Prime Question, And Prime Vs Covenant

Hi, Me and my wife are getting into team driving as a new career. We got a prehire from covenant to start schooling, they look good with their teaming bonus, but my wife found prime, they look nice but can we as a team train together like covenant? Whats your opinions on prime vs covenant, pay, miles, how you're treated etc

Well just found out Prime isnt hiring in Florida. Would still like to hear experiences with Covenant.

Hi, Me and my wife are getting into team driving as a new career. We got a prehire from covenant to start schooling, they look good with their teaming bonus, but my wife found prime, they look nice but can we as a team train together like covenant? Whats your opinions on prime vs covenant, pay, miles, how you're treated etc

JB, as far as I know we don't have any active members driving for Covenant. Let me just say a few things from a professional driver's perspective. I'm painting with a broad brush. I know you wanted specific details from current drivers, but every newbie has the same anxieties you are dealing with, and typically information from current drivers does little to ease their transition into the career.

Covenant operates just like any other trucking company with the exception that they're focused on expedited freight. That's why they run teams. With a productive team at the helm of a truck you can get freight further faster - and that's the name of the game in expedited freight.

I chose my words carefully when I mentioned a "productive team." Any trucking company's success relies heavily on the productivity of it's drivers. We get paid by the mile. That means we get paid based on what we can get accomplished within the boundaries of the rules and regulations. Believe me, this varies wildly in any given fleet. Productive drivers get all the good stuff. Not so productive drivers get little priority.

Now, to be a productive team one of you will be sleeping while the other one is driving. That means you will spend very little time together socially. One works, one rests up for their next demanding driving shift. It's very seldom that a team truck stops for much more than a 3 or 4 hour break. In fact, to be legal, your spouse can really only spend two hours of their day over in the passenger seat. The other part of their day is in the sleeper resting, and then driving while you are in the sleeper.

Teaming is a great way for a couple to make some good money, but remember, you have to prove you're worth being counted on. Life at Covenant is the same as life at any major trucking company. They have plenty of opportunity for productive drivers. Those drivers will be quite happy and content with their situation. Then there's going to be those less productive teams who are struggling to get decent loads. They will blame it on the company with great examples of how they've been mistreated by managers and people in the office, but they never make it known how difficult it is to work with them.

You guys can do very well at Covenant as long as you understand the principles of "performance based pay." That's how the world of freight delivery works. People who can get it done, just keep getting more to do. People who constantly have excuses for why they aren't managing so well begin to get ignored by the load planners. We have to bring our "A" game with us everyday. We refer to successful drivers as Top Tier Drivers. Make it your point and purpose to aspire and focus on developing yourselves into Top Tier Drivers. If you can do that you'll have great success out here.

Success in trucking has nothing to do with the name of the company on your truck doors. Don't get hung up by bad reviews you see about trucking companies. You will determine your level of success. All rookies struggle at first. This is no cakewalk when trying to start a trucking career. In fact it's usually a real stressful transition that most aren't prepared for. That's why you'll see so many terrible reviews about trucking companies. People tried it, got their tail kicked, and couldn't admit that they failed. The company gets blamed and the unimpressive driver tries to act like they were a martyr in some corporate scam to cheat people of their livelihood.

There's no secrets we are keeping from you about Covenant. I will say this: I'm not a fan of teaming as a way to start this career. I think it's just a lot of extra stress added onto an already steep and difficult learning curve. Perhaps it's better as a married couple - I can't say. You will be really stressed at times though. You can do very well as a team, but just understand that it will take you a couple of years to get yourselves established so that you are managing your time and your loads efficiently.

I hope you guys will hang around with us. We've got a diary from a married couple who trained together, and it would be wonderful for you guys to write about your experiences. We will always be glad to help you. So please hang around and participate in our discussions. Being active in this forum is a great way to learn from some of the best of the best in this arena.

Wow Old School, so very well said!