Does anyone know about Prime?

[tbogle]

My husband has just left for Prime today and I know it is kinda late to be asking this question, but does anyone know anything about Prime? I was just wondering if anyone knows what we could expect from this company. We havnt heard anything good or bad and i am not for sure if that is a good thing or not.

[1TruckDrivinSunUvAGun]

I know they really push their lease program on newbies unless that is what your husband signed up for already? I would strongly suggest staying away from it. What division did he sign up for? I hear the tanker yankers and flatbedders do alright. I don't hear a lot of good from the reefer guys. Good luck to him just tell him to stick it out for now.

[tbogle]

I know they really push their lease program on newbies unless that is what your husband signed up for already? I would strongly suggest staying away from it. What division did he sign up for? I hear the tanker yankers and flatbedders do alright. I don't hear a lot of good from the reefer guys. Good luck to him just tell him to stick it out for now.

Well we decided before we talked to anyone that we wanted to try the lease and so that is what he is doing. He did go into the flatbed division. thanks i think we are going to need all the luck we can get.

[sportster65]

Well we decided before we talked to anyone that we wanted to try the lease and so that is what he is doing. He did go into the flatbed division. thanks i think we are going to need all the luck we can get.

WOW, getting into the lease program before talking to anyone? Go to primedrivers.net and look around, you will find that things are really tough for the L/O's right now. One longtime flatbedder just hung it up and yes he was a L/O, not enough income to keep the truck going and pay the bills. I personally know a team who left for greener pastures to Prime as L/O's who are just keeping their heads above water. Now is the absolute worst time to get into a L/O. please do yourself a favor and go to the above mentioned site and see what the drivers are saying. I think prime has a walkaway lease, if so he may be lucky to not get too far into debt, if not, I'm afraid you should prepare yourselves for some pretty lean times. I have never driven for prime, but I am friends with those who do, and they are really struggling to just make the payments. A general rule of thumb in trucking, if the company says it is a good thing, it is, for the company, not the driver. I really hate to see people get suckered into these types of deals, they are shown numbers that look great, and they usually are, but they are best case scenarios, and in this industry, that rarely happens.

[1TruckDrivinSunUvAGun]

I'm sorry he went with the lease. It really is a bad deal the majority of the time. You are at the company's mercy when it comes to miles. They dispatch you, and if there is no freight or your dispatcher is pissed at you then guess what, no pay. But that lease payment still comes and all your other bills come. But you still need miles and your not getting them. Since your not an owner/op with your own authority you can't get your own loads from another company to make ends meet, instead you are at the mercy of Prime and what they decide to give you. They could care less that you have a lease payment to make each week. I would make sure to see if there is way to back out of the lease contract without owing anything. If you can have a lawyer look at it. Is there a buyout option? Is there a balloon payment at the end of the lease? What are they paying in fuel and maintenance? Are all plates and permits paid? Is there a tire program? Is there a Qualcomm fee? What do PM's cost? Is he allowed to fuel anywhere? Is he allowed to receive maintenance anywhere? Are APU's provided free of cost? Are there accounting fees? Is Pre Pass and EZ Pass etc. provided? What is the fuel surcharge based at? Good luck I hope he beats the odds.

[boneebone]

P lease R emember I 'm M issouri E ducated

[boneebone]

Well we decided before we talked to anyone that we wanted to try the lease and so that is what he is doing. He did go into the flatbed division. thanks i think we are going to need all the luck we can get.

Flatbed freight has to be the slowest right now, especially with the housing crunch, he should've went with the Refrigerated Division, more freight=more miles= more money, got to make those payments.

[tbogle]

Flatbed freight has to be the slowest right now, especially with the housing crunch, he should've went with the Refrigerated Division, more freight=more miles= more money, got to make those payments.

