Prime or US XPress?

There are 2 different US. expresses. One is Xpress and the other is Express. Either they have really bad spelling or their painter just forgot the E. I never looked into it but I see both going down the road. Could be same company or different, I don't know!

 

Different companies

 

I'm considering Prime as well, but I do have a question, How much cash should I have before starting their training? Reading their website it's kind of confusing how soon it'll be before I start earning, so, I'm curious what my buffer need's to be.

 

Hey Wreckless, I just came home from Pimes orientation in Pittston Pa. I got sent home for 30 days to get my blood pressure down below 140 over 90. They treat you really well and i barely had a dollar to my name. they fronted me the ticket home and will pay for me to get back down. You start getting paid after the four day orientation if you already have your class A. I think they are a top notch organization and i had a really good experience down there ( except the blood pressure issue). When I got back to the terminal from concentra, Paul said not to worry about it, they dont just run you off the property. They paid for my lunch and I called my recruiter and she set up a bus ticket home. Like I said, I went down about totally broke and they took good care of me. It might be good to bring enough for a bus ticket just in case though. To me it worth putting the effort in to get my bp down instead of going somewhere else, I am impressed with the way they do things.

 

First of all the tanker division is the smallest division at Prime mainly cause they have very few tanker drivers that are trainers. Second Prime Does not push lease what so ever. I have been with Prime for about a year now and not once has anyone in management even asked if I wanted to go lease. Sure other drivers may try and talk you into lease but I have found it to be somwe will try to talk you into lease and other drivers will say run from it lol.

 

That depends on if you come in with a CDL, a permit only or nothing at all.

I will break it down the best I can remember.

If you come in with a CDL but no experience, they will pay for your bus ticket, pay for your room at the Campus Inn (Prime owns it) and will give you a meal card for 3 meals a day at the Campus Inn cafe. there are set amounts for each meal and anything over that set amount you pay the difference. There is a $100 admin fee so you will need at least that much. So if you want to buy snacks or go to one of the fast food p[laces close by you will need money for that. After orientation and you get on a trainers truck you are paid $500 (before taxes) or .10 cents a mile which ever is greater for the week. After 5 weeks you move up to $600 a week or .12 cents a mile again before taxes. you also earn a per diem which is added to your check after taxes come out usually that makes up for about half your taxes. My student last week cleared over $700 for the week cause we ran 6600 miles for the week. for got to mention when you leave the terminal with a trainer on your first load they load I think $200 on your comdata card so you have money till you get paid which could be a week or sooner just depends on when you get on a truck.

With a permit or no permit

Same as above they pay for bus ticket,hotel and 3 meals a day and you cover any snacks or anything else you buy. With a permit you need the $100 admin fee, without a permit add $35 for cost of a Missouri CDL permit plus $70 for when you come back into test for your CDL. Once on a trainers truck you have to do at least 75hrs of driving before you can come in to test for your CDL. Normally you will have close to 100 hrs before you actually make it back to Prime. This will take you about 3-4 weeks which you are not getting paid cause you are not an employee until you have your CDL. However every Friday Prime will load $200 on your comdata card so you do not starve while out on the road, please note this is borrowed money that you will pay back to Prime @ $25 a week once you are hired. After you have passed your CDL test and move into the next stage of training you will then earn $600 a week or .12 cents a mile again which ever is greater on the week. Any money you borrowed will then start coming out at $25 a week cause you are now an employee of Prime. Just a note once you have your CDL and move to the next stage of training, you must do 30,000 miles before you get your own truck, every mile the truck turns counts towards that 30,000 even if you are not driving.

 

Prime would be my answer. I drove for them for a few months a couple years ago. Started on the company side and then went lease. I made the lease work for me, and actually made money. Only reason I left was a friend of mine kept calling and bugging me to come back to work where I was before Prime. I got tired of his calls and the promises that were made to go back there. Long story short, im tired of broken promises and feeling used and abused. I just called my original Prime recruiter, and im just about to go back to Prime. I can deal with the slow trucks, its the smallness of the lightweights that I dont like. I could go back and lease right out the gate, but why? Run the company side, relearn their way, their freight lanes, and most importantly put money aside ( more than $5000 ) Before going lease. I think Prime is probly the best mega company out there. I know some people may not like that, but oh well. Ive run for 1 truck shows, 20 truck show, and im tired of dealing with wore out, crappy trucks that some people dont want to fix. Prime wont do that, newer trucks, apus, decent pay.

 

True Prime trucks can not reach most posted speed limits, however those posted limits are maximum speed most states have a minimum speed also and Prime trucks usually fall in between the min and max speeds. Also everyone knows Prime is a training company so do you really want a person who could be driving a semi for the very first time on the roads doing 70-80mph?

 

Sounds like usxpress hasnt changed much. I went with them after cdl school (big mistake-automatics). If ur team then u r golden. If u r solo then you ####. Solo only get the leftover short haul loads. And even though I lived in the south 90 percent of my time wad in the north east.

 

Any vehicle on the road that cannot keep up with the main flow of traffic is a hazard. If you cannot operate a commercial vehicle at the posted speed limit even if you are a brand new driver, then you have no business being on the road period. Out of the ordinary things cause accidents, slow trucks bottle neck traffic and infuriates other drivers and this results in people driving aggressively which also causes accidents.