Thank you, Alex. I have my suspicions that Prime is about to buy something big. Yes, they are cutting back on spending on certain things. But in bad times, Prime always bought and expanded. They bought the Eco Shred to make money and it works. They bought CW Miller a few years ago to get their equipment and freight. They bought Milky Way for the tanker expansion and last year started a hopper division. So staying true to Prime form... it is possible a big buyout is coming. Get the freight and terminals of another company. I don't know it, but it is my guess. As for the cameras, i have video demonstrations of them now on my channel. I stand by my original statement, they are good for new drivers or ones that need improvement. Safe, experienced drivers do not need them. I ranked #7 out of 420 drivers this month. I trained over 60+ drivers in 9 years. My camera is a waste of $4,000. I have no tickets or accidents, no latenesses, and over a million miles safe. Waste of money for my truck. Thanks again for the shout out. ❤
@@jasonrappold4719 Come November, There’s going to be quite a few gone . Nobody wants to do this job anymore and November a lot drivers are going to be gone (clearinghouse). I once turned in a Chauffeur’s license for a CDL (basically got the stupid thing for free). I met a driver that’s paying a $24,000 loan back that he borrowed to obtain his CDL , That’s absolute insanity! 😳
@@jadebotan83 You might be an ex Schneider ? I met one awhile back and he was leasing. I asked if got the title at the end , “No “, Just a new lease . Truck companies are disgusting 🤢😡
@@Thestrongestmufasa4 yrs ago I worked for stan kock and son on a polaris acct.. if you don't mind working a little unloading atvs at dealers ships..you can make your money uf still same and put in around 4 and half day to 5 work week and go home..just go, or let the office know on advance tou want to work and grab a load to Colorado over weekend..its a laid back job ..never rushed or bothered 😂.. I averaged 1200 week bring home ..that was 4 yrs ago .ir flat bed and they will train ..
Extremely difficult driving with other strangers with odors that you don't know and sleeping while a rookie drives, makes you wonder if you will even wake up 😂
Prime CEO has been lying to his drivers for a very long time. Remember he said he would never put driver facing cameras in the trucks? The truth is Prime is having major financial distress. They are in survival mode.
Dude what are you talking about.. if prime is in major financial crisis, why did they just got another lot next to Pittston Terminal, and why are they going to build a huge terminal next to Atlanta...most of Primes account are high value time priority loads and they need team drivers and solo
@tiktokfavorite3070 I think they were expecting things to pick up but it didn't happen and now they're operating at a loss they needed to expand pittston for awhile. The atlanta terminal is a need as well they're gonna turn springfield into a headquarters instead of a terminal. Denver west is gonna go to salt Lake, northeast is gonna go to pittston, and south and south east are gonna be out of Atlanta, with drop points/handoffs in Memphis, minooka, Denver, fort Wayne , laredo, Dallas. I think prime is gonna get away from otr and do strictly regional drivers. But it's not my mess I told my dispatcher last Friday I wasn't coming back
Financially prime is fine, they’re spending millions on these cameras alone. The issue is Robert Low is stepping back getting ready to retire and he’s letting his minions make major decisions which is ruining what Robert built.
I’m so tired of Prime Inc. at this point. it’s obvious they don’t care about what drivers want. If this was two years ago before the slump they wouldn’t even think of doing this! Now they can get away with whatever they want
Why should they care? They are not in the business of caring. They are in the business of making money and using every advantage they can while maintaining acceptable company public image.
It started when they went from prepass to that worthless drivwyze, then they're swapping out omnitracs, inserting cameras, now forcing team/lease. It's going downhill fast but they've been cutting costs for awhile now. I just left prime and am heading to landstar
@Francisco-po1cf Exactly complaining while taking the job. This is so stupid. No wonder companies keep taking advantage of stupidity using a carrot tied to a stick. I can see weakness in people that is so bad they can't decent what is wrong and it is the same reason why the country is going down hill. People blame the government when they vote in the snakes in the government because they have zero discernment and think other people should care. The reason we law a constitution is because throughout history, the founding fathers saw that people are always going to be corrupt. Therefore, the constitution was made to fight that tyranny. One example is the 2A. It shalt not be enfringe and some how that means you can slightly be infringe or infringe. The useful idiots is a cancer
By the way, there won't be 57/60/62/63 MPH companies much longer if Oklahoma DOT and TxDOT have their way. They're raising the posted minimum speed limits on rural interstates to 65 MPH, weather permitting. They'll get if you need to slow down because of weather, but on clear and sunny days, they want you to move quickly and keep up with traffic. The maximum speed limits of 85, 80, and 75 still apply. This will put slow governed companies at a huge disadvantage because they'll have to take longer back roads or avoid these states entirely if they don't want to turn their trucks up.
@@truckerzachbell Didn’t that company that starts with “S” try that ? 55 mph I think it was 😂 It didn’t last long because many states gave them the boot and told them that their death traps weren’t welcome in their states . “We’re not now or will we ever be like those idiots , “California” 😂😂😂 Took it back up to 63 immediately 😂
Their shipments are preplaned at 55mph. They have plenty of times to make on time deliveries. You going to sit there so what’s the point of wasting extra fuel and speeding?! Speeding can be beneficial if it’s drop/hook at anytime but most reefer loads are live load/unload so there goes that
@@matusala8322I made the same excuses when I worked for a company that had slow trucks. Wait till you go to a different company and get to go 70+. I bet you won’t have the same tune.
So much for Prime being a family oriented company huh? The CEO and "management" team have thrown the people that make the company a company under the bus. By forcing lease, company, or team, Prime is taking away drivers options for making money based on their performance, now drivers are going to take an essential paycut and turn over their autonomy to dispatchers who aren't and most haven't been, OTR drivers and deep down don't care about drivers. Maybe the dispatchers and all of management should make the exact same as the drivers while working the same hours under the same conditions. Absolutely disgusting and a few more nails in the coffin of Prime
plus maintenance! omg have been driving 3 months & had 3 tires go out & my a/c go out over $2000 in repairs… my seat doesn’t lock in place, my steers are both on the edge of legal tread … truck only has 161k on it!