Well from he has heard today the refrigerated division is the worst of the three they have. It doesnt make much since to me since there is always freight for refrigerated but i gues it is bc the loads arent paying well. He isnt getting paid per mile, it is percentage pay. I know being on here sure has worried me on the decision that we have made but I also think that it has to do a lot with the driver, not just the company. You cant just blame the company for not making it bc chances are the driver had a lot to do with it too. I know that times are hard right now but i also know someone leasing from a different company running flats and he is doing well and i know it isnt just bs either since i take care of his finances for him, so i see exactly what he is making and spending. If any of you know someone that is actually with prime or has been with them, please have them respond to this so i can hear from someone that has actually worked with this company. I dont want just all the hearsay stuff i would like to hear how things actually are with Prime.

[tbogle]

P lease R emember I 'm M issouri E ducated

well that doesnt go for my husband, he is Illinois educated, which doesnt make things much better.

[1TruckDrivinSunUvAGun]

Well I have a friend there right now as a company driver but he is not in flatbed he is in reefer. I talked to him the other day on the phone and he said it was slow all over. He said the tanker guys are actually doing well. But flatbed and reefer are sucking it up big time. He said there are a lot of empty trucks and a lot of guys sitting and waiting at the terminal for days. I suppose the info is hearsay but he usually doesn't pathologically lie to me very often.

[1catfish]

My husband has just left for Prime today and I know it is kinda late to be asking this question, but does anyone know anything about Prime? I was just wondering if anyone knows what we could expect from this company. We havnt heard anything good or bad and i am not for sure if that is a good thing or not.

good luck. stay safe!

[sportster65]

Well from he has heard today the refrigerated division is the worst of the three they have. It doesnt make much since to me since there is always freight for refrigerated but i gues it is bc the loads arent paying well. He isnt getting paid per mile, it is percentage pay. I know being on here sure has worried me on the decision that we have made but I also think that it has to do a lot with the driver, not just the company. You cant just blame the company for not making it bc chances are the driver had a lot to do with it too. I know that times are hard right now but i also know someone leasing from a different company running flats and he is doing well and i know it isnt just bs either since i take care of his finances for him, so i see exactly what he is making and spending. If any of you know someone that is actually with prime or has been with them, please have them respond to this so i can hear from someone that has actually worked with this company. I dont want just all the hearsay stuff i would like to hear how things actually are with Prime.

Evidently you did not read my post, I specifically said I have friends who I see on a regular basis who are with Prime and are really struggling. Sorry, if the company has no frieght, you can be the best driver in the world and still not be making a dime, slow frieght is not heresay it is a hard cold fact, why do you think these fellow drivers here are trying to give you advice that will save you and your husband from making the same mistake that many have made over and over again and again.

You want it direct from the Prime Drivers? Then do your self a favor and actually go to the Prime Driver's forum that I posted above and read what the DRIVERS are saying. It' so unfortunate that so many come here for advice and when they hear something they don't like they start with the type of posts that is quoted above. Sorry, you asked for advice, and did get some good input, L/O's are a very bad choice, they always have been, and always will be. If you choose to be the exception to the rule, best of luck, the truth of the matter is this: when times are good and frieght is plentiful, L/O's may squeek by, now when frieght is bad and is being shuttled by the lowest bidder, the chances of a L/O making a decent living is very slim. I have no way if you really know someone who is a L/O or not, but I do and I know they are really feeling it right now, they sold their home, and now live in the truck just so they can have a place to live. At first they did well, but after less than a year, they had lost everything trying to make it as an L/O.

Go to primedrivers.net and read for yourself, it is a very open honest board with a few exceptions, see how well they are doing, it is an eye opener. Read the archives see how many turned their trucks in because they could not make it. I know of only one person over there who is making it and he has no life, because you cannot take a day off, the truck payments, fuel, insurance, maintenance, repairs, don't take days off.

I was close to going with prime, I thought being a L/O would be great, luckily, Ai talked to and attorney and an accountant, bothe told me the same thing; the L/O is fantastic, for Prime. After we ran the numbers we discovered that in everyday normal operations I would make just enough to stay on the road, and would be most likely bankrupt within 5 years, that how much debt I would have accumulated.

I eally hope your husband is the one who defies the odds, but chances are he won't and he will be like the others who are now unemployed, owe money and have not one thing to show for all the hard work they did.

[zipy46]

JCT is one of the few places where the drivers i have chatted with are doing well.

Food service seems to be a busy busy world....

