Comments By Miss Miyoshi

Hey all! It's been a few months since I posted, and contrary to popular belief, it was NOT because I was locked in Rainy D's dungeon. (It was actually her basement, but I digress.)

For those that don't know, I'm a company driver for Prime. I run the northeast regional circuit, and I drive a lightweight International ProStar. For a while I was running the Walmart dedicated store loads out of Lewiston, Maine, but I was taken off that route a number of weeks ago. I was running that route REAL hard, every day for weeks on end without a break or any home time. I started to get a little burned out, so my FM (who is seriously the best FM in the whole world) put me on the general NE regional route. Now I end up at the Pittston yard a lot more often, which is super convenient, and I run as far south as North Carolina, so there is at least once a week where I can coordinate my 10 hour break to be at home. So I'm much happier now. But I will say that the Walmart runs really taught me to be a better driver and solidified my backing skills immensely. Also, now that it's winter I'm getting experience driving in those conditions, and even though Prime really pushes us to shut down in severe weather, sometimes you have to drive to where it's safe, and therefore you're driving in those conditions. All in all, my time so far has been superb with Prime, and I couldn't ask for a better company to work for.

The key to a successful career, I have found, is to have an excellent relationship with your fleet manager. I cannot stress enough how important this is! Do what you can to meet them in person and always take assignments without complaint and you will go very far and make a lot of money. My FM knows without a doubt that I'll drive any load she gives me. Often I get loads that she has tried to give to someone else but they got cranky, so she will offer it to me, and sometimes she'll throw in an incentive, like an extra day at home or a super easy run next time. We have an excellent working relationship and we have a lot of fun together.

I will have been at Prime for 1 year exactly at the beginning of May. Feel free to ask me anything about Prime, my route, my truck, or anything else you have questions about!

No. The thing to remember is that they KNOW winter weather up here. I was in Maine and it snowed 2 feet overnight a couple of nights ago. The roads in the area were plowed to pavement before my 10 hour break was up.

This is true! The farther north you go, the less plentiful the truck stops. Get the app Truckers Path. It's free, and shows you all the weigh stations, rest areas, and truck stops along your route. My rule is to find parking and shut down before nightfall. After that, you're either looking at parking spots that will give new/inexperienced drivers heart attacks, or no parking at all.

Another driver friend of mine used it and loved it. He ended up buying the tablet with the full subscription version and I think I'm going to do the same as well. We have in truck navigation through Prime, but a backup is always good.

I love it!! The LW allows you to have a tighter turning radius, and when you're still a rookie all the turning help you can get is awesome. I even take my dog with me! (He's only 5lbs, but it's still extra stuff to bring to keep him happy.) I'm a tiny house enthusiast, so it's been really fun for me to see how I can maximize my space and be creative with storage and supplies.

I made two videos. The first one was when I first got my truck and set it up. I figured I would be driving all over the country and I would need to cram in as much as I could by way of supplies because I didn't know when I would be able to restock. (The video goes sideways towards the end because I'm a bonehead.) The second video shows how I modified my storage and what I was taking with me based on driving for a few months and really learning what I did and did not need, and how much I would need at any one time.

Original Truck Setup

Modified Truck Setup

Yeah, they definitely don't push it. They ask you at the time of your upgrade if you want a lightweight or a condo and they do try to accommodate your request. It's all about what's available in the yard and how long you're willing to wait for a truck. I had to wait for a week, but that's because no trucks were available no matter the type. I requested a LW, was told I would likely get a condo, and after 6 days of waiting they called and asked if I would be ok with a LW. So I ended up getting what I wanted in the end. I posted a video on here a while ago when I got my truck and how I set it up. I drive an International, 2016, and they are a little bit bigger on the inside than the Freightliner LW, and I think their storage makes more sense too. So I really, really lucked out with my truck. I love her to death!

The only thing it's changed for me now is the mileage calculation and how long it will take to drive it and what seems reasonable. To most people, a 200 mile trip is almost an all day thing. Now, I look at 450 mile trips and I say "heck, that's less than a normal drive day, that's not so bad". It's made me love the maneuverability of a passenger car more, but really, for super long drives, it's almost unbearable physically if I'm not in a semi. I didn't realize how inherently uncomfortable normal passenger vehicles really are, and you figure it out on long drives.

Yeah but how do we know this is the REAL Miss Miyoshi??...... Hmm??

Let me guess now You only drive at night and are having the urges to bite people, lol

Hell, I was like that BEFORE the basement incident.....

I don't know how your navigation system is set up, but if you can, avoid I-95 through NY. It doesn't take you through the heart of the city or anything, but it will take you across the George Washington Bridge, which is really busy and the tolls are super expensive. Your best bet is to hop on I-287 and take that around, cross the Tappan Zee Bridge, then meet up with I-95 again above NYC. It's a little longer around, but worth it. Also, since you're coming from a westerly direction it's possible your GPS will route you that way anyway. Look up your route on a trucker atlas, and check your turn by turn instructions on your GPS to be sure where it's taking you.

I drive a northeast regional route. I can try to answer any questions you might have.