@@bussyhaver The truck needs a meticulous 3 axle alignment, bad shocks also destroy tires. I replace shocks yearly, shocks are a lot cheaper than tires. I use Gabriel shocks. Don't use Monroe shocks they blow out too easily, my last set on my steers didn't last a year and destroyed a set of steer tires 👎. With proper tire pressure being monitored a decent truck tire should last 200k+ miles
Don’t forget, no contributions to social security either. So when they get old they will have no social security because the decided to be a contractor for prime inc and make rob low richer
Last nail in the Prime Coffin. I'm old timer who remembers Prime drivers as hammer lane only scorched earth aggression style The DOT went in there around 2000 and told em to clean the whole operation up. They were choir boys for years thereafter but the management moves are inflamatory.Good luck keeping it together.
I remember when you couldn’t catch a prime truck . (It’s a figure of speech. Which means like everyone else out here prime trucks did over 100 mph) Yea , I’m old Skool too .
I just picked up a Prime driver who had worked for Prime for 7 yrs and they lied to him and ran him 8 hundred miles all over three states telling him to go pick up and when he would get there it was bullshit 4 time. There were no loads. When he called them, they said they didn't tell him to go anywhere. He was 3 months from being a 1 million mile driver. Mike told me there are going through so many changes. Most drivers are quitting because Rime isn't telling the truth about anything. Another Prime driver told me two weeks ago he knew 5 Prime drivers, and they were all quitting because of all the stupidity
That's how I know they're full of it: with all the drivers quitting over forward-facing cameras, how on Earth do they "not have enough trucks for new solo company drivers?" I'll get my CDL through Wilson Logistics instead. No company is perfect, but I've heard a lot less BS about Wilson than any of the other mega.
@@rumrunner8019they want drivers to lease so it’s the driver’s responsibility to make the truck and insurance payment while they run them just enough to make company driver wages. I’m here at prime and have been here since 2016. I enjoyed working here and that’s why I’ve stayed so long but over the last year things have changed for the worse. Everything started going down hill after Covid. The entire culture here changed and even office personnel have said the same. I’m looking into other options out there. I’m not sure what route I want to take yet if I want to go local and haul fuel or if I want to stay OTR. It’s just things I need to get worked out before I plan my exit.
Team driving is a way to find yourself stranded in the middle of buttblank nowhere. Would never team drive unless I’ve got enough for a train or airfare home from California. Did it one time and I had a bad experience, Driver didn’t like me and when I went in for a shower I found my stuff piled up outside the stall and my other driver and truck were gone. I called the dispatcher at 5pm and they said “ well you’re gonna have to spend the night at the truck stop until we can find someone to pick you up. I quit on the spot, called an Uber, got a room and a train ticket via an Amtrak room for the next morning. Was able to find a non trucking job on the way home. Would nor will I ever drive team. One bad experience is all it takes, and getting abandoned in Bunghole New Mexico is pretty bad
Yeah, the trucker shortage is just a scam to bring in self driving trucks. There is no shortage. If there were a shortage rates would be great right now
Even the cafe coffee, that seattle brand so-called coffee is the most rot-gut crap i've ever tried to choke down, even the bean-counters are on steriods.
Pay attention solo owner-ops @ P-R-I-M-E. Prime doesn't make any profit with company solo drivers on one truck. First, they have to pay some kind of company benefits to that driver, in addition to his/her salary, then the truck is parked for 10 hrs (ELD). P-R-I-M-E today is the equivalent of the old Schanno 30 yrs ago. Schanno was the pioneer of the "Leased Operator" concept. $ 0.80 C/Mile was the rate back in those days. Tons and tons of cheap miles. Drive all the cheap miles you want until the wheels fall off your truck. So, if P-R-I-M-E cannot turn a profit on a solo, ELD equipped truck, what make you believe their solo owner ops will? That's the reality...! Tons of cheap miles, you buy the fuel, you pay the 3 year lease, you pull somebody else's trailer ( Forced Dispatch), and you have absolutely NO PAID company benefits because you are "classified" as an independent contractor, when in reality you are a De-Facto company driver.
@@billyanderson9574 lets not forget about the fact that they pay around 255k in 3 years for a truck they will not own, and in fact will be pushed into a new lease..255k for a cascadia..lol..prime is a truck dealer who makes money selling trucks
The thing of is, their truck lease dept is used by many companies. You take away the PRIME decals and viola! new truck for lease. No, they just figured out a way to be more money hungry.
Had this conversation about five or six years ago with the owner’s secretary, and she said that would never happen nor had she heard this rumor. This has been going around for a lot of years. Transparency seems to be null and void these days over there.
@@Tejaneaux-ic8dp Don't give them any ideas if they could they would. They're already forcing new drivers to team or lease. Who to say they won't pull this stunt in the future to save money.
It all comes to GREED... they just want more money in their pockets. They think they can overpower us drivers. Take a stand prime drivers!! 💪 good luck
Its not greed, Prime is in survival mode, the first two quarters have been really bad for many companies. Now they are doing everything they can to survive.
@@darkastaroth1 Survival mode ? Half of these companies are not even going to be in business a. Year from now . They either be bought out or put out . “We strive for 💯 on time delivery” . Why do you think that is ? Because these shippers and customers know they can drop these companies and contract with another one immediately for service failures. If truck drivers had some mentality, they’d realize that too 😉
As the CEO of a major company, you can not walk around with a smile and a sense of pride unless you have the ability to trick your employees into giving 100% until the day you don’t need them anymore.
You don’t think that some of us can see through the bs ? One of the biggest lies ever , “We appreciate you drivers and everything you do”. 😂😂😂 I laugh because I can’t be taken in by the lies . I also laugh when it backfires and these companies are out business 😂😂😂
As a person who went through a lease agreement with prime from a student with no experience… this is literally u making $80k to learn the business hands on… I swear u fucking guys kill me with this need to become millionaires ur first year out… u get brand new equipment ur first time out and endless loads to pull all year round This is baby shit compared to real trucking and a great way to learn if ur cut out for it…. End of the day u can walk away 🤷🏽♂️ mfs are too lazy and want all reward no responsibility
If I owned a truck company ALL company trucks would be team. Financially it just makes more sense. Two drivers can utilize the truck many more hours a day and improve profitability SIGNIFICANTLY over time...PERIOD.