They have leases opening up in mid-october

[1catfish]

JCT is one of the few places where the drivers i have chatted with are doing well.

Food service seems to be a busy busy world....

They have leases opening up in mid-october

hot damn!:. sign me up!

[tbogle]

Go to primedrivers.net and read for yourself, it is a very open honest board with a few exceptions, see how well they are doing, it is an eye opener. Read the archives see how many turned their trucks in because they could not make it. I know of only one person over there who is making it and he has no life, because you cannot take a day off, the truck payments, fuel, insurance, maintenance, repairs, don't take days off.

I was close to going with prime, I thought being a L/O would be great, luckily, Ai talked to and attorney and an accountant, bothe told me the same thing; the L/O is fantastic, for Prime. After we ran the numbers we discovered that in everyday normal operations I would make just enough to stay on the road, and would be most likely bankrupt within 5 years, that how much debt I would have accumulated.

I did go to the website and from what was reading most werent being honest from what other people were saying. I dont know i couldnt tell you if it is true or not. But you said you were close to going with them...ok so you didnt go with them, so how did you get your numbers? Where did they come from? I know that with the numbers we found, they didnt look to bad. Maybe i need to go see another accountant and get a second opinion. Maybe I dont know what i am doing and need to go back to school and get some more education on accounting. Plus how can you go bankrupt in 5 years on a lease that is only 4 years long?

[Jumbo]

You posted in another thread that you also tried CRST's lease option and didnt make much money at it so you thought it would be a good idea to move over to Prime and try theirs? So if I may ask where did you get the numbers for the Prime Lease? From Prime? And you stated "they didnt look too bad" Here are some numbers. I am starting my own trucking company "Jumbo Express" I will lease you guys a brand new O/O spec truck, no credit check and no down payment. I can tell you that you will average $2.00 per mile to the truck before any deductions and my fleet averages 2500- 3000 miles per week. My numbers look pretty good. Do I have to guarantee anything? Nope. If you guys cant keep up with the payments because I dont have the freight too bad. I will take my truck back and lease it to someone else. What makes me different from Prime? I dont have the heart to screw with someones hopes, dreams or livelyhood.

[tbogle]

You posted in another thread that you also tried CRST's lease option and didnt make much money at it so you thought it would be a good idea to move over to Prime and try theirs? So if I may ask where did you get the numbers for the Prime Lease? From Prime? And you stated "they didnt look too bad" Here are some numbers. I am starting my own trucking company "Jumbo Express" I will lease you guys a brand new O/O spec truck, no credit check and no down payment. I can tell you that you will average $2.00 per mile to the truck before any deductions and my fleet averages 2500- 3000 miles per week. My numbers look pretty good. Do I have to guarantee anything? Nope. If you guys cant keep up with the payments because I dont have the freight too bad. I will take my truck back and lease it to someone else. What makes me different from Prime? I dont have the heart to screw with someones hopes, dreams or livelyhood.

Yes several years back we did try to lease with CRST and we didnt make it with them. I know it probably is stupid to go and try again and i am sure that everybody reading this is thinking the same thing. At least this time, with the money I make, if we dont make it this time with Prime, it isnt going to hurt us has bad since my paycheck can still take care of the bills. And yes of course your numbers sound great, they sound to good to be true. I never once said that Prime guaranteed anything to us. or that the numbers i seen was a guarantee. I mean i am not expecting my husband to bring home $1500 to $2000 a week like the numbers made it out to be. Yeah it would be nice but we all know that it is not going to happen. But I do know what we have to make a week to at least come $100 ahead. But it would be nice to succeed in this and thats what we are working on doing. You know i have heard for several years now, that this isnt the time to buy a truck or lease a truck. Is there ever really a good time to do it? Probably not. Dont you have to take chances at some point though? Dont you need to work at what you want in life? even if it means to fail a few time before you succeed. Why sit here and wonder what it is actually like to lease a truck from prime, why not just try it? Just prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

[sportster65]

I did go to the website and from what was reading most werent being honest from what other people were saying. I dont know i couldnt tell you if it is true or not. But you said you were close to going with them...ok so you didnt go with them, so how did you get your numbers? Where did they come from? I know that with the numbers we found, they didnt look to bad. Maybe i need to go see another accountant and get a second opinion. Maybe I dont know what i am doing and need to go back to school and get some more education on accounting. Plus how can you go bankrupt in 5 years on a lease that is only 4 years long?

