NEW PRIME INC Scam, Fraud, Lies, Enslavement Springfield, Missouri

 Mr. MIKE, maybe prime was a better company then, and trainers really train then. That is not the case now. Trainers now, in general, maybe with the exception of a selected few, only care to take trainees under their care for the extra money they get paid and the money they make running as a team, except the trainee does not get team pay. SAD. I had two trainers during my trainee time at prime. Both asked for advance quite often, sure sign that they weren't making the money they made look to be... no structure training plan whatsoever. I actually wanted to stay to put in practice a training plan that would have trainees ready in a shorter time, but when most of the money the truck was making went to deductions, I realized that leasing at prime was nothing else but a scam, I left.

I hope and advice new drivers not to fall in the failed "succes leasing" program at prime. $955 weekly lease payment alone should steer you away from it. Not enough? Add excess miles fee, apu rental fee, prime app rental fee, gps fee. Not convinced? Worst yet, coupled all that with a.dispatcher that gives low paying loads and you will end up like I did: a $103 take home per week income. Brothers, our time is much more valuable than this. Don't let the big companies rip you off. Put out the word and help new driver brothers not to fall into the false promises they make. Let's make this industry more driver friendly!

Get out of Prime Hope, there are more companies you can get with. Prime will suck you dry.

everyone hears constantly how "you can just get a job at mickey d's if you arent good enough" as if its a BAD thing to HAVE A JOB of ANY kind. ive worked at prime inc and mickey d's and i must say, NOBODY promotes faster than MD's. you start off making s*** money (as everybody SHOULD that is starting out until they have EXPERIENCE), then within 6months you can be a crew trainer, shift leader and then store manager making 40k - 60k a year in the s******** state in the union for taxes an cost of living!

those that say 'you will just dig ditches' are the same types of people that dont know what an honest hard day's work is if it slapped them in the face. (and dont we all just want to slap people that claim to know everything about everything?)

my gripe with prime is not a huge one, but it is big enough that deserves honorable mention.

started out great. orientation went smoothly, training was 2.5 months (and im smart enough to figure out what NOT to do and what TO do by watching both the mistakes and good choices that my trainer made). when i got my own truck, i started as a company driver - they gave me a brand new 2010 peterbilt. complained that the cab wasnt nearly big enough to accomodate me comfortably and they refused to put an APU on it. (said they had some brand new all electric ones being tested but i wasnt allowed to get one yet). so i went lease and got an 09 cascadia.

best decision ever. money was coming in like a flood. (im good with money and running my own business; expenses and otherwise). whatever. thats neither here nor there. later on toward the end of my second lease, i was coming off of hometime in upstate NY and i was asked to deadhead 890 miles to somewehere in Illinois to pick up a load that was missed because nobody wanted to take it back into connecticut where it was destined. i was promised by - lets just call him Mr. Beagley (fake name but his sounds like the way i wrote this one) - to pay me 90 cents per mile for deadhead on top of the loaded revenue because of the excessive MT miles.

upon asking Mr. B about when i was going to see it in my paycheck, he said 'what prime does, is looks at 4 weeks surrounding the paycheck you have a question about and makes a decision on what to pay out and what to withhold... 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after... prime decided you MADE TOO MUCH MONEY SO THEY ARE NOT AUTHORIZING EXTRA PAYMENT FOR THAT LOAD'. i have every load / receipt / mile / log entry for the past 5 years that i have been working as a driver so i can still tell you who i spoke with and when

i was honestly waiting for ashton kutcher to come out of nowhere and say 'you got punked' as a joke but he was serious as a heart attack. i attempted to call the owner of prime and mr. Rob's secretary answered. 'i have an issue about not being paid for a load', 'hes out of state and wont be back for 2 weeks' (she said; march 21st, 2012). 'can i leave a message for him?'. 'no you may not'.

last experience i ever had with them.

back to mickey d's - even THEY dont do that to their employees. and those that feel that they are 'above working for a living' get fired from one job after another - (most commonly by believing mainstream media that the economy is soo horrible, "nevermind working, the only way to get by is to steal") - so they steal lie and cheat and when they try to get unemployment, 'i was laid off because the economy sucks'. 

dont worry, in NY if your former employer has every right to say something negative about you or if you got fired for stealing, legally the only thing they can say to future employers is 'no comment'.

round and round we go.

