Posted: 6 months, 3 weeks ago
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I’m paraphrasing something I heard at Prime during orientation:
“No load is so hot that it won’t cool off in a ditch”
Posted: 6 months, 4 weeks ago
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Does Texas require retesting when moving from out of state?
Michael emailed the Texas DMV and received a reply that somewhat surprised me as it seems different than what Errol experienced regarding the hazmat endorsement. Seems odd that a federal type of endorsement would require retesting and new fingerprints. Below is the email he received.
Good morning,
The only endorsement that will not transfer State to State is the hazmat. If you have hazmat, you will be required to retest and refingerprint.
I went through this same process in March moving to Missouri from Arkansas.
I had to redo my Hazmat endorsement including the TSA background check (for a fee) and retake the Hazmat written exam.
I chose to take a 4 hour online hazmat class to prepare for the exam (for a fee). This class went into much more detail about packaging types. It was actually interesting.
Posted: 7 months, 1 week ago
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I’ve been driving for Prime Inc for 14 months now. I did my CDL training with Prime and wrote 3 training diaries that you can look up.
I am a company driver in reefer division. I’m in a Freightliner lightweight truck (one person truck), so I get a 5 CPM premium over a full-size condo.
I started at 53 CPM. Current starting pay is 55 CPM (50 CPM Condo). I get 56 CPM base pay (48 CPM taxable + 8 CPM Per Diem not taxable), but my average with performance bonuses is 63.6 CPM.
I get 7 days paid vacation ($900) at 85k paid miles. I’m 5,900 miles away.
I wouldn’t call Prime a “starter” company. There are many drivers with Prime for many years. The Springfield Terminal has a lot of plaques honoring multi- million mile safe drivers. It takes 7-8 years per million miles.
Prime is predominantly a lease / owner operator company (>80%).
I personally prefer being a Company driver. I don’t have to worry about my operating costs, etc. Of course my upside is lower, but my downside is less.
Prime has 3 primary terminals in Springfield, MO (my home terminal), Salt Lake City Utah, and Pittson, PA. We have trailer drop yards across the country. I’ve been to to drop yards in Fontana, CA (near Ontario, CA), Dallas and Houston, TX.
There is a smaller terminal at Minooka, IL on I-80 that I’ve been to a couple times. There are other Prime locations for tanker washouts, but I haven’t been to them yet.
I live 48 miles from the Prime Springfield, MO terminal. So I park my car there while I’m on the road and park my truck there while I’m home.
That is not a requirement. You can can live anywhere and take you truck home on days off. Just need secure parking at home or near by.
Posted: 7 months, 2 weeks ago
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Movie Characters: Who Is The Most Iconic?
PS. John Wayne and James Stewart together in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin is great as Liberty Valance) and The Shootist.
Posted: 7 months, 2 weeks ago
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Movie Characters: Who Is The Most Iconic?
Sean Connery as James Bond
Harrison Ford for Star Wars and Indiana Jones
Tom Cruise for Mission Impossible and Top Gun
Matt Damon for Jason Bourne
Now I’m going to cheat. My favorite actors are John Wayne and James Stewart.
John Wayne in the John Ford directed US Calvery films: Rio Grande, Fort Apache, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, and The Horse Soldiers.
John Wayne and Maureen O’ Hara in 5 films together. America’s couple in their day.
James Stewart in the 5 Anthony Mann directed westerns in the 1950’s: Winchester 73, The Bend in the River, The Man From Laramie, The Far Country, and The Naked Spur.
Posted: 7 months, 2 weeks ago
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I was just in that area a couple weeks ago. I delivered first in Napoleon, OH on US-24 and then 100 miles to Detroit for final stop.
There was good parking in Napoleon. I would check it out on Trucker Path app as Errol recommended
Posted: 7 months, 2 weeks ago
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Turning in my truck and going on FMLA
Best wishes BK for your surgery and recovery.
4 to 6 weeks seems fast compared to the 3 months of recovery and PT for my bicep tendon repair last year.
As others have said, don’t cheat on the PT. Also don’t rush it just to meet some arbitrary schedule.
Posted: 7 months, 4 weeks ago
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CRST has driver-facing cameras
Trucking Along with Kearsey has a video out about Prime’s recent evaluation of driver facing cameras and the decision not to install them.
She says the reason not to install was because of the potential liability costs against the company from lawsuits when lawyers subpoenas the video. It out weighed potential savings.
Posted: 6 months, 3 weeks ago
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My first 18 months solo has been rewarding.
Congratulations Bill!