Prime Inc.
Company-sponsoredNationwide
Known for a flexible free-or-paid training choice and a path toward owner-operator status.
Pay ladder
Estimated annual pay by career stage — read the note under each bar, not just the number.
Guaranteed minimum $900/week if away from home and available for dispatch, or $120/day if at home. $250 bonus for passing the CDL exam on first attempt.
No distinct mid-career figure published by Prime — shown as a rough industry-pattern estimate (~20% above fresh-start pay), not company-specific.
Not disclosed on official pages; Prime is known for percentage-of-load pay rather than a flat CPM, per third-party sources. Shown as a rough industry-pattern estimate (~50% above fresh-start pay), not company-specific.
Independent-contractor/owner-operator path available after an upgrade review; no published figures. Industry-wide owner-operator gross pay commonly runs roughly $80,000-$180,000+/year before truck, fuel, and insurance costs — a general ballpark, not specific to Prime.
Operations & benefits
- Fleet size
- ~9,681 trucks
- ~9,681 tractors, ranked #19 on Transport Topics' 2025 Top 100 For-Hire Carriers list. Broken down by Prime's own site as Refrigerated (~6,500), Flatbed (~850), and Tanker (~350).
- Route types
- RegionalOTRDedicated
- Runs Regional, OTR (typically 3-4 weeks out), and Dedicated (~300-mile radius, weekly-or-more home time) across Refrigerated, Flatbed, and Tanker divisions.
- Pay structure & benefits
- Percentage-of-revenue for independent contractors (71-72% of freight bill), CPM for company drivers (~$0.48-$0.57/mile). 401(k) match, pet policy (one pet, 40 lbs or under), $2,800 driver-referral bonus.
CDL program cost
$0 (sponsored)
No charge to start training if the driver commits to driving for Prime for 1 year after obtaining a CDL. Alternative: pay $3,500 up front with no contract commitment. Existing CDL holders may qualify for up to $1,500 tuition reimbursement.
Free-training path requires 1 year of driving for Prime after CDL is obtained; exact payback penalty for quitting early wasn't published.