I am currently a lease operator for prime. Prime is a self-serving corporation that eats its own. Prime culture is void of any empathy, respect, and trust. Most I dealt with are doing the minimum they can do to get their paycheck... the rest simply don't matter... I have been stuck with Prime for one year and looking a way out. As a lease operator, I made $330, $130, $93 and even as low as $ negative 51 dollars.... When I brought this up to my fleet manager and the operation manager, I was told to " change my expectations or find another place to work"!!!!! Please stay away from Prime for now 🙏!!
Switch to Rob the fleet manager. I always made 2500, 3500, up to 5900 in a week. Are you showing up to your 90 at least 10 hours before your appt. Are you sending ETAs for every load? Most loads get posted Monday morning and then fleet managers schedule them for drivers. Some drivers don’t realize that only the loads that pay cheap are Left by the end of the week if any. You have to do your part by telling them when you’ll be at the 90. I was an owner op there.
I know only a couple of people who successfully completed a lease purchase with them . Of those only one person is still with them and he's about to leave as well
We have tons of minifleet owners who completed multiple lease purchases. I know a bunch personally. But i also personally know people who made nothing and quit. It is a risk one takes.
This is about equipment utilization. When the freight supports it, they'll adjust. Just as sometimes the training period is 30k miles, and sometimes 50k miles. PRIME is good at the math.
Hate it or love it, this is a smart business move to stay affloat, they reduce their cost on paying for equipment for solo company and use a team set up which covers the cost. And leas takes it off them as well and you pay for it until you own it. Which you would if you completed the lease. Lmao its crazy how many multi million dollar CEO's in the chat that make better businesses moves. Atleast they arent just firing drivers who have been with them for along time.
It's how PRIME started, I drove for them in the 80's and all trucks were teams, the trucks rarely stopped we turned some miles for sure, for the most part I got along with my team driver but had to be run past the terminal twice to switch off the truck due to drivers I couldn't get along with.
Okay that’s funny and let me explain…. Do you really think that Prime, swift or any other company currently hauling freight will be a player in the self driving truck game? Nope! What will happen is this, the entire trucking industry will be taken over by someone like Musk, Gates or Bezos. There will be 1 maybe 2 trucking companies the government will legislate new law that make it impossible any other way. It’s not a matter of the current players in trucking just replacing their fleets with self driving trucks, shippers will just buy their own trucks. SDT’s are the death of the entire industry not just the drivers.
You can’t be serious!! U really think trying go spend billions of dollars !! For trucks that still Require a driver in there in this unstable market. If they wanted self. Driving trucks they would just lay everyone off..
😊Prime even in trouble. Hey i hate being this way but its true man. The American truck driver days is finished. From B2 green card, illegals, and overseas brokerage for.the same drivers has slammed the American driver. Hey these drives even though making less can rotate home or just park by the border and go home. Do i need to tell who are these drivers? Myself, run for a small company. I run my ass off and yes have to walk the line with my eld. Inspection on my equipment is perfect. My logs I cringe but so far.so good.
Teams make money for the company with essentially the same pay per driver. Add that if your teammate lives far away, you might not get home for months. If you lease, you pay the company back for EVERYTHING such as insurance, fuel, lease, etc. load availability is also spotty.
THIS IS HOW COMPANYS USE TO DO YOU BACK IN THE DAY. YOU WENT TEAM OR LEASE. THAT WAS TO FORCE YOU INTO A LEASE. OR YOU WENT TEAM. IN FACT IM OLD SCHOOL PRIME TURN THOSE TRUCK DOWN WAY DOWN YOU WOULDNT BELIEVE THOSE TRUCKS USE TO RUN 80MPH YOU COULDNT BEAT A PRIME TRUCK BACK IN THE 80S 90S. ALSO IT KEEPS THOSE WHEELS TURNING.
When I got my CDL 15 months back Prime was the first company I called and they said we aren’t hiring no experience recent graduates. I’m so happy because no way to inward facing cameras and now this. Find a small family owned company with dedicated freight that’s why I’m still trucking today.
Prime had a habit of hiring hotshot drivers. Sounds like there backing off those liabilities. Teams are more reliable and cost effective. Hot shot teams save loads and accounts. I know I’m part of one. The key, temperament of the team.
@@todayslist37737 when I was with covenant teaming. They sent us to trailers to call breakdown and sit there to wait on repairs. We made like 750 in a week. It's a mess
I work for a midsize fleet that contracts with FedEx. Prime is doing something very dangerous here. I've run in a team for years, and being thrown into the top bunk by a speed bump is a very painful experience, even with a bunk restraint on. I've developed serious back, tooth, and tailbone issues because of this. One of the guys that ran with me also had a chiropractor on speed dial, another one developed a blown disc in his spine and had to quit. I don't recommend team driving unless you're either going to be a trainer or "truck boss" (my case, which starts next month, as I'm already a "lead driver"/"captain") or you're in a husband/wife team setup. I actually enjoy running solo from time to time, it helps me de-stress.
Met Kearsey thanks to Alex when he posted the Prime inward-facing camera surprise, many thanks, she's become a great friend. Although i've always been lease w/prime since i signed on in '08 i've seen major changes here in only the last 2 years, Kearsey's good @ staying on top of it, funny too, cracks me up, Thanks Again Alex👍
A big company is never family oriented it’s about shares holders and profits, everything CEO said it’s about shares holders pockets not for drivers benefit 😤😤😤
These companies have to do a better job at making things better for us drivers who drive for them, I drive truck for decker truck line out of fort dodge Iowa and I absolutely love the company but they need to be giving there drivers more miles and get their lease purchase deal moving faster, I've been driving for decker for two years now and I've been waiting to go lease operator for a year now
Werner did the same thing with their otr drivers this year also. What do these big carriers know and aren’t telling? They are prepping for a change that seems will only hurt solo drivers or should I say hurt all the o/o’s and small companies?
Then if prime does that there breaking there contract with there drivers and the drivers don't have to keep with the contract that prime makes them sign
Before yall start with all these passive aggressive comments about im gonna quit…so what they don’t care obviously…go ahead and quit…there will be 5 newbies waiting to take your spot…if you had any sense this would be even more incentive to be smarter with your money save and prepare so that you can be strategic when things like this happen to transition to the next option without going broke and having the upper hand to still pay your bills and go to the right place for you in trucking instead of being reactive you can be proactive and be in a space of abundance…as you get older you should be wiser…that’s all im saying!!!! Stop giving these companies so much damn control and dominance over you…stand up or keep getting ran over all the damn time…live and learn!!!!
