prime inc trucking

by james lancaster
(madera,ca)

what should i expect when i attend their school in Springfield,mo? how much money will i actually make? 3 days of orientation and then on the road 4-6 wks,come back upgrade then back on the road 4-6 months,is it true?


do they pay for bus-ticket,hotel,and food for orientation?

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Aug 18, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Help
by: Anonymous

Do prime company drivers get to take trucks home
Jun 22, 2015
Rating
star 		WORSE DRIVERS
by: Anonymous

Today I was very aggressively driven off the road by a RRIME driver. I plan to let all the sites i can know about this experience. In tucker, GA getting off Pleasantdale.

Thank you
Feb 24, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Prime Training
by: tinytoez

Prime has drivers from all 48 stated as they drive in all 48 states. Your training is over the road, so no, yo do not have to live near the terminal. You will be spending very little time there in Springfield, MO.
Feb 24, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		where to live
by: Anonymous

do you have to live by the training place for prime? Do the have routes in other states or you need to move to that state?
Jan 15, 2015
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Prime instructor
by: Elijah Preston

Prime CDL INSTRUCTOR/TRAINER
I am an instructor and company driver for Prime Inc. If you are considering a career in truck driving, choosing Prime Incorporated is by far the best way to open the door to that future.

To explain why and how, I will share my experience that I have had with the company.

After the Army, I started working for Prime Inc. in early 2012 by going through their Prime Student Driver (PSD) training course. After the first week of orientation, I spent 3 and a half weeks on the road (OTR) with a PSD instructor for one-on-one training. This process allowed me to learn, first hand, how to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle.

That 3.5 weeks on the road provided me with the knowledge and confidence in my new abilities that I needed to pass my CDL exam, which (by Missouri & Prime Inc. standards) is a combination of a Pre-Trip vehicle inspection, 3 types of backing maneuvers, & a driving test.

You are allowed to take each test up to 3 times. If you don't pass everything on the first try, or "trifecta," don't let that go to your head.

I didn't! I needed to retake 2 of the tests a second time, so that goes to prove that everyone makes mistakes, myself included.
After my second try, I passed my CDL exam. Then I moved on to the Trainer and Trainee (TNT) phase with the same trainer.

I was fortunate enough to continue my training with the same trainer who guided me through the PSD phase because that isn't always the case with everyone else who goes through Prime's training program. Don't be discouraged by that fact, though.

Just remember to ask a PSD trainer if they also conduct TNT training before making a decision to go out on the road with them. 
While in the TNT phase, I gained more knowledge, experience, and perspective of how the trucking industry works and how Prime Inc. far outweighs other similar companies.

For one, they are one of (if not) the highest paying trucking companies for first year drivers. I look back at similar companies that I had considered and sigh in relief that I chose Prime.

Although I was presented with a number of challenges, the company and my trainer guided me through it all. 

Once I completed my TNT phase of training, I upgraded to the status of Company Driver and earned the keys to my first truck, a 2012 light-weight International. I was also set up with a dispatcher, who I currently drive under today. He keeps me rolling and puts me in the areas I prefer to drive, the majority of the time.

But, I could not be more happy. I spent a year as a solo driver before I considered to become a PSD trainer. Since being qualified by Prime to train PSD & TNT students, I have had 12 altogether in the past two years and began this year with lucky number 13.

All of my students have passed their CDL exams and nine of those trifecta'd (passing all 3 tests in the first try).

If you have researched Prime, you may have come across some bad encounters between students and instructors. Again, I strongly urge you to choose your instructor wisely by taking advantage of the freedom that Prime allows you in their training program.

We are all people with certain likes and dislikes, such as smoking or non-smoking, for example. With the number of qualified trainers, PSD & TNT alike, you are more than likely to find someone that you'll be compatible with. 

To wrap this up, Prime is a great company to work for and an even better one to start a career in trucking with. Prime offers better training, pay, and fresh off-the-lot trucks for its drivers. 

If you want to start making real money and have the desire and work ethic to do so, come on over to Prime!

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me on Facebook.

Company Driver Elijah Preston, truck number 650644.

If you wish to speak further please look me up on Facebook page: prime drivers past present and future
Sep 14, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		what u think
by: antony

I hope one day to be prime driver
Jul 06, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		small mind small Life
by: Anonymous

This company (prime) is taking all the risk hiring somebody who just cant seem to get their life together lets face it all you complainers act like prime knocked on your door and said HEY WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR AN EMPLOYEE LIKE YOU FOR OUR ENTIRE EXISTENCE WILL YOU CONSIDER LEAVING YOUR MILLION DOLLAR A YEAR JOB AND COME WORK FOR US AND WE WILL PAY YOU 2-MILLION AND WE WILL MAKE ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE, NO!

