all the time and never have to worry about not having a load in my area. Most of the refer freight we do haul is some sort of food. Everyone has to eat so it's just evidence that the refer division will keep you busy. Either division you choose make sure it's the one you really want to do and I'm sure you'll enjoy it regardless of our input.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
I drove for Prime in both the reefer & flatbed divisions. Because of changes at home is the only reason I left Prime.
I must say that I the main reason that I changed to the flatbed was because of all the waiting time at shipper/receivers mostly. Flatbed is a lot more work, but very rewarding if you are not afraid to get out and work at it.
Ernie
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
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Hello prime drivers:
From your experience can you tell me the good and bad about the different divisions at prime? I am considering going tanker and as long as all goes well I will be in their school on Aug 11th.