Prime trucking orientation in MO tomorrow

F

F-crazy

Forum Member
I graduated trucking school on the 19th with a 96% GPA (written, yard skills and road test) and I am going with PRIME flatbed..I'll be responsible for tie and tarping all my loads, average 2,500 miles a week and 36cpm...plus tarp pay, layover pay, port pay, and detention pay...should average about 1,100 a week...not to shabby..
Flatbedding is a lot of work but im ready for it. There is alot more resposibility in it as compared to reefer or dry van, but im not tryin to sit on my ass alllll day and not do any work..

Im not looking forward to being away from my family for 2 weeks at a time, but its time for me to be able to support them fully and not pay check to pay check..I have that settlement in my bank, but I dont want to float on that..Time for a career..I got my hazmat endorsement and my passport (still waiting on that) so Ill have the chance to make big bank once i get m year OTR done and over with...

My instructors friend owns atlas oil and he will get me in there after my year..I could of gotton in there now driving a class B truck working for 15-16 hour for the next 2 years, then get in an A then wait another 5 years before i make the big bucks...
So i do my year OTR, then get into atlas in an A truck making 25-27/hr, then after 5 years be topped out at 95-100k hauling fuel tankers..

Hopefully at some point during my home time ill be able to finish my bullet for my Z and take out some of you fuckers =)...getting tired of sitting on the sidelines watching you guys have all the fun..

Wont be around much in the next year, so have fun and be safe at the track!...and keep an eye out for my 8 second 6spd SOM

Rob
 
It is VERY hard being away from family... Good luck... I did it for 6 months before they laid me off....
 
Trucking is fickle, and companies find new and innovative ways to screw over drivers. Is Prime a mix company with both owner operators and company drivers? If so, don't bank entirely on getting your miles every week. If I had a dollar for every truck driver that I had to 'screw' out of their 'promised' miles, I'd have a hefty bank account sitting here. Not being a downer, just don't bank on your miles being what they say it will be. Especially if you aren't on a dedicated route.
 
DetroitStyle said:
Well let us know how it goes... If you get stuck somewhere and need a back haul... I can probably move ya
Click to expand...

That's the other thing. Having to haul Contract loads can suck. you can get stuck somewhere for a week without a load back.
 
If he's a company driver, he shouldn't. Though who knows. Always finding ways to screw the drivers.
 
Hey guys..thought id update..
Orientation went great, learned alot and got all the b.s. taken care of (Twic card) hazmat training, qualcomm crap lol..
Was supposed to leave out today but they are making me take the "smith system" safety course for a following to close ticket i got in NYC 8 fucking years ago..
Im sure some of you have driven in NY..following to close is next to impossible to avoid..
I know the cop pulled me over because of a michigan plate and i was driving a 9C1 caprice...
and Its the bullshit I tell ya..

Anyway, I'm going company for now, and am considering going owner/operator at some point..
I dont pay for fuel and do get bonuses for good fuel mileage..These trucks are governed at 62 so they said 8mpg is attainable, which depending on miles would be an extra 75-100 bucks a week...
We also haul HIVAL loads which exceed 10,000,000...the instructor gave us the bill of lading for a hival load to look at..it was pharmicuticals and it was literally 4 boxes (12''x12'') worth 14 million bucks..
For the flatbed side, wed haul military type stuff (missiles, rockets, guidance systems).. hi end hospital equipment...
Ill be on the truck with the trainer for 4 weeks or so then ill get my own truck..
 
DetroitStyle said:
Well let us know how it goes... If you get stuck somewhere and need a back haul... I can probably move ya
Click to expand...

Appreciate that!...But i think we will be busy..with the trainer and I running, well do 5,000 miles a week...
and alone be anywere from 2,500-3,000..
 
F-crazy said:
Hey guys..thought id update..
Orientation went great, learned alot and got all the b.s. taken care of (Twic card) hazmat training, qualcomm crap lol..
Was supposed to leave out today but they are making me take the "smith system" safety course for a following to close ticket i got in NYC 8 fucking years ago..
Im sure some of you have driven in NY..following to close is next to impossible to avoid..
I know the cop pulled me over because of a michigan plate and i was driving a 9C1 caprice...
and Its the bullshit I tell ya..

Anyway, I'm going company for now, and am considering going owner/operator at some point..
I dont pay for fuel and do get bonuses for good fuel mileage..These trucks are governed at 62 so they said 8mpg is attainable, which depending on miles would be an extra 75-100 bucks a week...
We also haul HIVAL loads which exceed 10,000,000...the instructor gave us the bill of lading for a hival load to look at..it was pharmicuticals and it was literally 4 boxes (12''x12'') worth 14 million bucks..
For the flatbed side, wed haul military type stuff (missiles, rockets, guidance systems).. hi end hospital equipment...
Ill be on the truck with the trainer for 4 weeks or so then ill get my own truck..
Click to expand...
I've got lots of seat time in a big truck, I've done dry van, flat bed, landoll, doubles, have my X endorsement but have never hauled tanker and I decided to get out of trucking after being laid off a little over a year ago. If you need any advice shoot me a PM, I'd be more than happy to try and help you out.
 
