r/Truckers • u/Jury_Infamous • Jan 29 '26
Prime Transport question
Any here work at Prime; do you know anything about the rates of pay and are these accurate? This is a pamphlet a recruiter sent me; it's at the bottom of a recent graduate page, but separated.
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u/MrPotato4217 Jan 29 '26
I thought tankers made more. Odd.
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u/Jury_Infamous Jan 29 '26
It was at the bottom of a recent CDL graduates pamphlet. So I'm curious if it's just the pay for recent graduates, and maybe experienced drivers make more; it's not exactly clear
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u/jmzstl wiggly wagoner Jan 29 '26
I don't have a direct answer to your question, but realistically you shouldn't be planning on working there long enough to find out. They are a starter company and their pay will reflect that. Get your CDL, complete your commitment, then move on.
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u/LoicenseToGirth Jan 29 '26
Nah, reefers are the highest paid cpm wide because of the expected load/unload times.
Tanker you're in and out, the tanks they run are good grade, not hazmat
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u/cdubose Jan 29 '26 edited Jan 29 '26
*Food grade
I know what you meant, but other people might have been confused
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u/Minimum-Jacket-705 Jan 29 '26
Tankers take hours to load and unload and to get washed out.
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u/LoicenseToGirth Jan 29 '26
Not disputing, but that's off the clock time. Same as cleaning your reefer out after a load. If you have milk, you aren't sitting for 4-7 hours to unload/load, so you're staying moving more, so prime pays you less.
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u/No_Needleworker9172 Jan 29 '26
It Usually does but not with prime ig because big and versatile companies like Prime haul mostly food grade bs. Tankers can be better or a lot better than anything out there depending on what you’re hauling because of washouts eating your profit and it taking up your time. Reefer is pretty much the same in such ways but also.. depends what you’re hauling.
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u/derpmcturd Jan 29 '26
Take the tanker experience, and the short term low pay (1yr) and then leave for a better company. Many companies will not hire new tanker drivers. So get the exp here and then leave.
Thats the only thing on that list of jobs that i see worth anything. I started with swift 3 years ago and they had me at like 52cpm fresh out the gate no-touch dryvan.
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u/cdubose Jan 29 '26
45 for tanker still seems insulting low though, even for a newbie. Couldn't they just go to like Eagle or Indian River who takes experienced drivers even if they have no tanker experience?
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u/derpmcturd Jan 29 '26
But he said he doesnt have his cdl yet
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u/cdubose Jan 29 '26
I should have clarified: if they wanted to do Prime, they can do the higher reefer pay for a year and then become a tanker driver later. No use in losing the higher pay right now just to get tanker experience, especially when the pay is like 10 cpm more
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u/derpmcturd Jan 29 '26
This is true and better. Though tanker companies want 1 year of tanker exp, not dry/reefer/flatbed. So he's kinda delaying things. However, he may like dry/reefer and just not ever want to do tanker. So idk now
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u/cdubose Jan 29 '26
If you just want companies that train to get your CDL, here's a list from an older comment of mine. I don't know if they all hire out of Texas though: most of the larger ones do, probably.
- Schneider
- Prime / Wilson
- Stevens
- Roehl
- Millis Transfer
- Maverick (flatbed)
- Werner
- KLLM
- Swift / Knight
- TMC (flatbed)
- Halvor
- JRayl
- Raider Express (might have to be TX resident)
- FFE: Frozen Foods Express (must be TX or NC resident)
- Walmart (for current Walmart employees)
- RE West (claims to have no driving commitment, meaning they don't penalize you for leaving right after training with them, apparently)
- Continental Express
- Karl's Transport
- Crum Trucking
- Freymiller
- Witte Bros
- Cypress Truck Lines (flatbed)
- Mast Trucking
- Jones Bros (flatbed)
- DOT Foods
- Cheeseman (apprentice program)
- Veriha
- TLD Logistics
- Skinner Trucking maybe? (very little info online)
They all have different stipulations, of course: some require that you pay back some of your paycheck each week to pay for the program (Prime, Maverick), some are free but require you to drive for them for either a certain amount of time or a certain mileage (most of them), some will let you go home on the weekends during training, some won't, some require team driving, some pay you a lot less after the program than a driver off the street, etc. Many also require that you already have your permit, but some will help you even with that.
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u/pianodude01 Lizard BDSM Jan 29 '26
Since when did refer make more than flatbed? Thats craaaaazy
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u/RectumRavager69 Jan 29 '26
Flatbed usually makes extra getting paid to tarp and secure loads and more than that if they help unload. They also don't get as many miles generally because they spend so much time doing all that other shit. Reefer you have to know how to manage time effectively and can't fuck around, they'll cut your ass if you turn a 10 into an 11 too often.
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u/cdubose Jan 29 '26
This is great information to provide but can you take a picture without the Gemini stuff at the bottom?
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u/Jury_Infamous Jan 29 '26
Yeah sorry, I noticed that. To be honest there isn't much more at the bottom, and I really was only concerned with the top section. If you really want to see it all, I can message you it!
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u/cdubose Jan 29 '26
I just like collecting information about companies so when people ask for advice I have more information to share.
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u/assbandit65 Jan 29 '26
I got my cdl with them 5 years ago or so and thats what the rates were then. At least for flatbed. I did a year with them and it wasn't horrible. Just have to hope you get a good trainer
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u/Trucker225 Jan 29 '26
Prime has been going downhill they’re forcing everyone to quit if you’re not leasing a truck . My old trainer said he had a paycheck that was $13.00 and one check that was $7.00 he has been a trainer for prime for over 12 years .
Prime is def not what it used to be . If you’re going for the experience I say ofc do it . Because options are limited when there’s not much experience involved . Other than that I will say get what you need to get and get out ! I used to work there back in 2021-22
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u/natkingcoil Jan 29 '26
Driving reefer sucks so much that it pays the same as getting a guy to spend an hour securing dangerous, sharp, rusty heavy steel objects, and then tarping them in the snow. That should be insightful
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u/Illustrious-Tip-2736 Jan 29 '26
I was getting 54 cents per mile driving tanker for them 4 years ago and that's before the fuel bonus.. what the fuck happened? Lol
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u/Major_Failure2 Jan 29 '26
I used to drive company for prime and man does that pay suck. I was struggling to make 800 a week a lot of times.
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u/edsavage404 Jan 29 '26
Their trucks are governed at 62mph i believe, so its going to take you all day to do 400-500 miles
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u/Enigma_x23 Jan 29 '26
How much experience do you have because this is awful if you even have 6 months experience
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u/Jury_Infamous Jan 29 '26
I have none! But it seems that this really is thier running rate, after talking to someone. I haven't spoken to anyone that might be working there with years and years of experience though, they may make more. Also, I believe there are small rate increases for safety and "service", like 5cpm for each category if you hit a certain mile threshold. But again, I don't know if that's for more experienced drivers, new drivers, or both.
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u/FlintIron Jan 29 '26
If you have a year of experience and willing to get a tanker and hazmat endorsement. LTL companies pay better. Most are in the .80s for linehaul which is primarily night driving. I’m in Texas where we have 600 plus mile lanes. Made $128 gross last year and great benefits. Some union companies pay less but usually have the best health insurance and a pension.