My Prime PSD Experience
Topic 10524 | Page 4
Some of their loads are misplanned. Example of this, at Newly Wed Foods, I have a pick on 5/19/2015. The shipper had me scheduled for the day after. Prime vehemently refused to accept responsibility for this mix-up and this lack of culpability ultimately lead to me terminating my contract with them.
First of all, how do you know it wasn't the shipper that put the wrong date in their books? What makes you so certain it was Prime's fault?
And second, you terminated a contract with a company because there was one miscommunication between Prime and a customer on one load? Well I hope you're prepared to terminate about 50 contracts a year because that stuff happens regularly in this industry.
And how do you view Prime the corporation? Is the success of the corporation the most important thing in your life? Would you give up your wife and children to help them be successful? I don't get this line of thinking. You're an owner operator who has made a business agreement with a corporation. What do you want them to do, plan your wedding for you? Baptize your children? Throw you a parade every time you come to town?
What is it they're supposed to be doing for you that they're not? Not that it matters I guess because you terminated the contract.
Like I said, this was my personal experience with Prime after they bought the company I was originally leased to. I was leased to Earl L. Henderson Trucking. Since Prime brokered the loads and dispatched, I was considered leased to Prime at that point. Great example of them pushing. I was in Cheyenne, WY early this year. Extremely cold, extremely windy and I'm hauling around 14,000 in the box. Winds easily 40+mph. I'm not going to move my truck. I know that at the very least, the trailer is going to be blown around like a piece of paper in those conditions. Told dispatch, they insisted that I get rolling to the 90 location. Worth mentioning I was on I-80E. Conditions were so bad that I couldn't, physically couldn't, put fuel in the reefer tank. The fuel line at the pump was frozen solid. I flatly told dispatch that I am not moving and that they needed to reschedule the drop. They threatened me with a service failure (my service record stood at 99.8% at the time.) It's my tractor and your freight. I understand you want your freight to move, but your load isn't worth my life if a gust of wind hits that light trailer and throws it off the road, dragging my tractor with it. Top that off with all of Prime's O/O being paid more per load, they run line haul percentage or by mile pay. 72% or $1/mi. Same as Henderson. Same load, same 90 location, Prime guy makes more. So, I have a special dislike of Prime. I won't lie about them, but I won't sugar coat the facts either.
Am I the only one who watched day after tomorrow diesel frozen at the pump hmmmm sounds rediculous to me. Did Patrick start another assumed name account on here??
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
Owner Operator:
An owner-operator is a driver who either owns or leases the truck they are driving. A self-employed driver.
Line Haul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Never said the diesel froze. The line from the pump to the nozzle froze. Actually read what people say before you assume and make yourself look stupid. That said, diesel can freeze. It gels first at 17 degrees Fahrenheit or- 8.1c and freezes solid at- 60c or -70f. So, yeah.
Was in PAon I 81 a few miles from Prime terminal. ...in a construction zone of 45 mph and a freaking FedEx truck crossed into my lane and hit my mirror. ..scared the crap or of me but he kept going. He didn't respond to the cb and was doing at least 60 mph.
Reported it to prime.. trainer confirmed I was in the right. ..and after a brief report I was told it will not affect mewith prime. My first accident and still have my permit
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Was in PAon I 81 a few miles from Prime terminal. ...in a construction zone of 45 mph and a freaking FedEx truck crossed into my lane and hit my mirror. ..scared the crap or of me but he kept going. He didn't respond to the cb and was doing at least 60 mph.
Reported it to prime.. trainer confirmed I was in the right. ..and after a brief report I was told it will not affect mewith prime. My first accident and still have my permit
Please tell me you weren't under a load. If you were, that's insane. An unlicensed driver under a load...and I thought...you know what? Doesn't matter. Prime is gonna do what they are gonna do. At least until Jerry buys them.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Please tell me you weren't under a load. If you were, that's insane. An unlicensed driver under a load...and I thought...you know what? Doesn't matter. Prime is gonna do what they are gonna do. At least until Jerry buys them.
Maybe you don't understand how the permit and license system works. When you have your permit you can legally drive a truck as long as you have a licensed driver alongside you. So what Prime and some other companies do is have you get your permit and then they train you in the yard for backing and shifting, then take you on the road locally for some road training. At that point, before you go for your actual CDL exam, they send you out with a trainer for a short time to haul some freight. The trainee does all the driving and the truck is dispatched as a solo truck. The trainer sits in the passenger seat at all times while the trainee is driving.
Now technically the trainee could have gotten their full CDL before going on the road with the trainer. But Prime and some other companies let them go out and get some experience behind the wheel before sending them for the actual test. That way they're a lot more comfortable and they have quite a bit of time behind the wheel before they're tested.
Prime is gonna do what they are gonna do. At least until Jerry buys them.
Oh so you're "in the know" on this, eh? Please give us some more juicy details. We love takeover talk.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Who is Jerry?
Was in PAon I 81 a few miles from Prime terminal. ...in a construction zone of 45 mph and a freaking FedEx truck crossed into my lane and hit my mirror. ..scared the crap or of me but he kept going. He didn't respond to the cb and was doing at least 60 mph.
Reported it to prime.. trainer confirmed I was in the right. ..and after a brief report I was told it will not affect mewith prime. My first accident and still have my permit
Just get used to that. There will always be that one driver who stayed at the truck stop too long and now has to cut corners to make up the time. Almost exclusively at someone's expense. It could have been a lot worse.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Who is Jerry?
He's referring to the owner of Swift.
Who is Jerry?
He's referring to the owner of Swift.
Haven't noticed Swift making any purchases lately but have seen Celedon making quite a few acquisitions recently: Taylor, Tango, and A/S.
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This is excellent! You give me hope that someone like myself, who has never been around a truck before, might actually be able to pull this off. Keep up the great work!