Man, I remerber Prime back in the 70s. Gray cabover KWs. They were all teams back then. The had a west fleet and an east fleet. The west teams ran from Springfield to the west coast, hauling general freight and then produce back to Springfield. Then the east fleet would grab the produce and take it east,and reload back to Springfield with westcoast freight. Everybody made good money and got home pretty regular.
For the life of me I don't understand why anyone would want to drive a 63mph truck for a company that pays less than industry standards. These trucks are absolutely road hazards and for what? So the company can make more of a profit from the fuel? For them profit is more important than safety.
I live in southern Utah where we pick up insulation there has never been a prime truck picking up materials last week I noticed 6 there picking up I talked to one of the drivers he said things were slow they were getting what ever they could
I hire drivers all the time. Constant story "I make less as owner opp" I say that is impossible. The industry pays what it can. Right now it is very little. If you dont like it, McDonald's pays 20/hr, oh wait they are closing down. Everyone is struggling
It doesn't right now. I am not on a company truck, nor am I paying for one. If it came to forced teaming, my truck owners would pull out of Prime and I would probably come off the road. I am getting old. 😂 Maybe i can beg Alex for a job
Team or lease basically means they can take most of the profits because teams actually get half pay, lease also is not valid now in this market because all the expenses are taken from the drivers pay but all this is from companies being grossly mismanaged by unqualified owners and managers,if they think drivers will be forced to drive with a person they don't know or will crash while you sleep they are making a very huge mistake. If the company can't make it then just close the doors, I've been seeing thus alot its all flatbed work and teams only but good luck with that.
If I remember correctly, Prime only had lease and owner operators when they picked up Dick Simon. They couldn't convince enough of us to lease, so we were allowed to stay as company drivers. Sweet talking was heavy for us to convert. But once you did, you could not revert. Eventually, they got me. Basically, I went from about $29,000 to over $100,000...on paper. Realistically, I lost money leasing.
Make sure to Follow Trucker Kearsey @ youtube.com/@truckerkearsey?si=cYhocH2b9ShV8LiS
Thank you, Alex. I have my suspicions that Prime is about to buy something big. Yes, they are cutting back on spending on certain things. But in bad times, Prime always bought and expanded. They bought the Eco Shred to make money and it works. They bought CW Miller a few years ago to get their equipment and freight. They bought Milky Way for the tanker expansion and last year started a hopper division. So staying true to Prime form... it is possible a big buyout is coming. Get the freight and terminals of another company. I don't know it, but it is my guess. As for the cameras, i have video demonstrations of them now on my channel. I stand by my original statement, they are good for new drivers or ones that need improvement. Safe, experienced drivers do not need them. I ranked #7 out of 420 drivers this month. I trained over 60+ drivers in 9 years. My camera is a waste of $4,000. I have no tickets or accidents, no latenesses, and over a million miles safe. Waste of money for my truck. Thanks again for the shout out. ❤
The Industry does NOT need a company like Prime .. Look for others
@@jasonrappold4719
Come November, There’s going to be quite a few gone .
Nobody wants to do this job anymore and November a lot drivers are going to be gone (clearinghouse).
I once turned in a Chauffeur’s license for a CDL (basically got the stupid thing for free).
I met a driver that’s paying a $24,000 loan back that he borrowed to obtain his CDL , That’s absolute insanity! 😳
Nobody sleeps on Team, except by the 3rd day when you're too tired of being awake 2 days.
They are following the schematic that my old company does. Make everyone lease and take money. They will never own the truck that way.
@@jadebotan83
You might be an ex Schneider ?
I met one awhile back and he was leasing.
I asked if got the title at the end ,
“No “, Just a new lease .
Truck companies are disgusting 🤢😡
@@Mississippi4Clemson no I have never worked for Schneider. I heard about their leases.
Cold teams almost never work out. It's very irritating to live in a box with a stranger.
Who wants to live on the road for $1200 a week prime can keep that
Bro I'm only making $700-$800 as a company driver, I fg WISH I made $1,200.
🐫 🐐
@@Thestrongestmufasa is that 7-8 after taxes or before?
@@Thestrongestmufasa4 yrs ago I worked for stan kock and son on a polaris acct.. if you don't mind working a little unloading atvs at dealers ships..you can make your money uf still same and put in around 4 and half day to 5 work week and go home..just go, or let the office know on advance tou want to work and grab a load to Colorado over weekend..its a laid back job ..never rushed or bothered 😂.. I averaged 1200 week bring home ..that was 4 yrs ago .ir flat bed and they will train ..
@@Thestrongestmufasa if you’re making only that much before taxes find another company to drive for or going to business for yourself.
F that team crap
Extremely difficult driving with other strangers with odors that you don't know and sleeping while a rookie drives, makes you wonder if you will even wake up 😂
My dream job
That only makes sense for spouses. Truckers are introverts
So while you’re driving, They’ll be sleeping on your bed .
While they’re driving you’ll be sleeping on their bed 🤔
😳
😂😂😂
@@Mississippi4Clemson Just get on the CB and say "no h*mo!" after every pre trip and you'll be fine 😄
Prime CEO has been lying to his drivers for a very long time. Remember he said he would never put driver facing cameras in the trucks? The truth is Prime is having major financial distress. They are in survival mode.
Dude what are you talking about.. if prime is in major financial crisis, why did they just got another lot next to Pittston Terminal, and why are they going to build a huge terminal next to Atlanta...most of Primes account are high value time priority loads and they need team drivers and solo
They've been on survival mode for over a year
@tiktokfavorite3070 I think they were expecting things to pick up but it didn't happen and now they're operating at a loss they needed to expand pittston for awhile. The atlanta terminal is a need as well they're gonna turn springfield into a headquarters instead of a terminal. Denver west is gonna go to salt Lake, northeast is gonna go to pittston, and south and south east are gonna be out of Atlanta, with drop points/handoffs in Memphis, minooka, Denver, fort Wayne , laredo, Dallas. I think prime is gonna get away from otr and do strictly regional drivers. But it's not my mess I told my dispatcher last Friday I wasn't coming back
Financially prime is fine, they’re spending millions on these cameras alone. The issue is Robert Low is stepping back getting ready to retire and he’s letting his minions make major decisions which is ruining what Robert built.