As someone looking to get into the field these forums can be discouraging. It seems no matter what company I read up on it is full of negative feed back.

This is how I am narrowing down my search. First and far most the training, training, training, then pay, then benefits and the ability to walk away at any point if I am not happy with the way I am being treated.  I am a single 48 yr old female and all my kids have left the nest with nothing better to do.
 
As much as I want to make the paycheck I also want to know that I am going to get as much experience necessary with a trainer as possible. Most companies want to train you 6 weeks on the road with a trainer and then let you loose on your own. I am sorry but someone with no experience in this field at all that is simply not enough training to make you a safe qualified driver.

I have found no matter what the job is, no matter how much the pay is people will bash the company they work for. Most times I have found its not the company that's the problem its the people have a bad attitude and want something for nothing.

Everything that any company offers is in writing. Doesn't matter if its driving a truck or working in a factory. I have found no matter what I have done in life its what I make of it that makes all the difference. Yes I have worked for some very unorganized companies and guess what I knew where the door was at any time I wanted to leave and move on.

So far Prime is offering the best there is to offer for someone with no experience. If they will have me I am going with them. I will let you all know how it turns out.!!!!

Actually Prime started in 1970 - they moved to Springfield in 1981..........

I'm having a hard time giving ANY of your comments any credibility due to the fact you start out by telling us you have had a CDL since 1971.  Sorry, but you haven't.  The CDL was a six year process that went into full implementation in 1992.  Claiming you've had a CDL since '71 smacks of no knowledge of the industry whatsoever.

You've never worked here?  You just "talk" to people, and they know?  Let me guess, it was on the CB, right?  That explains it, everyone knows the CB is a credible source of information, and everything you hear is fact.

New Prime, Old Prime?  Again, you show a total lack of knowledge about the company and the history of the company.  Prime started in '81, in the late '80s they went through reorganization and emerged as "New Prime" - nothing has changed in over 20+ years.  Long before Rip Off Report was even around.  The name change wasn't to hide anything. 

Yes, I started in '75 but I didn't have a CDL, I just had a chauffeur's license back then, because there was no such thing as a CDL, but I did get one in '92.  I owned my own trucks, I owned my own trailers, I had my own operating authority.  I got off the road in '97 and went to work for Prime in house in '01.  Make no mistake though, sport, I'm sure that just from the lack of any knowledge about trucking that your comment showed, I've backed up farther than you will ever drive forward in your entire, short career (it will be short because you don't have the right attitude).

Prime is a good company, if a driver works the system here, uses the resources that are available to him or her, hauls freight and doesn't sit around complaining, you can make a LOT of money here.

Good luck, but I doubt you'll be able to make it in the trucking business either.  Cheer up though, you can always get a job at Mickey D's.

I can 2nd everything Mike wrote,,Im with Prime,Intructor/trainer. Everything is excactly as Mike said.

 Its little irritating to read some of these reports. I hope the readers realize most of these folks are simple gonna fail no matter who they drive for. No shame, its not for everyone. Leave you with this,(for the other readers,you already know this Mike)  you can make 40k to over 100k as a Prime Company driver. Yall just dont need to worry about anything but safely moving frieght. Look at the big picture, not what you made this week. Dont make any mistake, and manage your time wisely you will make lots of money.

 Folks I promise yall go with Prime you will be glad you did. They treat their drivers as good as any company could.

I can 2nd everything Mike wrote,,Im with Prime,Intructor/trainer. Everything is excactly as Mike said.

 Its little irritating to read some of these reports. I hope the readers realize most of these folks are simple gonna fail no matter who they drive for. No shame, its not for everyone. Leave you with this,(for the other readers,you already know this Mike)  you can make 40k to over 100k as a Prime Company driver. Yall just dont need to worry about anything but safely moving frieght. Look at the big picture, not what you made this week. Dont make any mistake, and manage your time wisely you will make lots of money.

 Folks I promise yall go with Prime you will be glad you did. They treat their drivers as good as any company could.

