Prime (and Maybe Other Companies) Hometime

There's some confusion going on in here.

The minimum time on the road before you're allowed to go home is three weeks.

1 day off per week.

You can be home for a maximum of 5 days. Anymore than that requires your DM's approval.

You can bank days. For example, if I do 5 weeks on the road I can go home for 4 days and bank a day. Next time I'll do 3 weeks on the road but I'll use my banked day and be home for 4 days.

Prime isn't the best carrier for Hometime. That's not their strength. This is something you sort of have to accept if you're going to come to Prime.

That's a little better! Thanks for clarifying :) Three weeks out is still a bit much for me, but as many have already stated, that is a matter of preference and what works for the individual. Guess I get hung up on how strictly worded it was in the OP...

If hometime is really important to you, maybe look into some flatbed companies. I know TMC, Maverick, and McElroy get most of their drivers home every weekend (I'm probably missing some that people with more recent experience can chime in with). It won't necessarily be a "full weekend" - but something along the lines of home Friday night and leaving Sunday afternoon.

If you grab a regional job. Most likely northeast or southeast, with prime you could get every other weekend at home. But it depends on where you live. Northeast regional in a lightweight pays much higher too.

I was shocked they asked us if we wanted to go home for thanksgiving, Christmas or both. In twenty years I hadn't had both Thanksgiving and Christmas off.

Keep in mind part of it is if you live in NJ but get a load to CA. As a solo its gonna take a week just to get you home. So more home time means more planning for the FM and less freight available for you cause you need to stay closer to home to get home more often.

I love it. And as crazy as you might think it is... Since Nov 10, I only went home once the last week of Jan. They gave us a $500 bonus to stay out the entire month of December. BUT that is by choice. I give my FM one week notice and he gets me the exact date I request.

I live on the truck and save well over $15,000 per year on rent and utilities.

Many of our drivers are single people, married couples who team drive or middle aged folks with adult children. Much easier lifestyle without home responsibilities.

As for Prime, I'm treated great and well appreciated so it is well worth it to me.