I’m so tired of Prime Inc. at this point. it’s obvious they don’t care about what drivers want.
If this was two years ago before the slump they wouldn’t even think of doing this!
Now they can get away with whatever they want
Why should they care? They are not in the business of caring. They are in the business of making money and using every advantage they can while maintaining acceptable company public image.
@@Eli9Afacts. There’s going to be Drivers willing to do this even though team driving is the absolute worst, unhealthy and low quality of life.
It started when they went from prepass to that worthless drivwyze, then they're swapping out omnitracs, inserting cameras, now forcing team/lease. It's going downhill fast but they've been cutting costs for awhile now. I just left prime and am heading to landstar
@Francisco-po1cf Exactly complaining while taking the job. This is so stupid. No wonder companies keep taking advantage of stupidity using a carrot tied to a stick. I can see weakness in people that is so bad they can't decent what is wrong and it is the same reason why the country is going down hill. People blame the government when they vote in the snakes in the government because they have zero discernment and think other people should care. The reason we law a constitution is because throughout history, the founding fathers saw that people are always going to be corrupt. Therefore, the constitution was made to fight that tyranny. One example is the 2A. It shalt not be enfringe and some how that means you can slightly be infringe or infringe. The useful idiots is a cancer
Fun fact! They never cared about you one bit at any point 😂
Team or lease.... Because a 62/63mph company doesn't get anywhere on time unless it is a team operation😂🤣
By the way, there won't be 57/60/62/63 MPH companies much longer if Oklahoma DOT and TxDOT have their way. They're raising the posted minimum speed limits on rural interstates to 65 MPH, weather permitting. They'll get if you need to slow down because of weather, but on clear and sunny days, they want you to move quickly and keep up with traffic.
The maximum speed limits of 85, 80, and 75 still apply.
This will put slow governed companies at a huge disadvantage because they'll have to take longer back roads or avoid these states entirely if they don't want to turn their trucks up.
@@truckerzachbell
Didn’t that company that starts with “S” try that ?
55 mph I think it was 😂
It didn’t last long because many states gave them the boot and told them that their death traps weren’t welcome in their states .
“We’re not now or will we ever be like those idiots , “California” 😂😂😂
Took it back up to 63 immediately 😂
@@Mississippi4Clemson Sure they were insured for that... 😂
Their shipments are preplaned at 55mph. They have plenty of times to make on time deliveries.
You going to sit there so what’s the point of wasting extra fuel and speeding?! Speeding can be beneficial if it’s drop/hook at anytime but most reefer loads are live load/unload so there goes that
@@matusala8322I made the same excuses when I worked for a company that had slow trucks. Wait till you go to a different company and get to go 70+. I bet you won’t have the same tune.
So much for Prime being a family oriented company huh? The CEO and "management" team have thrown the people that make the company a company under the bus. By forcing lease, company, or team, Prime is taking away drivers options for making money based on their performance, now drivers are going to take an essential paycut and turn over their autonomy to dispatchers who aren't and most haven't been, OTR drivers and deep down don't care about drivers. Maybe the dispatchers and all of management should make the exact same as the drivers while working the same hours under the same conditions. Absolutely disgusting and a few more nails in the coffin of Prime
When Prime started, it was O/O or lease. They added company, then the school. Now post covid they are scaling back.
They never cared they went bankrupt years ago. They built back up on the backs of the lease drivers. Screwing them any way they could.
All prime drivers should just quit.. let them figure it out!
I concur! Absolutely worst ever!!
Best company ever
@davidwhite2378 for recruiters just like you
@@davidwhite2378 for illegal aliens
That's the best comment on here
A lease Driver is basically a company driver , Who Makes Truck payment and Buys Fuel. Lease , hahaha hahaha.
And I choose my schedule 😂
plus maintenance!
omg have been driving 3 months & had 3 tires go out & my a/c go out over $2000 in repairs… my seat doesn’t lock in place, my steers are both on the edge of legal tread … truck only has 161k on it!
@@bussyhaver The truck needs a meticulous 3 axle alignment, bad shocks also destroy tires. I replace shocks yearly, shocks are a lot cheaper than tires. I use Gabriel shocks. Don't use Monroe shocks they blow out too easily, my last set on my steers didn't last a year and destroyed a set of steer tires 👎. With proper tire pressure being monitored a decent truck tire should last 200k+ miles
Don’t forget, no contributions to social security either. So when they get old they will have no social security because the decided to be a contractor for prime inc and make rob low richer
Last nail in the Prime Coffin.
I'm old timer who remembers Prime drivers as hammer lane only scorched earth aggression style
The DOT went in there around 2000 and told em to clean the whole operation up.
They were choir boys for years thereafter but the management moves are inflamatory.Good luck keeping it together.
I remember when you couldn’t catch a prime truck .
(It’s a figure of speech. Which means like everyone else out here prime trucks did over 100 mph)
Yea , I’m old Skool too .
Unless your married team driving is ridiculous Never Never Never would I team with anyone. So glad I'm secure where I am
I just picked up a Prime driver who had worked for Prime for 7 yrs and they lied to him and ran him 8 hundred miles all over three states telling him to go pick up and when he would get there it was bullshit 4 time. There were no loads. When he called them, they said they didn't tell him to go anywhere. He was 3 months from being a 1 million mile driver. Mike told me there are going through so many changes. Most drivers are quitting because Rime isn't telling the truth about anything. Another Prime driver told me two weeks ago he knew 5 Prime drivers, and they were all quitting because of all the stupidity
That's how I know they're full of it: with all the drivers quitting over forward-facing cameras, how on Earth do they "not have enough trucks for new solo company drivers?" I'll get my CDL through Wilson Logistics instead. No company is perfect, but I've heard a lot less BS about Wilson than any of the other mega.