Well Skippie everyone knows you work for the crooks "Ive been in the trucking business since 1975"  I have had a cdl since may of 1971.and i have NEVER talked to anyone that had anything good to say about the crooks!YES crooks all the way back to the 80s they are one of the first with the lease  truck scam! this guy that made this report was smart enough to get out sooner than others before they screwed him bad  that's why they put false crap on his dac report  What he should do is sue for the black ball on dac as far as" WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF DRIVERS" were are the reports? well ill tell you Skippie if you figure the people that don't know about this site & the ones that don't use a computer and prime changed there name to NEW PRIME wonder what was wrong with OLD PRIME?? same old crooks if you are not lying about being in the trucking since 1975 you probably are one of the old granddad of the PRIME CROOKS!! talking about the door on the trailer where was the trainer?? "The trucking business is tough" yes because of crooks like you Skippie you set on your a*s at prime big flabbie a*s and put out propaganda on this site & others because that's all you can do to try and defend that crook company. So anyone thinking of becoming a driver STAY AWAY FROM NEW PRIME OLD PRIME NO PRIME! & C R ENGLAND!  There is a company that trains drivers and they let you pay it back over a year after you are on your own everything is in writing up front and they are half the price of a private cdl school don't think i can say there name here but they are in Wisconsin.So there are good company's just look before you leap but stay away from those two  CROOKS! 

Wow am i glad i didnt go to prime. They sound like some serious A-holes. I'll never work for a company that screws their drivers. I drive for Mercer trans. They are the best. Never had a problem, pay is great. Home when ever you want, and for as long as you want.

You had two trainers but you can speak for 80% of them? OK  we can dismiss that issue.

You stated training was a rip off??? really? You stated you made more as a trainee then as a first seat driver.Well then, how much did Prime charge you to get you CDL and training? Nothing you say? They paid you for training? Wow I paid nearly 6k to go to a school. But Prime paid you, well to be trained. But you got ripped off. HA sounds like you ripped Prime off. You tore stuff up and they put that on your report, thats not ripping you off. You know you post to fill out a report on the pu trailer before you touch it, you didnt not do that, that company policy, if you did that it would be on record and they could not blame you for the damage. You spend so much time training you should have learned these things. I drive for Prime for many years. Im a instructor and a trainer. I make alot of money,( im not in any click I just do my job VERY WELL). Some of my students are upgraded in 1.5 months. The month and a half was time very well spent.

Ive never been late, no tickets, or anything at all. Had many student, happy students that still drive for Prime still making lots of money. Only thing I see that your correct is hometime, Here at Prime drivers are otr, thats the life of a truck driver. Hometime is one day home per one week out,min of 3 weeks out. You knew that before you even got to Prime. Its a tuff mans job not for sissies.You have kids? I bet you want to be home and love one them, dont blame you. But otr is not the place for you, but thats not Primes problem. I'm sorry that it didnt work out for you. Maybe you can find a local driving job.

only because most people dont know about this site, check all the popular trucker forums, lol, 25, you wish......

I am a company driver for Prime. I am also a trainer.

(1). When you get in that truck to train, it is a team operated truck. 60,000 miles is just enough time to allow you to get accustomed to operate that commercial vehicle. Other companies that have less training time, also have a seriously high accident rate when they turn their drivers out, solo.

(2). I have never heard of it taking 6 months for a trainee to complete his required 60,000 miles. Generally, it takes between 10-12 weeks.

(3). My trainee, last week, made 649.00 last week B4 taxes. One week, he made $800. It depends on when the load mt's out and when it gets scanned in.

(4). I get home every 21-22 days. So does my trainee. The day you get back out on the road after home time, you send a message to your fleet manager, (telling him, not asking him), when you want to be home again.

(5). In a family emergency situation, Prime will get you home very quickly, many times, via plane, if their is a long distance travel required.

(6). I seldom see a load with lots of miles on it, that won't give me any time to eat, shower and I always get my 10 hr breaks in. We're electronic logs!!!!!

(7). Why in the world would you hook to a damaged trailer? You send 2 messages. First to road assist, second to fleet manager. Road Assist will get you somewhere to get trailer repaired.

(8). You actually rebuttaled yourself when you said you only made 300-400 dollars a week, yet your fleet manager ran you like a slave. Which is it? Either your worked hard and got paid, or you were a slacker, always griping about loads, getting cash advances every day, which would explain the 300-400 dollar a week pay check.