Trucking is a marriage of convenience the need to fill a-lot of seats and you need a job, I LOVE PRIME INC, i was only with them 7 months but i did what i was asked, i stayed out of trouble and I MADE MONEY.

And just to let you know prior to trucking I managed 8 Hi-end Restaurants for a salary of $85k a year but i made bad decisions and screwed that up and low and behold i was standing in a pool of losers hoping this company would hire me so i could at least make a living, and they did and I'm grateful cause i survived the "process of elimination" being corporate America I know its a numbers game
Jun 24, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Driver training
by: Anonymous

I went to their orientation in Springfield mo, after they gave me the "ur good to go phone call"

i rode a bus for 11 hours to go 2.5 hours from my house! I quit my job was prepared to make it as a driver only to find out after my physical that i cant because i owe child support!

They could've kept my driving in the lower 48 and id been just fine and kept paying like i have been....now I am jobless, homeless, and broke!

Thank you prime trucking for the headsup. As to the 97.00 dollar bus ticket you graciously got for me to go home.... Keep it because i got a ride ( not a bus) and do not try to send me a bill for the 97.00 as to you will not be paid.

Thank you for all that you've done for me.......... Matt jones!
Aug 31, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		PRIME start - it is rough
by: Anonymous

My husband started with them 6 weeks ago. He went to TDI to reinstate his license then signed on with Prime. If you come to them from school and with a CDL you get 2 to 3 days orientation, assigned a lead driver, then you are making $500 ...a week gross (unless you and the lead make more than 5000 miles that week, then you get .10 cents a mile).

You make that until you/the truck completes 20,000 miles (took my husband 5 weeks or very hard running), at which time you make $600 a week (or .12 cents a mile if over 5000 miles) until you complete an additional 40,000 miles.

After you complete a total of 60,000 miles (the $500/wk plus the $600/wk time) it is our understanding you are eligible for your own company truck at .30 cents a mile until you complete 80,000 miles.

After that it is my understanding you will then be looked at for more mileage pay. During all this time you can get fuel bonuses as well.

Yes, they paid for his ticket to Prime from home, they fed him 2 meals with in orientation, but once he was assigned a truck and trainer he was on his own for food (we sent him up with 2 weeks of pre-prepared meals (non frozen/refrigerated) ).

As far as upgrade, they never lied to us. They told us do not expect our own truck for at least 8 to 12 weeks, you have to complete that 60,000 miles first.

It took my husband 6 weeks before he could come by the house, it was only for a 34 hr restart, but we were more than ready to see him again and we are better prepared for another 6 weeks before we see him next time. The only reason he got to come home then is cause his lead driver pushed for it after he had been home for 4 days and knew it was not fair for hubby to not see his family some.

It all depends on the lead driver and dispatcher if you get that lucky!

We have been told by many drivers DO NOT do the lease, stay company driver, otherwise you will be pretty much paying for the truck only.

If you are married, I suggest your spouse get with a good support network, be it friends, family, church or online. It gets tough dealing with home alone.
Aug 27, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Drive for Prime?
by: Anonymous

The best person to hear from is yourself. If you are in a position to stick it out for a while, then sign on and find out for your self. For the most part, if you are willing to run and take the loads you are given, and you can stay out for extended times away from home, then you should do well.

Remember; there are truck drivers that are getting a pay check, then there are those who are actually making a good living. Which one you will be depends on how much you bring to the table.
Aug 27, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Prime Inc.
by: Shepherd

If you are the sort of person who can follow what you have been taught to the letter, if you get a good conscientious trainer, If you are a budget conscious person and not a spend thrift, Prime will work for you in all that you do with and for them.

They will run you to the limits of your ability. If you can hang for 3 years with a clean slate, you will be good to go for any company out there.

Their lease program is set up so that you have to run to and sometimes beyond what you think you can do. Out for 3 months or longer, at a time with no trips past the house.

If you like living in a truck and can hack it, those are the dues.

Read the fine print. Ask questions, get answers then make your decisions.

After two to three years with Prime with a good clean record, you will have proven that you have all that it takes to be a commercial driver for yourself or any major carrier.
Aug 27, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Prime?
by: American Trucker

Hey if they treat you well then good company.treat you like crap leave.
I will say this they do push for truck lease, and just starting out that wouldn't be good.
best of luck.
Aug 27, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I heard Prime is a bad company
by: Anonymous

I heard from an experienced trucker that they suck to work for.

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