@@rumrunner8019they want drivers to lease so it’s the driver’s responsibility to make the truck and insurance payment while they run them just enough to make company driver wages. I’m here at prime and have been here since 2016. I enjoyed working here and that’s why I’ve stayed so long but over the last year things have changed for the worse. Everything started going down hill after Covid. The entire culture here changed and even office personnel have said the same. I’m looking into other options out there. I’m not sure what route I want to take yet if I want to go local and haul fuel or if I want to stay OTR. It’s just things I need to get worked out before I plan my exit.
@@rumrunner8019wilson is prime. Remember that.
@@Tejaneaux-ic8dp They're different companies, but Wilson carriers a lot of Prime freight.
@@rumrunner8019relax lol nobody quit when the cameras were installed, once you get your CDL youll realize truckers say a bunch of bullcrap.
Team driving is a way to find yourself stranded in the middle of buttblank nowhere. Would never team drive unless I’ve got enough for a train or airfare home from California. Did it one time and I had a bad experience, Driver didn’t like me and when I went in for a shower I found my stuff piled up outside the stall and my other driver and truck were gone. I called the dispatcher at 5pm and they said “ well you’re gonna have to spend the night at the truck stop until we can find someone to pick you up. I quit on the spot, called an Uber, got a room and a train ticket via an Amtrak room for the next morning. Was able to find a non trucking job on the way home. Would nor will I ever drive team. One bad experience is all it takes, and getting abandoned in Bunghole New Mexico is pretty bad
Yo.... ive teamed with alot of dudes/chicks... if someone did that to you.... you mustve been a real pain my guy.
Lol, transferring all responsibilities I quote "owner ops" Lease purchase scam
I don’t know why anyone would want to drive for prime 🤦♂️ . There’s better money and better companies out there .
The only reason I chose Prime is I didn't have a car and Prime gave me a bus ticket to training and use their shuttles. That's it.
Must be that huge trucker shortage in the industry.....LOLOLOLOLOLOL
It is a trucker shortage most quit already from going bankrupt
Yeah, the trucker shortage is just a scam to bring in self driving trucks. There is no shortage. If there were a shortage rates would be great right now
Shortage of drivers willing to work for a bag of beans.
That way your paying for it all
Exactly
Look for another job
I’ll go learn to be a diesel tech, work at PRIME as a diesel technician, and give all the lease drivers discounts on their PMs.
Doubles your chance of dying for pennies.
All these big companies are raking it in off the backs of their drivers
Plenty of smaller family owned carriers out here with good values and understand what great people can accomplish together look there
Everything they've done in the last couple years screams trim the operation down.
Even the cafe coffee, that seattle brand so-called coffee is the most rot-gut crap i've ever tried to choke down, even the bean-counters are on steriods.
Pay attention solo owner-ops @ P-R-I-M-E.
Prime doesn't make any profit with company solo drivers on one truck.
First, they have to pay some kind of company benefits to that driver, in addition to his/her salary, then the truck is parked for 10 hrs (ELD).
P-R-I-M-E today is the equivalent of the old Schanno 30 yrs ago.
Schanno was the pioneer of the "Leased Operator" concept.
$ 0.80 C/Mile was the rate back in those days.
Tons and tons of cheap miles.
Drive all the cheap miles you want until the wheels fall off your truck.
So, if P-R-I-M-E cannot turn a profit on a solo, ELD equipped truck, what make you believe their solo owner ops will?
That's the reality...!
Tons of cheap miles, you buy the fuel, you pay the 3 year lease, you pull somebody else's trailer ( Forced Dispatch), and you have absolutely NO PAID company benefits because you are "classified" as an independent contractor, when in reality you are a De-Facto company driver.
You are spot on. Amazing how people will fall for this crap just to go around saying it's my truck, a truck you will never own.
@@billyanderson9574 lets not forget about the fact that they pay around 255k in 3 years for a truck they will not own, and in fact will be pushed into a new lease..255k for a cascadia..lol..prime is a truck dealer who makes money selling trucks
No more trucks... BS
I just drove past the Springfield yard the other day and the yard was full of trucks🤣😂
The thing of is, their truck lease dept is used by many companies. You take away the PRIME decals and viola! new truck for lease. No, they just figured out a way to be more money hungry.
Had this conversation about five or six years ago with the owner’s secretary, and she said that would never happen nor had she heard this rumor. This has been going around for a lot of years. Transparency seems to be null and void these days over there.
You cut out the expense of one truck to one driver gives you the leverage to lower rates. I pray the new guys find different avenues to drive.
Get out of that company fast
Lol never went
So basically prime is turning into cr England lol
And CRST
Not yet.... they dont do 3 bunk trucks.
@@Tejaneaux-ic8dp Don't give them any ideas if they could they would. They're already forcing new drivers to team or lease. Who to say they won't pull this stunt in the future to save money.
It all comes to GREED... they just want more money in their pockets. They think they can overpower us drivers. Take a stand prime drivers!! 💪 good luck
@@felipemunoz9316 unfortunately there are people like this lady .
How can they stand , When they’re sitting with a leash around their neck ?
Its not greed, Prime is in survival mode, the first two quarters have been really bad for many companies. Now they are doing everything they can to survive.
@@darkastaroth1
Survival mode ?
Half of these companies are not even going to be in business a. Year from now .
They either be bought out or put out .
“We strive for 💯 on time delivery” .
Why do you think that is ?
Because these shippers and customers know they can drop these companies and contract with another one immediately for service failures.
If truck drivers had some mentality, they’d realize that too 😉
@@Mississippi4Clemson and that is why they are trying to do everything they can to stay afloat.
As the CEO of a major company, you can not walk around with a smile and a sense of pride unless you have the ability to trick your employees into giving 100% until the day you don’t need them anymore.
@@platinumjohnson4380 . That is the reason I don’t understand how can people continue driving for big companies and corporations.
You don’t think that some of us can see through the bs ?
One of the biggest lies ever , “We appreciate you drivers and everything you do”.
😂😂😂
I laugh because I can’t be taken in by the lies .
I also laugh when it backfires and these companies are out business 😂😂😂
More like 150%, but yes, I can agree with the statement.
As a person who went through a lease agreement with prime from a student with no experience… this is literally u making $80k to learn the business hands on… I swear u fucking guys kill me with this need to become millionaires ur first year out… u get brand new equipment ur first time out and endless loads to pull all year round
This is baby shit compared to real trucking and a great way to learn if ur cut out for it…. End of the day u can walk away 🤷🏽♂️ mfs are too lazy and want all reward no responsibility
If I owned a truck company ALL company trucks would be team. Financially it just makes more sense. Two drivers can utilize the truck many more hours a day and improve profitability SIGNIFICANTLY over time...PERIOD.