(9). My fleet manager and I get along really well. I take a couple of weeks and run solo in between trainees. Last week, all I did was 400-500 mile loads. I wound up with 3,100 miles for the week, never jammed up, and actually enjoyed it.

(10). I have never been pressured to go over to lease. You may have been encouraged to do so, but after reading your pathetic rant, it's very clear that you were a slacker, couldn't deliver loads on time, have authority problems, and can't take orders.



Best thing you could have done, was to leave Prime. We don't need people like you!

i must be very lucky because i had no problem with prime i went to trucking school and they didnt do much for me basically they got me my license and didnt teach me much which is why someday id like to start my own trucking school that teaches you the industry and not just backing but hey i cant complain they got me my license right? but then i came down to prime and they trained me and i only had ONE trainer and he was very great were still friends to this day i havent gotten that from any of the other 2 companies that i stupidly left prime to check out which is why im back at prime right now and as for 600 dollars a week for training thats actually very good because the other companies are only paying 300 to 450 a week so 600 is great training pay and also its actually 600 or 12 cpm which ever is more and get this i was making 800 a week in training cuz we ran hard and then after i completed training i went company they gave me a brand new truck and i was out there pulling in as much as successful lease drivers were making as a solo company driver i never had less then a 500 dollar paycheck and but as with any trucking job u have ur good weeks and ur bad weeks then i went to 2 other companies and they totally sucked so now im back at prime ill admit im very nervous because im bout to try my hand at a lease this time but its worth a shot but badmouthing a company because of your own stupidity is just wrong some of these drivers complaints are legit but most of them are just angry because they let trucking beat them down you gotta be tough out here its a rough profession everybody is out to get you and you gotta put up them walls and not get taken advantage of because it is sad when even law enforcement isnt on your side because there collectin money for there broke a*s states which keep coming up with more crap for us to put up with eg csa 2010 which is why us drivers should quit bitching and stand together and fight the system but prime is a good company where u can make a lot of money at if u know how to play the game

Two months and you know everything there is to know about trucking? You're ready to go, eh?

I've been in the trucking business since 1975 and I still do not know all there is to know about trucking.

If you can't make it at Prime, then you do not need to be in the trucking industry, period.

We have almost six THOUSAND drivers at Prime, and there are 25 - TWENTY FIVE - Rip Off reports? Do the math Skippy, you are not cut out to be a truck driver.

After reading all these reports, horror stories on prime, i'll never work for them, i was getting ready to try, but not now, Ive been a otr driver for 8 years and know what its like to have a company lie on your dac report, it sucks, and they can say whatever they want, truth or lies, they dont care. Co. that dont deal with dac are the best, stick with them, who needs the headaches.

Prime did right by me. I was a flat bedder working for prime before landing a local job. The prime crew treated me right. If I had a problem it got fixed. The key is your trailer inspection. If you do not note damage via quallcomm you are liable for the damage. Also after a few months behind the wheel you are not ready for the road generally.

I used to be a trainer for another company. My experience was that if the student couldn't hack the training portion of the meal. How could they expect to preform under fire so to speak. I've handle a lot of freight over the years, and prime made it easier than most. The pay was decent. Sure they may have been late with the hometime a few times, but this is trucking not a church social. My tip is to either adjust your lifestyle to suit being in this business, or get out of it now. Otherwise it will chew you up, and spit you out. Doesn't matter whose name is one the door. This business isn't for the weak.

Let me tell you what I think?

First of all, how in the world do you think you are a "qualified" driver that should be left go on your own when you have only completed a month of training?

Personally you should be with a trainer for a minimum of 6 months to even be close to being qualified!

Secondly, It sounds to me like you did the same thing most drivers do....You didn't do a good pretrip on your trailer that you picked up.  Let me guess....You hooked up and never even walked to the back of the trailer?  Huh?  If you would have, you would have noticed the damaged door hinges.  Because you didn't, it;s your responsibility.  Whether or not you did the damage you are getting blamed for it because you didn't do your job.

I hae been driving for many, many years and I a sick and tired of drivers dropping trailers with things wrong with them and figuring the next guy will have to worry about it.

Next time think of this....When was the last time you did a pretrip you would bet your life on?  Yes, it's that important!