PRIME - Northeast Regional Vs OTR, The Positives Vs The Negatives
Topic 7051 | Page 1
Most people do not want to drive in the north east. Due to being one of the oldest parts of the US it is the least developed for semi access. The west has tons of space. the east, not so much.
I had a great recruiter from Prime named Dustin. Prime and Shaffer / Crete were my top choices before I chose a linehaul job with an LTL company. I can tell you that the extra pay for regional is probably due to the shorter miles, plus incentive to run the NE which is typically a region most drivers don't want to drive in. Shaffer compensates the same way.
The good about running regional? You get home more. You run OTR and you'll be out for close to a month with Prime.
Driving in the NE is like anything else, you get used to it with experience. I've spent most of my time in the NE running linehaul. Granted, I'm not having to navigate to new places all the time, but I do still have to drive in congested areas like the DC area, Metro NY and Jersey City, and I've been all over New England.
FYI, you are also eligible for Prime's tanker division since you live in the NE. I see you reside in NY. Prime has a terminal out of Pittston, PA. But, if you're looking for the company-paid schooling, you'll be heading to Springfield, MO.
There are quite a few Prime drivers here. I'm sure you'll get some first hand experience. My info is based on what my recruiter told me.
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.
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.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
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.
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Hello I was looking for some insight on the states you will drive being in the northeast region I was told by a recruiter that even though otr is cross country that they only go so far o wanted to know how that worked from someone actively doing it
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.
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Hello everyone, I could use some info on the good and bad of running northeast regional vs Cross country for prime in the reefer division and does the miles average about the same, is the wait time to get loaded and unloaded longer in the northeast. The recruiter said it's .48 cpm in the northeast and just was wondering why? Prime seems to be my top choice so far of company's to get my CDL through so I am just trying to do all the homework I can. Any info would be great, thanks
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.