I am currently a lease operator for prime.
Prime is a self-serving corporation that eats its own.
Prime culture is void of any empathy, respect, and trust.
Most I dealt with are doing the minimum they can do to get their paycheck... the rest simply don't matter...
I have been stuck with Prime for one year and looking a way out.
As a lease operator, I made $330, $130, $93 and even as low as $ negative 51 dollars....
When I brought this up to my fleet manager and the operation manager, I was told to " change my expectations or find another place to work"!!!!!
Please stay away from Prime for now 🙏!!
Switch to Rob the fleet manager. I always made 2500, 3500, up to 5900 in a week. Are you showing up to your 90 at least 10 hours before your appt. Are you sending ETAs for every load? Most loads get posted Monday morning and then fleet managers schedule them for drivers. Some drivers don’t realize that only the loads that pay cheap are Left by the end of the week if any. You have to do your part by telling them when you’ll be at the 90. I was an owner op there.
I start cdl school september 9th. I've been a yard jockey for 1.5 yrs. I'm thinking of picking werner or schneider. They have good benefits
They lie to you
Truck driver shortage is not specifically the OTR... it would be Intermodal reefers and flatbeds.
dry van, intermodal, reefer & flatbed are all types of trailers that can be over the road ?
dumb ass
I know only a couple of people who successfully completed a lease purchase with them . Of those only one person is still with them and he's about to leave as well
I'm on my third lease through prime wirh no issues wirh money at all. I have big family and alot of bills. No issues here. I make 2k+ a week. Flatbed
I've known plenty that made a lot of money leasing with them.
We have tons of minifleet owners who completed multiple lease purchases. I know a bunch personally. But i also personally know people who made nothing and quit. It is a risk one takes.
I know one who completed lease and kept truck too
I did a Lease/ purchase on the truck I'm in now
This is about equipment utilization. When the freight supports it, they'll adjust. Just as sometimes the training period is 30k miles, and sometimes 50k miles. PRIME is good at the math.
No solo , no drive
Lawsuits, theiving, daily accidents this is what happens as a result
I would never team drive.
As yes… one of the 5 biggest trucking scams… the Lease/purchase.. im glad and grateful where im at
They call it the never-never plan for a reason.
Hate it or love it, this is a smart business move to stay affloat, they reduce their cost on paying for equipment for solo company and use a team set up which covers the cost. And leas takes it off them as well and you pay for it until you own it. Which you would if you completed the lease. Lmao its crazy how many multi million dollar CEO's in the chat that make better businesses moves. Atleast they arent just firing drivers who have been with them for along time.
Lot of small companies that are paying better and have better work environment
They doin teams to keep those trucks running….. cause in they eyes if it ain’t movin then we(the company) ain’t making no money
Especially with refer, they need to move the product!
Maximizing profits smh
It's how PRIME started, I drove for them in the 80's and all trucks were teams, the trucks rarely stopped we turned some miles for sure, for the most part I got along with my team driver but had to be run past the terminal twice to switch off the truck due to drivers I couldn't get along with.
They want all drivers to get fed up and quit. It’s all about these self driving trucks, that’s gonna be the future.
that has to be it. So many rules, low pay, regulations. Doesn’t make sense
Okay that’s funny and let me explain…. Do you really think that Prime, swift or any other company currently hauling freight will be a player in the self driving truck game? Nope! What will happen is this, the entire trucking industry will be taken over by someone like Musk, Gates or Bezos. There will be 1 maybe 2 trucking companies the government will legislate new law that make it impossible any other way. It’s not a matter of the current players in trucking just replacing their fleets with self driving trucks, shippers will just buy their own trucks. SDT’s are the death of the entire industry not just the drivers.
You can’t be serious!! U really think trying go spend billions of dollars !! For trucks that still
Require a driver in there in this unstable market. If they wanted self. Driving trucks they would just lay everyone off..
That makes zero sense.
Are they going to close down all winter because self driving can't drive on snow??
Got my cdl through Prime 7 years ago. Had a great experience. Glad I dont have to deal with this lol
Well they just want the drivers to help out with the fuel and insurance cost
They used the backs of owner operators and lease drivers that drove for Prime back in the day to catapult them to what they’re doing now🤦🏽♂️🤦🏿♂️🤦♂️
No im not team driving 😅thanks but thanks prime
😊Prime even in trouble. Hey i hate being this way but its true man. The American truck driver days is finished. From B2 green card, illegals, and overseas brokerage for.the same drivers has slammed the American driver. Hey these drives even though making less can rotate home or just park by the border and go home. Do i need to tell who are these drivers? Myself, run for a small company. I run my ass off and yes have to walk the line with my eld. Inspection on my equipment is perfect. My logs I cringe but so far.so good.
Teams make money for the company with essentially the same pay per driver. Add that if your teammate lives far away, you might not get home for months.
If you lease, you pay the company back for EVERYTHING such as insurance, fuel, lease, etc. load availability is also spotty.
THIS IS HOW COMPANYS USE TO DO YOU BACK IN THE DAY. YOU WENT TEAM OR LEASE. THAT WAS TO FORCE YOU INTO A LEASE. OR YOU WENT TEAM. IN FACT IM OLD SCHOOL PRIME TURN THOSE TRUCK DOWN WAY DOWN YOU WOULDNT BELIEVE THOSE TRUCKS USE TO RUN 80MPH YOU COULDNT BEAT A PRIME TRUCK BACK IN THE 80S 90S. ALSO IT KEEPS THOSE WHEELS TURNING.
When I got my CDL 15 months back Prime was the first company I called and they said we aren’t hiring no experience recent graduates. I’m so happy because no way to inward facing cameras and now this. Find a small family owned company with dedicated freight that’s why I’m still trucking today.
Minnesota Gov is fast tracking CDL training for New Comers
Driver facing AI cameras, slowest trucks on the road, forced to make their truck payments for them….why tf is ANYONE still signing up for this place?
