Had To Turn Down A Kenworth Truck! At Prime

Hey everyone..

I was called and told that they have a truck for me..so when I went to check it out..I noticed that it was a kenworth truck. I was trained and driven a freightliner cascadia so I had to turn it down and for that i was placed back on a waiting list. when they ask me why..I told them that I was not able to see the road as much as i did with a freightliner..so now I don't know when I will be called for a truck..my guess is that I am not the only one who turned down this truck..Plus, the kenworth had no passenger seat, almost no storage space and it felt like a box on wheels..

Well, the reason it has no passenger seat is to make more room on the inside for your stuff. I'm guessing you're going to get one of the lightweight trucks, correct? If so, they're all going to be small on the inside, none of them have much storage space, and they all feel like a box on wheels (because they are).

Freightliners are indeed known to have excellent vision. Kenworths and Peterbuilts not so much, though I haven't been in one of the more modern Peterbuilts so I can't say how much that's improved over the years.

You definitely want to be very careful about being choosy about things as a rookie. It's kind of expected that you pretty much take what you're given and make the most of it while trying to prove yourself before asking for favors. In this case I don't expect it will be a huge problem for you but I wouldn't be surprised if they put you at the end of the list and make you wait it out for quite a while. Hopefully not, but to be honest, a lot of people in charge of assigning trucks will certainly make a rookie wait a considerable period if they're going to be choosy about it.

Once you get your truck, make sure you take what you're given when it comes to the loads you're hauling without complaining about it. You can request more miles or some longer runs from time to time if you're not getting enough of either one, but continue to take what you're given regardless. Make sure you're safe & reliable, focusing on making sure you're on time for every single appointment time. Getting the job done safely and reliably without complaining is the best way to forge a solid reputation for yourself and earn better miles and better loads 6-12 months down the line. That's how the trucking industry works and that's what will be expected of you once you get out there.

Wow! I am almost speechless...almost but not totally...the difference in vision from a freightliner Cascadia and a KW with Prime's lightweight fleet is 6 inches. You get to see and extra six inches of ground from the drivers seat. If six inches of "seeing space" is going to make a difference in your driving then you did not pay attention during training. Sure the hood on the truck is higher but to get the same clearance in front of the truck to see you need to back off a little bit further meaning you will be that much safer having extra following distance.

This is where "putting in your dues" comes in. The "lightweight" trucks don't have passenger seats. The trucks are the barest on the road for a reason. They carry more weight therefore the truck has to be lighter.

Wow, speechless as well. Man I don't care what truck I get, I'll drive the hell out of it. You must not be wanting to get payed yet lol.

I'm not even going to go there....I drove some really crappy trucks, as was danged glad to have a steering wheel to hold. But we all learn a little different, and I'll admit, I had a little more to prove than others....Now that I've spent years driving, I have gotten picky. I won't drive a truck that isn't safe, period. It better be able to pass a strict DOT inspection, or you can drive it yourself. I've spent enough years risking my life in dump trucks with no jake, and spongy brakes...log trucks with cracked frames, and water trucks with little to no brakes. But I have held the line...if it was a Road Truck, it had to be safe for me, and anyone driving around me. I have a perfect 15 year driving record...and I have it for a reason. I'm careful ,and don't wanna see my blood dribblin' down the asphalt...or anyone elses....

Unsafe is the main reason to deny of course. And your years of service shoukd give you pick of the litter. Im trying to go to work asap, and unless the truck is safe and just a pos, then im takin it. Im not knockin capone cause hes setting himself up for his own success, and if he feels like he dont want it cool just crazy thst he did it lol.