Prime Inc. Or TMC

Hey I'm new to the site and looking for some info to maybe guide me in the right direction. I'm separating from the military soon and looking to get into flatbed. Could someone give me and insight on which would be the better company to maybe start with. I'm single with no kids so home time isn't a huge factor for me. I have no experience in trucking.

Thanks in advance

Chance

Hello and welcome. I'm with Maverick, been flatbedding some months now. Honestly we can't tell you who the best company is. You have to determine what is important to you and go from there. Both would be a great place to start. There are links here that have info on both companies that should get you started.

Thanks C T,

How do you like Maverick so far?

I love prime...i run reefer. If I can answer your questions I will. A lot of us here on this forum are in all different phases of Prime. there is a real family feel...and a demand for safety. I take my truck or trailers into the terminals pretty much whenever I want/am near and they swarm in like worker bees to fix issues.

My intent was to get my license and get a local job. I've since been offered the local job with 4 days on three days off...but haven't accepted it. Haven't really entertained the thought.

Nice equipment, great FM , good miles/CPM, always get home on time wherever in the country I want. APU , inverters, and an owner who cares and is readily available to all 6500 drivers on a daily basis---he plays basketball every day at noon with the employees. We know where to find him and the bosses all know it lol

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.

Fm:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

CPM:

Cents Per Mile

Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

I think about half the forum is Prime sooo might get a slightly lopsided answer. Would be best to research a little on your own as well TT has some amazing info on most of the big carriers right here on the site. And Rainy is amazing when it comes to giving prime info just don't let her bite you :P

I m with Halvor Lines flatbed div and so far so good. They just purchased 220 Volvo 780, that will bring the average age of their truck fleet to two years old.

I'll be honest I've been doing research for about 8-9 months now, and Prime's name continues to come up when I ask around. I've got a little more time to make a decision but prime seems like a good option to go with.

I'll be honest I've been doing research for about 8-9 months now, and Prime's name continues to come up when I ask around. I've got a little more time to make a decision but prime seems like a good option to go with.

My big three was Prime, Swift (because they train in my state) and Roehl (they pay from day 1) ended up with prime for a lot of reasons and now im shipping out next week to start training with them

Not half the board...just the loud ones hahahhaha

Most of the larger carriers are going to be very similar.

Lol I'm already starting to like it here...thanks for the input Prime sounds like a great place to start I've looked into Roehl a little also but not in depth as some other companies. I hear that a lot also Rainy that most of the bigger guys and going to be very similar. I've always wanted to drive for Stevens but the pay isn't quite where I'd like it to be. Again thanks for all the info everything helps. Patrick were you a Marine or are you a native or Jacksonville?