AJF...going against the advice of the experienced...
I know a lot of people suggest against this, but I'm gonna be a leaser, not because of anyone pushin it onto me, But just personal choice. looking at the differences between the two when prime told everyone about it in class.
HUGE MISTAKE.
Leases are written to favor Prime (or any of the TL carriers that do this). You are taking on far more risk and cost then you can ever imagine. Prime makes more profit, while you make less money after paying for everything that they pay for if you are a company driver (can I make this any simpler?)
Considering you have no experience, this is the absolute wrong choice. Give yourself at least a full year and then reconsider it...
In the meantime, please, please, please read these links:
Confessions of an Owner Operator
Natural Progression of a Truck Driver's Career
When is the Right Time to Become a Lease Operator?
I also suggest you use the search bar and enter Rainy Prime Lease...it will return a lot of first hand data that you really should read. Rainy (by the way) is a very successful company driver and trainer at Prime. If Lease Operation was a great path to take...every one of the experienced and successful drivers on this forum would have taken that route. NONE of us have...and likely never will.
Don't make this mistake...I promise you will live to regret it.
Good luck!
An owner-operator is a driver who either owns or leases the truck they are driving. A self-employed driver.
Is your instructor, your Pa, on a lease with Prime?
But just personal choice. looking at the differences between the two when Prime told everyone about it in class.
First, do you see the obvious problem within your statement? ^^ So "Prime" told you of the differences? Yeah, they're not biased at all...
Second, just what are those differences?
Just my 2 cents for what it is worth. I think lease is just a terrible idea for anyone. Also being a rookie with a fresh cdl knowing nothing about trucking, freight lanes or anything, this is just a recipe for financial disaster. Best of luck.
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Operating While Intoxicated
I have to chime in here as well about the whole lease thing. My middle child drives for Wilson Logistics. The first couple of months driving, all he talked about was lease, lease lease....well most of the time. Since he has been solo, 4 months now, doesn't even come up. Why you ask? Because it doesn't take a genius to figure out how much each break down cost. He has been broke down about a handful of times. Once, close to Virginia (maybe). They has to send 2 two trucks because they were dispatched from a different state and couldn't pull the empty trailer connected to the tractor. He has blown a super single on his drive's. That cost a tire, a wheel and downtime. He has been broke down for a Fuse blowing and melting some surrounding area. There have been a few other maintenance issues, but you get the picture. If you are a lease op, you pay for it all including all normal weekly bills, and if you are like him, a company driver, worse case you get break down pay, and keep on keeping on.
Operating While Intoxicated
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'ello, tapping this out on a phone during downtime while studying my pretrips. This might be a bit long.
Went to the Prime's PSD course on the 5th of August, get back to Springfield on the 3rd or 4th of Sept. For test taking. Here's to passin'
To those thinking of going to prime, not sure how others do it, but.. if you live in Utah, Missouri or Pennsylvania. get your cdl permit before you go to PSD assuming you get sent to the psd class locally in those states, you've already completed a good chunk of your PSD leaves you more time to take in everything else more.
I've had my cdl permit for about 4mos waiting for my dental surgery to fully heal before headin to PSD. my pa is currently driving for prime, suggested em to me.
Currently have had my 30th brain overload from studying (while touching and identifying each part) and staring at the study guide. the physical part of touching and identifying them isn't do bad.
My PSD instructor is my father, and decided to run me through a quick lil test while driving through the beltway, thankfully not during rush, lol.
Only missed the frame n crossmember mid beltway.
I've made a few pretty bad mistakes early on. but, take em n never repeat them.
For one.. I dont remember where we were, but I'm glad no cops were around. ended up blowing a red light. Woops.
How it happened.. Was told not to approach every green as if it's a fresh and if I didnt see it turn green to dlow down. Well, I did but ended up getting to the "if I stop now, I'm gonna be in the middle of this intersection." line.
Ain't making that mistake again. its fresh on my mind even though it was a while ago now.
Another, was a hard stop this one happened before the red. Thankfully was just bobtail. So no load while that.
Probably one of my worst mistakes, ontop of the red, I did a pretrip. Pa started teaching me some more wtuff.. aannd a weigh station just... I believe right after dc and Baltimore, I had forgot to latch the hood. woops. All the stuff had overloaded my mind and I was thinking about other stuff, that I forgot to make sure the hood was P.M.S. :D
Thankfully, my luck seems to be pretty high. We got bypassed. pulled through with no issues, stopped and latched it up.
Another mistake, that could of gone really bad, forgot to check the blindspot mirrors on passenger side. there was this tiny car. Was trying to move over.
Every mistake, will never be done again, speed wise, I'm fine on. 55 to 60. in 55s to 70 zones, obviously drive speed limit per zone if its sub 60 zone or work zones.
Except maybe making that buzzer go off. or riding the white line a tiny bit. heh.
Speaking of work zones.. I live in MO just north of Springfield.. these more eastern zones make me wanna clinch up.
I've gone down Monteagle twice once both ways, A saying I've heard and was taught by my pa.. "Can go slow down to reach your destination a thousand times, but can only go fast once."
A minor thing that bothers me like a fly, so it's no big deal.. people who use the acceleration lane as a deceleration lane, Oh well no big deal. everyone deals with this. *shrug*
Every day I'm improving, and I'll only get better and better, i plan to stick with this when im old and gray currently 28, gonna be an old rookie, ain't ever gonna consider myself experienced.
I know a lot of people suggest against this, but I'm gonna be a leaser, not because of anyone pushin it onto me, But just personal choice. looking at the differences between the two when prime told everyone about it in class.
Though, if I ever do PSD and/or TNT. also aint gonna influence people either way, my life is mine, theirs is theirs.
This has been quite a lot of tapping s phone, a bit too much for me.for any who read, thanks fer reading.
Just a note my posts and updates will be few, I like to lurk personally. I'll update when I pass or fail my cdl, and if I trifecta or not. Seeya out there, drivers. o7
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Bobtail:
"Bobtailing" means you are driving a tractor without a trailer attached.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.