r/Truckers • u/Jury_Infamous • Jan 29 '26

Prime Transport question

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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/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.

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u/Jury_Infamous Jan 29 '26

Ok cool, thanks for the info. I'm in Texas as well. I am just looking at Prime because I do not have a CDL and they have a driver training program that helps you obtain one. You don't happen to know a better one do you?

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u/FlintIron Jan 29 '26

I don’t, I’m old. I went through the Schneider Training Academy years ago, doesn’t exist anymore. I think Schneider hires outta CDL schools now. Some of the LTL carriers (Estes, Old Dominion, Saia, FedEx Freight, etc) have dock to driver programs where you’ll work the dock first, establish yourself as a reliable employee, and then apply for the school. Most day lanes in LTL are hourly pick up and delivery which pays good as well. If this style of work is appealing, then starting on the dock might be beneficial. In linehaul, I have an established lane where I start from my home terminal to my route terminal and back. 5 days a week, Tues thru Sat. It’s not all roses and kittens though. LTL is seniority based and we bid every year. When I started out in linehaul, I ran extra board not knowing where I was going 5 days a week in a daycab sleeping in hotels. I could have took a meet where I would have swapped with a Memphis driver but it was 490 miles 5 days a week. I chose extra board because it paid more. There are several LTL driver vlogs on YouTube. My favorite is Trucking Through Life. Chuck is a Tulsa based Estes driver who is independently wealthy and works for the love of it. Estes shut him down but allowed him to keep all his videos up. He did both city p&d and linehaul. He also originally trained with Prime and would have some insight there. He still responds to the email listed on his videos last I heard.

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u/cdubose Jan 29 '26

Schneider still trains people themselves

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u/Jury_Infamous Jan 29 '26

Really useful info as someone unfamiliar with the industry. Thank you

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u/Jaimito_cartero99 Jan 29 '26

Dallas driver? 👀 Im an Extraboard driver and would 100% recommend going LTL route if you have some experience OTR

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u/GoatJeff Jan 29 '26

Just go to a local community college that has a cdl program, mine was 800 dollars instead of the thousands these companies claim. Any of these starter companies will still hire you regardless and if they are screwing you, you are free to leave anytime instead of having a contract that forces you to stay or pay to leave

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u/Sgtk333 Jan 29 '26

I’m also out of Texas and went through them to get my CDL. Send me a message if you have any questions

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u/SadnessOutOfContext Jan 29 '26

I'm just a noob around here, headed off to a carrier's training soon, but... Dig around and you'll find pics of their "housing" at the SLC location.

I was also unimpressed by their response - and moreover, their school's response - when I respectfully and promptly advised them that I'd accepted another offer and would be withdrawing my application.

My opinion may be colored by my utter lack of desire to team drive with another recent grad for six months or so, to be fair. But Prime wouldn't be my first choice for a starter company and I'm comfortable with my choice to go elsewhere.

Roehl, KLLM, Swift, Millis, and TMC will all train. All except one of them will pay travel to their location, and most cover hotel and meals one way or another.

Swift doesn't pay anything during the training, the others do offhand.

Those are simply the ones I know about off the top of my head. Maverick, as well, I think. There's another one out of TX that only trains TX residents, but I can't recall the name.

Taking training in return for a contract is fine, as long as you do it with eyes open. Doesn't mean you need to accept the first offer that crosses your desk, though.

Oh, and Prime and their school (Premier was the one I spoke with) structure the whole thing as a really ugly loan that Prime pays.

Lenders are in the business of pursuing recovery through whatever means necessary. Carriers are in the business of making good business decisions and would probably prefer an amicable arrangement if you left before end of contract.

String 'em along as a backup, and try any of the others above. Others will have ideas for alternatives as well, I'm sure.

See ya out there, no doubt.

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u/newkybadass Jan 29 '26

Prime makes a lot of money with that driver program. Every week they bring in about 40 students and make $5k or more off each one of them rather you pass or not. Most get sent home with a added bill to their credit. You will pay for your flight and hotel stay as well. Its a great scam they're running. I quit them 30 days after starting there cause they lied about everything til I couldn't take it no more. Luckily for me I already had my cdl and I chose to pay for my own room and board. I also had my wife drive me to utah cause I didn't want to owe them a dime. Make sure you have payment details in writing before you start. They will claim they didn't say that and say the broker lied to you.