Prime Inc Upgrade

Buy the fridge, you're going to do it anyway may as well do it early.

Props for not calling yourself Trucker Dave on YT.

 

I can't give you any specifics about Prime. But, my experiences in general are as follows:
How many miles and hours I run daily and weekly are more controlled by the loads I have than my preferences. I drive reefer and I think that reefer trips usually may have tighter schedule than dry van. In general, my trip planning is around 500+ miles a day, which is usually about 9.5 hours of drive time for me. However, load appointments, both pick up and delivery, are the ultimate arbiter of how many miles and hours I run daily.
Also, I prefer driving during the day and can usually organize my trips for day driving. But, still end up driving at night on occasion. All depends on the demands of the load. I'm given a load with a specific pick up place and time and then a destination place and time. However I work it to make those appointments is my job. BTW, most of my loads are live loads and unloads and not drop and hooks. With drop and hook stuff you usually have more flexibility on pick up and deliver times. So, if you are doing dry van, you may have more flexibility than I do for your trip planning stuff.
Personally, I have a 54 quart freezer and a thermostatic cooler. I can stock up on about 2 weeks worth of food, not including foods that don't require any refrigeration. Both have worked well, not perfectly, for about 2 years now. I have a microwave, toaster (I like bagels and English muffins) and coffee pot for appliances.
Best of luck to you as you start out on this adventure. Many of the things you are concerned about, you will figure out as you drive awhile as to what works and doesn't work for you. It isn't one size fits all. So, don't fret too much over those things at this point. I did the same pondering and in the end realized it hadn't been necessary as the answers that worked for me became apparent as I drove.

 

delete

 

4. If your Drive + On-Duty = 8.75 hours per day you never have to take a day off. If you have a day that exceeds 8.75h hours (Drive + On-Duty) you simply need to have the next day total less than 8.75 by the amount you went over on the previous day. You are not required to take a 34 hour reset. You may choose to take it, or not. If you use up your 70 hours in 8 days you can A) take a 34 hour reset and get a new 70 hours for the next 8 days or B) you can choose to Drive+On-Duty only the number of hours you Drive+On-Duty on the first day of the previous 8 day period.

5. Your appointment times will dictate when you start work (Drive+On-Duty). I don't know how Prime operates but usually the Shipper or Receiver determines the appointment time and the driver is expected to adjust his schedule to be on-time. Those appointment times may not allow you to operate as you wish.

 

My understanding is that Prime will remove the passenger seat in those "lightweight" trucks for a refrigerator. I would recommend that you get one. 12v coolers just don't stay cold enough to keep food at a safe temperature. Fine for drinks and such. Check out "Truckin along with Kearsey" on Youtube. You will find just about every answer to every Prime question you have. She has been a Company Driver for Prime for 6 years. She has crunched all of the numbers repeatedly on Company vs Lease at Prime. She is STILL a Company Driver. Good luck!

https://youtube.com/c/TruckinAlongWithKearsey

 

i've been using a 12v for 3 years now and nothing has gone bad. i've had milk in them for over week many times, didn't spoil and i didn't get sick or anything. problems with 12v mainly come into play when operating in higher than room temp ambient air range, this is rarely an issue in a truck with air conditioning running but is a big issue with outdoor use. i mean i wouldn't trust a 12v for things like raw meats for more than 50% of their refrigerator (non-frozen) shelf life, but 12v is pretty adequate for a lot of situations you'll find in a truck, unless you're trying to go full chef mode in one

 

2500 miles/wk is pretty reasonable starting out.

Your loads will often dictate how much you run per day and at what times, though you can influence it some. When I ran solo I liked driving nights and was able to for the most part. Sometimes freight would force me off that schedule temporarily though.

I think the sleeping schedule can be rougher solo than team. My advice starting out is if you can sleep, do so. Even if an hour or two unloading here or there. The schedule can get pretty chaotic.

I ran my first 1.5 years in a lightweight with no cooler, no fridge, and no microwave. I'm sure you will be fine with whatever you go with.

Company is a fine choice, I've been driving for Prime for 8 years as company. I team with the wife now and we run on a dedicated route but the money is great and we like driving here.

Good luck.

 

right now you may not have a choice of when you drive and how many hours you drive, you are there for the customer, not yourself.

 

what is the lightweight version? a coffin?