Does The Company Matter

You know what is funny too...when people see i work for prime, they say "oh i would never work for.them. Ive heard stories". then i tell them all the stories from a positive perspective. like how they flew my friend home when his wife was in a life and death car accident, paid for the flight and sent a team to go get his truck without a penalty. they simply said "good luck and keep us posted" Or how when i needed my surgey and things went goofey, getting me to the terminal for the doctor was done immediately. My FMLA forms and disability insurance was all handled by them...no calling and harrassing, no tons of papers.

Plus i show them the terminal videos and find out they are driving some old sucky truck instead of a bright shiny new one. before you know it...im recruiting them lol

people in general suck...and complainers will suck at any company.

I hear people scoff at "we treat you like family" and cry BS, the big companies treat you as just a number.

Well, do you like everyone in your family equally? I have a brother in law that is a waste of oxygen. So no, he isn't high on my list.

Drivers that consistently perform are absolutely treated better, just as you may have a favorite aunt, uncle, etc., and rightfully so. If the company makes money, you make money. So if you are making the company money, they are going to take care of you. If there weren't a driver shortage, many of those complaining drivers would likely be out of a job.

Hey rainy iwould like to know what primes home timw is like. Thats one of the few things I've noticed that even people that said prime was good is they arent as food as other companies with home time. Prime is one of the companies I really like. I would like to know what you think of it

Well again that is a special treatment thing. policy is 3 to 4 weeks out and 3 to 4 days home. Great drivers might have more leniency and get home more often or for longer durations, like 5 or 6 days. thats a secret though, not a guarantee. if you run a regional route you could.get home more often but for shorter periods. We are supposed to.turn our truck in if we stay home more than 5 days however i know drivers who went on a cruise and didnt turn in their trucks.

In addition to that, there is always "hang in the terminal while the truck is in the shop.and get paid to take a day off" time. If you are concerned with not exhausting yourself and need a quick reboot, that works. of course you make more money driving than on shop time. but i keep a list of things that need repairs and when i need a 34, i head to.the terminal and knock it all out at once.

Big Scott gets.nice home.time with CFI

Thanks rainy. My wife an I had a long discussion about this. We both decided that for a year I would put my head down and drive. Not worry about home time take it when it comes and not complain we both think that is the way to approach this. No excuses just drive

Well then you both need to read this..

OTR Relationships: Are they possible?

Hi, Jerry. That fear thing is perfectly normal. It sounds to me like you might be worried about being able to maintain control of the truck and trailer. "How am I going to be able to keep that monster within my tiny lane" or "How am I going to be able to make a turn without wiping out a car or two". I'll tell you what...it all comes down to familiarity. The more you drive, the more you get a feel for what your truck is doing. Obviously, the first time behind the wheel will feel pretty uncomfortable. Your brain will be crammed full of thoughts about how to handle a big rig. Fear of the unknown will also take up a lot of space inside your head. Eventually, the fear will diminish and your brain will focus on only the things it needs to focus on to drive. Soon all of that becomes second nature: checking mirrors, keeping a proper following distance, reading road signs, how wide you need to turn to keep your trailer tires off the curb, etc. Once you get your CDL and start driving in the real world, you'll experience situations in which you'll get that nervous feeling again. And once again, familiarity will eventually make it second nature. Just remind yourself that the most frightening time is the first time you're behind the wheel. After that it will continue to get better.

Jerry it really doesnt matter which company you go to as most are similar. I can provide my personal experience.

I began my driving career at CRST. At first I did not make a lot of money. I ran hard, but did not know how to work my clock. I also got in deep with advances. In reality it wasn't that I wasn't making money; I just spent it before I earned it. Once I learned my clock and quit taking advances I started making much better money.

At this same time I would laugh and talk bad about SWIFT. I can assure you I have heard all the jokes and said many myself. I left trucking for several years and when I came back I had to start all over. SWIFT gave me a chance and I took it. I wasn't happy that I had to go to SWIFT because of all the trash I had heard. However, I have now been here over a year and enjoy working here. I still laugh at the SWIFT jokes, but I realize I had no clue what I was talking about. I was just regurgitating things I had heard.

If you learn to master your clock, are a safe driver, and make your appointments on time you will make money out here. The name on the door doesn't really matter at that point. A top tier driver is a top tier driver no matter the company they drive for.

That was perfect Big T. That's basically what my conclusion is. Put your head down and drive it sont matter who its for thanks to everyone