May Or Prime Trucking To Start Out

First of all, what is a "puppy mill". I have a guess but can you explain just in case I have the wrong idea? Also, not sure if I am going to go with May yet or not but I can give an update once I have decided and let you know. Would that be okay?

Absolutely! They changed their payscale to now it's like .35 cents a mile goes up after time there. Puppy mill just means people go their to get trained get miles and experience then go on to a different company. Old Steve or whatever his name took is out of context like I was bashing them. Mays a great company one of my instructors was with them for a long time. The other 2 drove for Gordon. I have heard really good things about Gordon/Heartland Express now I guess. Good luck!

Ernie S. (AKA Old Salty Dog), do you know if Prime will allow me to take my husband along with me, even as a new driver in their lightweight trucks?

The LW trucks have just enough room for the driver to be somewhat comfortable. Add a second person, forget it. The LW trucks only have 1 twin size bunk, very little cabinet space (very limited space above the bunk). The bunk is literally right behind the seats (maybe 2 inches in between).

As far as your husband going along, just have to fill out the proper request and all is good. When you plan on your husband riding, it would be best to forgo the extra .05/mile that you get with the LW truck and request a full sized condo sleeper.

Ernie

My buddy drives for may and loves it they install everything for you like a mounted tv, fridge, and microwave all you do is ask and they do it. Now about pay not sure but he says he does good cause he is getting around 3000 a week, but he is gone 3 to 4 weeks at a time with 4 to 6 days of hometime. He goes out west a lot so its easier to get miles out there than the east. He says the hardest part of his job is sliding tandems and his 5th wheel. Hope that helps.

Being in a lightweight myself, it's good for one person when you want the extra cash. You don't want one if there will be two people, just not enough room. And as long as your willing to run, prime will give you the miles.

I cant help ya much with Prime however I did drive for May Trucking and if it werent for my back I would be driving for them today. The training part is and can be a little nerve racking but keep in mind its not for ever. I went solo with a Pro Star with 40.000 miles on it and two months later I was piloting a brand new Pete. Its like any other job if you perform well you will be rewarded. Your gonna have some good weks and some not so good weeks but I think thats kinda the way it is with any company. I could go home every 2 weeks with May or stay out as long as I wanted, however Kathy who is in charge at the Layton office,knew that people are there to make money however she also knows that ya need time away from the truck. They give you the choice of running 48 or staying 11 Western.I went with 11 Western which was ok just got kinda boring. Going back to if you perform your job well, well I am gonna be bluntly honest and tell ya there was a time there that I had home problems which in turn I wasnt performing my job well and it showed on my loads and my miles. I finally talked to Kathy which she didnt know what the problem was which goes to the open door policy. She is there to make you succeed not fail. If I would of talked to her about what was going on or even to my dispatcher it would not of effected my loads and miles. The only down side was the idling time which I heard a lot of drivers complain about,however I would send a message on Qual-com and explain why I was idling and in the end I was never charged with excessive idling. Well I hope this helps some what and hope ya give May a chance. Regardless of which company you choose, Performance, Communication and a nice ride makes for a great journey.

Thanks all for your replies. All of the responses were very helpful. However, I have decided not to go through with trucking... AGAIN. The reason I have been posting a new question, then disappearing for a few months only to return again to post a new question and repeat, is because my husband doesn't like the idea of me being on the road. That's either with him or without him. I have managed to convince him a few times but after he thinks it over in further detail, he finally decides it's a no go again. I am pretty sure that my final decision is NOT to become a Truck Driver at this time, although, if I did go through with it, I would have chosen May Trucking. I am sure that Prime is the overall better company but for my personal situation, May would have been a better fit.

I say that because for one, the Truck School here in Nevada has a connection with them and they only charge $2500 for the whole program. I can also stay as long as I need to learn. Two, I have 5 more months on my yearly apartment lease and May's 11 state regional runs will allow me to stay on the west coast, closer to my current home. On my 2-4 days off, my current job will allow me to go in and work for a day or two (no schedule needed) and I can stay at my comfy apartment while I'm here. Once my lease is up and I got a few month's driving experience, I could ask to change to OTR going all 48 while living out of my truck (I personally wouldn't mind doing that). When I called and spoke to a recruiter at May, she even told me that I could take my days off in a different state each time, as long as they had a drop off location nearby. Although, who knows if she was telling the truth or not. Let's hope that she was for the sake of the potential new students/drivers who might be reading this.

With Prime, I would have had to go to a Prime approved school which is not anywhere near Nevada and is around $3,500 - $4,000 or more if I'm not mistaken. I could have went through their company sponsored program but I would be locked in at a high cost of dropping out if it didn't work out. Of course, I know I shouldn't drop out AT ALL, but just in case I absolutely could not bear the trucking life, it is nice to know that I would have the OPTION to drop out with a lower risk at May. Also, with Prime, I am pretty sure I would have had to drive all 48 with no option of staying in the west. While it would be very enjoyable for me to drive to new parts of the country that I have never seen before, I like the idea of starting out in a particular area that I am already familiar with first BEFORE moving to all 48.

Anyway, like I said, I can't go through with it anyway since it would not be in the best interest of my family (and we do make family decisions, no feminist "I can do whatever I want" selfishness here). However, I did want to post the reasons I would have decided to go with May Trucking as opposed to Prime just in case it might help someone else in the future, if they decide to read this.