Not reallly happy right now..I was hired in as flatbed, and had my trainer set up over over 2 weeks ago..Get down here go through training and all that and meet my trainer yesterday..so were sitting in my room bullshittin for an hour or so and i ask him "hey when you secure loads do you use straps or chains"...he goes "uhhh i dont use either, sometimes i use load locks" Now working in a warehouse i know what a load lock was so i reply "your a reefer driver?..i was hired on as flatbed"..
So i talk to a supervisor and was told "well sometime flatbed trainers arent available"..i say "my trainer was setup almost 3 weeks ago, and i was under the impression that my recruiter set me up with a flatbed trainer being she had 3 weeks to get it set up..so what am i supposed to do now?"...I was told "do your 30,000 miles with the reefer trainer, then come back for your upgrade, take your load securment class then go BACK OUT with a flatbed trainer"...
Not hapy about that..not one fucking bit..
Heard today someone in my class was a reefer driver and went out with a flatbed trainer...
A perfect example of the right hand not even knowing there is a left hand
 
thought id givr a little update...sinces its been awhile. I got my truck and signed a lease and it was going great..i was making stupid money..like $2,500 a week..i about shit when i saw that pay stub..but then i started getting into a rough patch so to speak...my truck was down 3 different times for days at a time..loads not getting posted to payroll in time, having to deadhead from st loius (550 miles) to come home becasue of where i was and the trailer i had..just a month of compounding issues that put me in the hole..each week my fixed costs were 1,600..
then i had to pay for my fuel...i got payed 72% of what the load paid the company..
that 2,500 dollar week my truck had almost 5,000 in revenue on it..my expenses were 1,600 and i burned 1,000 in fuel..what ever is left is mine..
i made between 1,500 and 1,800/week...
but when my truck was down, that payment still came..so id have 3 grand on the truck, 1,600 for payments and 1000 in fuel...m check was 400 bucks..
some weeks i was negative..it was stressfull to say the least, not knowing untill sat or sunday it youd have a check the following week..
so i came home for hometime (i was out for 2months before i came home) and i dropped my trailer off at our drop yard, which happens to be were i went to trucking school..
i went in there and talked to the head recruiter about how it was going..i was mostly happy, would of liked more consistancy of my pay, but i knew going into it that there was a possibility of this happenening..but seeing my trainers making 3k a week and seeing that check for 2,500...i wanted to stick it out...
he told me that he just had someonthing come in for local work...said it was flatbed, it was hourly and id be home every night..
called my prime dispatcher and told him im coming back to drop the truck off..i showed up dropped off my keys, they gave me a bus ticket and that was that..

theres a precast concrete company in river rouge called IPS...well there contracted to build the pieces for the greektown parking structure, the new detroit jail, and just landed that contract for the DMC building next year.
the company i got hired in at is hauling all the pieces..Its all oversize, overweight, over length..
these loads are 12' wide/ and 87 ft long...the lightest peice has bee 54,000 pounds...hauled a load friday that was 102,000 pounds, plus the 40,000 for truck and trailer
The money is ok...just under 20 bucks an hour...but its 60 hours every week...and its the field i wanted to get into...this is the reason i went flatbed instead of van..
been with these guys for a couple weeks now..and im more happy then with prime..get to drive a big truck in the field i want to be in, making decent money and i get to nail my wife every night...fucking win win win
our jobsite is right at beaubien and macomb..we line up on the left side of macomb right off 375..my truck is 1002...if you see me stop and say hi lol..unless im yelling at one of those dumb ass detroit cops who double park so we cant get by haaaa

i dunno..just givin an update...now maybe i can start getting this motor project started...
my buddies nova is almost done, 500 inch BBC 300 shot, glide...well into the 8's and his 3 brothers are almost done with thier cars...65 nova with a 406 afr's and a 268 roller cam...66 nova with a nasty 355 with a turbo 350..95 LT1 with a heads and cam....fuck i need to get this started...
 
You sound just like every truck drive I ever met. It's extremely competitive and it takes a ton of time and money to get to the point that you can actually start seeing a consistent pay check that was positive. The cousin's in Erie have I think 9 drivers under their operation and you'd think all hell broke loose if one of their drivers loads got cut. I can only imaging what it's like with just yourself as the source of income. Good luck with this new gig. I think it'll work out better for you in the long run.
 
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