Prime had a habit of hiring hotshot drivers. Sounds like there backing off those liabilities. Teams are more reliable and cost effective. Hot shot teams save loads and accounts. I know I’m part of one. The key, temperament of the team.
Prime said it was a temporary thing and in fact they are now hiring solo company drivers again.
That's what Prime was in 2001 either you lease a truck with them or you didn't haul for them I worked for them 5 years leased 3 trucks from them
Their teams aren’t even getting team freight. How many teams have to wait 24 or more between loads.
Prime is not the only company doing that now.
I'm leaving Prime at the end of the month. 10 years in and they are just doing too much. I'm just thankful I own my truck.
Team driving would make a truck more cost effective.
And doubles your risk of Dying
Let's be real. There's no miles for team. You won't make 2k a week
Maine to Cali. Then to Florida. Plenty of miles (minus 47 hours getting loaded in Cali).
@@todayslist37737 when I was with covenant teaming. They sent us to trailers to call breakdown and sit there to wait on repairs. We made like 750 in a week. It's a mess
Swift transportation announced the purchase of LTL company DHE “Dependable Highway Express”
They did this years ago at U.S. Xpress...so I went to a lease operator... I lasted year n half there..
I work for a midsize fleet that contracts with FedEx.
Prime is doing something very dangerous here. I've run in a team for years, and being thrown into the top bunk by a speed bump is a very painful experience, even with a bunk restraint on.
I've developed serious back, tooth, and tailbone issues because of this. One of the guys that ran with me also had a chiropractor on speed dial, another one developed a blown disc in his spine and had to quit.
I don't recommend team driving unless you're either going to be a trainer or "truck boss" (my case, which starts next month, as I'm already a "lead driver"/"captain") or you're in a husband/wife team setup.
I actually enjoy running solo from time to time, it helps me de-stress.
Trust no one
I worked there and they had just started company drivers before that prime was a lease only company that was me a lease driver
They are dumping the operation cost on drivers. Have friends there that owns trucks
Met Kearsey thanks to Alex when he posted the Prime inward-facing camera surprise, many thanks, she's become a great friend. Although i've always been lease w/prime since i signed on in '08 i've seen major changes here in only the last 2 years, Kearsey's good @ staying on top of it, funny too, cracks me up, Thanks Again Alex👍
A big company is never family oriented it’s about shares holders and profits, everything CEO said it’s about shares holders pockets not for drivers benefit 😤😤😤
That's why you buy the shares so you won't get screwed as much. I do this with every job I have if available, then liquidate if I leave.
They want the driver's pay @ repair their trucks
This is another example of a Mega Company's agenda for automation aka non driving trackers with less human interaction. WAKE UP
Go thru your state to get a grant and go to private cdl school.
These companies have to do a better job at making things better for us drivers who drive for them, I drive truck for decker truck line out of fort dodge Iowa and I absolutely love the company but they need to be giving there drivers more miles and get their lease purchase deal moving faster, I've been driving for decker for two years now and I've been waiting to go lease operator for a year now
Werner did the same thing with their otr drivers this year also. What do these big carriers know and aren’t telling? They are prepping for a change that seems will only hurt solo drivers or should I say hurt all the o/o’s and small companies?
It's a business decision that prime is making what's the problem...
For Everyone Trashing’Prime’: The Best Way to Help Everyone is PLEASE VOTE !
Also there csa is close to getting pulled in every scale. Their training program is killing them
Then if prime does that there breaking there contract with there drivers and the drivers don't have to keep with the contract that prime makes them sign
Before yall start with all these passive aggressive comments about im gonna quit…so what they don’t care obviously…go ahead and quit…there will be 5 newbies waiting to take your spot…if you had any sense this would be even more incentive to be smarter with your money save and prepare so that you can be strategic when things like this happen to transition to the next option without going broke and having the upper hand to still pay your bills and go to the right place for you in trucking instead of being reactive you can be proactive and be in a space of abundance…as you get older you should be wiser…that’s all im saying!!!! Stop giving these companies so much damn control and dominance over you…stand up or keep getting ran over all the damn time…live and learn!!!!
Prime knows driver's won't leave or stop applying for their lease bs
Man, I remerber Prime back in the 70s. Gray cabover KWs. They were all teams back then. The had a west fleet and an east fleet. The west teams ran from Springfield to the west coast, hauling general freight and then produce back to Springfield. Then the east fleet would grab the produce and take it east,and reload back to Springfield with westcoast freight. Everybody made good money and got home pretty regular.
For the life of me I don't understand why anyone would want to drive a 63mph truck for a company that pays less than industry standards. These trucks are absolutely road hazards and for what? So the company can make more of a profit from the fuel? For them profit is more important than safety.
I live in southern Utah where we pick up insulation there has never been a prime truck picking up materials last week I noticed 6 there picking up I talked to one of the drivers he said things were slow they were getting what ever they could
Company team drivers gross over 2k a week, each... And it's not running hard. PRIME pays pretty well.
I hire drivers all the time. Constant story "I make less as owner opp" I say that is impossible. The industry pays what it can. Right now it is very little. If you dont like it, McDonald's pays 20/hr, oh wait they are closing down. Everyone is struggling
“Doesn’t affect me”
Wait !
It doesn't right now. I am not on a company truck, nor am I paying for one. If it came to forced teaming, my truck owners would pull out of Prime and I would probably come off the road. I am getting old. 😂 Maybe i can beg Alex for a job
Team or lease basically means they can take most of the profits because teams actually get half pay, lease also is not valid now in this market because all the expenses are taken from the drivers pay but all this is from companies being grossly mismanaged by unqualified owners and managers,if they think drivers will be forced to drive with a person they don't know or will crash while you sleep they are making a very huge mistake. If the company can't make it then just close the doors, I've been seeing thus alot its all flatbed work and teams only but good luck with that.
If i lease. I would take away in cab cameras
If I remember correctly, Prime only had lease and owner operators when they picked up Dick Simon. They couldn't convince enough of us to lease, so we were allowed to stay as company drivers. Sweet talking was heavy for us to convert. But once you did, you could not revert. Eventually, they got me.
Basically, I went from about $29,000 to over $100,000...on paper. Realistically, I lost money leasing.
Im betting its cause of these self driving trucks.
That's the only way they can combat their freight shortage.