Comments By Sam C.

When I say they push you into lease I mean the teacher or whatever they are. When I was in upgrading we had a few classes to take and in every class they would ask who was going company and who was leasing. The very next statement they made after we raised our hands for company was "do you realize how much money you guys are leaving on the table?" then they would go on about how much more money we could make as lease. This seems like pushing to me, along with my own fm bringing lease up.

Well the difference between me and every other driver I've spoke to is how much money is enough money. Every other driver I I've talked to at prime wants to make 100,000 a year and they are willing to never be home to do it. My situation is different, I used to make 60k a year with a company that went out of business. So the 10 years I spent there bought me a house, cars, and even a son. So my house is paid for, cars are paid for, and my son is paid for. I don't have a ton of debt. I am frugal with my money so I don't need stay out 12 weeks to keep the lights on or pay for Xmas. I got into this business because the 10 years I spent at the brick yard took a toll on my body and I can't really do physical labor anymore. I can live fine on 800-1000 a week and I will gladly sacrifice pay to be home with my son. So if going lease gets me 1000 a week on low miles and lots of trips by home count me in. As soon as my year is up I will be local. I've already tested the waters and have a few offers. The only thing holding me back is taking on debt to prime for not finishing the year out. 2 of my friends that started with me have already moved on to local positions, 1 for 22 hourly and the other for 900 weekly.

I know how much leasing is hated here and I agree with you that it is a long term scam. Why else would they push so hard for it on new drivers. My plan is to switch to tanker for my last 6 months for the experience. I was also thinking about going lease for those months as well. If I can get a newer truck that's still under warranty then I should be able to make better money for the last 6 months I plan on being with prime. Everything I've read on other sites about primes tanker division is that they don't get a lot of miles so the only way to make money there is lease

Also, all of my friends from class say that they are making over 2gs a week lease. My best company check has only been 1250 with 3000 miles

Well hub miles have cost me a nice chunk of change this week. 4 loads missing 90 miles each that I don't get paid for. Frustrating

Unions are great! I've found that most people who hate unions are people who are jealous they aren't making the kind of money that union employees make.

I started this journey in June and have been solo driving since August. When I was done with tnt and upgrading they were pushing everyone to lease. I stuck to my guns and went company. I was the only one out of my group of friends who did. Now 4 months in I have been dispatched 4 times in a row this week on the same load to and from Kalamazoo MI to Murfreesboro TN. I have noticed multiple times that the dispatch miles are never as much as the actual miles but it has never really been that much. Well this run that I have been stuck on for a week now is a big difference. Dispatch is 488, actual miles are 574. Damn near 90 miles difference. I didn't say anything the first time but when I got dispatched right back I asked my fm about it and if I could get paid for them. He said he'd look into it. A day and a half later when I dropped and was dispatched right back again I asked again about the miles, seeing as I get paid by the mile, and he replied that I would not get the difference. That there system says 488 and that's what I am paid for and if it I didn't want to be paid btm I should switch to lease. REALLY? Why do they want everyone to be lease so bad?

When I was recruited, I was told that because of my location that I would be home every 7-10 days. I'm sure by "home" they mean a 10 hour break, which I've done a few times in reefer, but does anybody have any experience with it? Do you really pass home that often? If that's the case, count me in. That makes it pretty much a regional job.

I've been with reefer the last 4 months and have noticed that most of the local jobs in my area, Akron / Canton Ohio, are tanker. So I've been thinking about switching from reefer for the experience. Can anyone tell me what they make on average and how often they are home?

Joshua, many people get into Trucking school, or on the road and it's close to the first time in their life that so much had been demanded of them. The whole process from CDL permit to solo driver is full of hurdles they can barely get over. Also, so many expect nice hotels, decent food provided, and, as Sam is finding out, promises & dates he thought were "set" aren't necessarily so. Several people in this thread have pointed out that new guys aren't always going to get what they want.

People who have been in the military know you have to work hard for some things they took for granted as civilians. It's not a case of rookies are people, too. It's the rude awakening of life in a rough business.

FYI, early on I had a home time set, for a weekend. Because of dispatches sent to me, I didn't get home till Tuesday, four days late. Been there, done that.

I think the problem starts at the beginning, the recruiters lie off the rip. If I was going by what I was told from them then I would have started psd by day 5, which I did but only because I found a trainer not because they had a trainer for me. There were plenty of others waiting over a week. Also was told by the recruiter that I would get home the first time following psd, which everyone now knows was a lie, and would be home every 3 to 4 weeks after. The first thing we were told in orientation was that we would be there 6 to 12 weeks before we would get home. There were plenty of people who were told by the recruiters they were good to go only to get sent home when they got there, and of course after they quit there last job, for past work history. Hell one guy I knew got sent home because of the adhd medicine he was taking, even know he told the recruiter before hand he was on it. It seems like the recruiters goal is to just get as many people there as possible which is completely wrong because people quit there jobs thinking they are coming to start a new career. I was one of those people, I disclosed my past work history which was great up until a few years ago I worked for the same company for 10 years that later went under. Since then Ive had 4 jobs in 5 years as I try to find a fit. The last job I had up until the day before I got on the bus. I went into training thinking I was making a career change to something I could enjoy, a career where I decide how much Im worth instead of a "boss". The company I worked for for 10 years was an incentive job and I loved it. It was up to me on how much I could make so it made me want to work harder, unlike the jobs I had after. I didnt enjoy working for companies where I got paid as much as everyone else when I was the hardest working person there. Over time it turns into resent. Any way, my 3rd day there I got called into the office because of the fact that I had quit my last 3 jobs and that they couldnt contact the company that went under. REALLY? How am I supposed toverify a company that is no longer around? The only thing I could offer as contact for that company was the former owners phone number because we are still friends. The office guy flat out said that they could not accept a personal phone number as a contact for a company because it could just be a friend of mine. I was worried about being sent home. All of this should have been checked before I even got a bus pass. Thank goodness the companies I quit all described me a stellar employee or else I would have been screwed.