Forced To Lease A Truck And Become An OO After 6 Months At Prime?

Hi all!

I was reading Recruiters, Companies, and Schools - Choosing The Right Path Into Your Trucking Career by Ranting Warrior and found something disheartening.

The company he was describing sounds like Prime, who I am considering going with. I have not brought this up with my recruiter yet but I will next week.

In the article Ranting Warrior describes a situation where after completing the training and being on the road for only 6 months the company starts increasing the pressure to lease a truck and become an owner operator and if I refuse they no longer guarantee my employment as a company driver.

Well if that's the case after 6 months then there is a possibility that, one, I'll be out of a job and, two, I'll be stuck having to pay back tuition because I didn't complete my one year contract.

Can anyone with Prime provide any feedback on this? And, has anyone encountered this situation with any other company they are/were with?

Thanks!

That's not how it goes at Prime. Your first class on your first day of orientation, the guy running the class says at the beginning of it, "anyone here for lease, please head over to so-and-so room, people here for company, please stay in here". And that's all that you hear of it.

If anyone tries to butter you up on leasing at Prime, it's just going to be some L/O driver who is happy with his situation.

I'm at Prime. My trainer leases, thinks it's the best thing ever, always makes negative comparisons for company drivers (won't make as much money, have to go the route they want you to, have to fuel where they tell you, can't refuse a load, etc.) He finally stopped saying I'll get an old truck when we talked to a guy at a shipper who is company and has a newer truck than his.

The company itself, including his FM (and mine till I upgrade week after next) have never pressured me to go lease.

Really, my trainer just really believes it's the way to go and thinks he's looking out for me. I finally got him to understand that I'm not going to lease (for all the reasons that have been discussed on numerous other threads here), and he's finally stopped.

TLDR: No, Prime will not pressure you to lease.

Thanks Bud A. It seems like a reach that after 6 months, all the time and money a company has invested that they would try to do that, but never know.

I quit my previous company primarily because they shoved leasing down your throat. I wouldn't still be at Prime if they did the same things my first company did.

You experience no pressure to lease here. If you want to lease, you'll have to tell them, but they won't go hunting for you.

Awesome. Out of everything that I've read so far about trucking, that was the first thing I've came across that was a deal breaker.

Thanks for your input Daniel!

Nobody except my TNT trainer talked about doing the Prime Flease...:) but for me there just wasn't enough pay to justify the risk and I knew as a Company Driver for Prime you can make a Good Living.

Ken C.

Nobody except my TNT trainer talked about doing the Prime Flease...:) but for me there just wasn't enough pay to justify the risk and I knew as a Company Driver for Prime you can make a Good Living.

Ken C.

Roger that. I have no interest in a lease.

Thanks Ken!

I started Prime July 7th this year. I had two tnt trainers. The first one only lasted a week then had a family emergency so I had to go back to Springfield and hook up with another. That trainer pushed lease all the way and showed me many pay statements that showed how much money he made. He tried talking me out of company every day multiple times a day.

My second trainer was also a L/O but he was different. He said he wouldn't ever recommend leasing until I'd been with the company long enough and didn't feel like I was making enough money as a company driver. But he also pointed out that just being a L/O want all that much more lucrative than a company driver. Sure you have much more freedom but the money isn't much better UNLESS you go with being a tnt trainer. Bottom line is he kinda talked me out of it (along with Daniel B, Gujax and Brett) mostly because of my desire to be home every 3 weeks. I am simply not willing to be out more than 3-4 weeks at a time. The 5 weeks I'll have to be out in December is already stressing me the hell out. Being away from my kids thru Christmas and New Year's is really bumming me out. Don't know how I'm gonna do it.

TL:DR Prime as a company doesn't push lease. But your trainer might.

Thanks for the info Terry, I hadn't thought of having to put up with my trainer talking about how great an idea leasing is like that. I'll start preparing myself on how to handle that situation as well.

Sorry you're not going to be with your family through the holidays. I read a bunch of your posts now and know you're going through a rough time. I don't have children and was never married, but sounds to me like you're doing what you know you need to do to keep the family afloat. Hopefully this pulls you all together even closer as a family so when the hard times have passed you all can sit back, relax, realize why you are thankful for what you have and appreciate all the hard work you and yours have had to do to get there. Sorry, that kinda stuff usually isn't my thing, but I do feel for you man. Chin up.