Well best of luck to you, like I said I never wish for anyone to fail. So, in all honesty I will be pulling for you and your husband to make it. It has been a couple of years since I ran the numbers and will have to look to see if I can find them, I would be more than happy to fax, e-mail them to you for you to look over. I have nothing to hide and just hate to see someone who will spend so much time and money in a career that will most likely not be a sound investment. An FYI, Prime only pulls their own frieght, so if they have no frieght your husband will have no recourse to try to broker his own load as a supplement. In other words, if they do not have a load for him, he has to either sit, or perhaps deadhead many miles on his own dime to get another load. I talked to a driver who agreed to deadhead 600 miles to pick-up a load to keep from sitting. I do not know how much that happens, but I am sure in this low frieght period, it could be a possibility more often than not. Just think how much it will cost to drive that tractor 600 miles to pick up aload that may pay $600-$700, there are many drivers who get upside down by taking a load, just to get a load.
I have no idea how much experience your husband has driving, you may have said and I missed it. But if he is a new driver, consider it will take him at least a year to get comfortable with the system, load planning, trip planning, driving habits, knowing where to get the cheapest fuel. Figure he will be at least 10% or more OOR miles, being unfamiliar with the area, in other words getting lost, believe me it will happen. Road consrtruction detours, DOT violations, missed delivery and pickup times. Those things are just a part of being new in the business, and unfortunately they cost money, don't forget eating on the road, they are all things that add up quick. Just something to keep in mind.

I would recommend getting a truckers atlas, being familiar with all the states laws in regard to weight, truck length and width, your dispatcher is not going to know, they should, but they do not. Make sure he learns to log correctly and runs legal, ther are no breaks for not knowing the law, or just forgetting something. A CMV is a bank on wheels to many states and if you are green and forget something, it could cost hundreds of $$$.

Trust me for your last question, if you run in the red for 4 years, it is very easy to dig a hole so deep that BK is the only option. Please remember this, the only that is important to a trucking company is the frieght, everything else comes second, if you doubt that see what happens the first time a shipper or reciever complains to Prime about late pick up or delivery, these days it could cost you your job. There are hundreds of drivers out of work because of very minor violations, taht a couple of years ago wopuld have just been let slip by.

Like i say i wish you nothing but the best, but I am afraid the odds are really stacked against you at this time, but maybe you will be thet one who beats the odds, lets hope so.

[tbogle]

He has been driving for 7 years now so he knows the rules of the road. And over the years we have learned now to cut back on cost on the road, in fact we have cut his cost down to about 100 to 150 dollars a week, just depends on where he is running. I would be real interested in seeing the numbers that you have. be nice to see how much things have changed in the past few years. One thing i am still wondering though, who gave you these numbers? We arent walking into this completely blind, maybe mostly but not completely. I mean, no we dont know what the company is like, we dont know how they run there drivers we dont know a lot about them except for the stuff he found out from drivers that were at the terminal today talking with him. And from what he told me, they are happy, not always but happy most of the time. You can expect that from any company though. If you happen to find the numbers, send me a private message that way i can take a look at them. I would like to seem them.

[1TruckDrivinSunUvAGun]

Can you answer these questions? Is there a buyout option? Is there a balloon payment at the end of the lease? What are they paying in fuel and maintenance? Are all plates and permits paid? Is there a tire program? Is there a Qualcomm fee? What do PM's cost? Is he allowed to fuel anywhere? Is he allowed to receive maintenance anywhere? Are APU's provided free of cost or do you get a discount on one? Are there accounting fees? Is Pre Pass and EZ Pass etc. provided? What is their fuel surcharge based at? What mileage rate was promised? After all expenses are deducted how many miles would he have to run to turn a profit? Remember you are at their mercy they are the hand that feeds. Good luck and stay safe.