Prime Inc.

New Prime Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryFreight transport
Founded1970
Headquarters
Springfield, Missouri
,
U.S.
Websitewww.primeinc.com

New Prime Inc., doing business as Prime Inc.,[1] is an American trucking company based in Springfield, Missouri. The company operates across the United States and Canada and provides a variety of freight transport services, including refrigerated, flatbed, tanker, and intermodal.

History

Prime Inc. was founded in 1970 by Robert E. Low in Urbana, Missouri. The company moved its headquarters to Springfield, Missouri, in 1980.[2][3]

By 1990, Prime employed 1,250 drivers and maintained a fleet of 680 trucks.[4] The company outfitted its fleet with satellite communications and tracking equipment from Qualcomm in 1992 at a cost of $4.3 million.[5]

In 2004, Prime implemented a policy of only pairing new drivers with trainers of the same gender in response to complaints of sexual harassment by female trainees. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit against the company in 2011 that alleged the policy was discriminatory, as a lack of female trainers made it more difficult for women to complete training. The company reached a settlement agreement with the EEOC in 2016, agreeing to pay more than $3.11 million in compensatory damages.[6][7]

In January 2019, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision against the company in New Prime Inc. v. Oliveira, a case considering how the Federal Arbitration Act applies to transportation workers who are classified as independent contractors.[8] In 2020, Prime reached a settlement agreement in that case and a related lawsuit, Haworth et al v. New Prime Inc., agreeing to pay out $28 million to a group of drivers (largely independent owner-operators)[9] who said they were improperly compensated by the company.[10]

Prime filed a lawsuit against Amazon in July 2019, stating that the company's use of the Amazon Prime logo on its semi-trailers was "confusingly similar" to Prime's own branding.[11][12] Prime sought injunctive relief against Amazon for the alleged damage to its business.[13] The lawsuit was dismissed in 2022 after the two companies reached a confidential settlement agreement.[14]

The company launched a hopper division in 2024, with an initial order of 25 hopper trailers for the transport of corn, grain, and other bulk commodities.[15]

Operations

Prime Inc. is a privately held company that operates across the United States and Canada.[16] It provides a variety of freight transport services, including refrigerated transport, flatbed transport, tanker transport, and intermodal transport.[17] The company employs about 1,700 drivers and 7,400 independent contractor drivers as of 2024.[18]

References

  1. ^ "Company Snapshot: New Prime Inc". Safer.fmcsa.dot.gov. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  2. ^ "Prime, Inc. Leadership". Prime, Inc. Retrieved November 24, 2025. Robert E. Low founded Prime, Inc. in 1970 in Urbana, Missouri, as a 19 year-old engineering student at the University of Missouri. The company's headquarters remained in Urbana until 1980 when they were moved to their current site in Springfield, Missouri.
  3. ^ Bill Maurer (December 19, 1979). "Bonds authorized for truck firm move". Springfield Leader and Press. p. C1 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Sara B. Hansen (December 23, 1990). "Diesel costs put brakes on trucks". Springfield News-Leader. p. G1 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Patty Cantrell (December 26, 1992). "Going ahead of the curve". Springfield News-Leader. p. 4B – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Jonathan S. Reiskin (August 25, 2014). "Prime Inc.'s Training Discriminated Against Female Drivers, Judge Says". Transport Topics. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  7. ^ Jonathan S. Reiskin (June 6, 2016). "Prime Agrees to Pay $3.11 Million to Settle EEOC Case". Transport Topics. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  8. ^ "New Prime, Inc. v. Oliveira". Constitutional Accountability Center. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  9. ^ Eric Miller (July 27, 2020). "New Prime Agrees to $28 Million Settlement in Contractor Dispute". Transport Topics. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  10. ^ Lisa Burden; S. L. Fuller (July 29, 2020). "Prime settles 2 driver misclassification suits for $28M". Trucking Dive. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  11. ^ Harrison Keegan (July 9, 2019). "Missouri trucking company sues Amazon over use of 'Prime'". USA Today. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  12. ^ Nat Levy (July 23, 2019). "Prime dispute: Trucking company sues Amazon over logo on tech giant's shipping fleet". GeekWire. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  13. ^ Blake Brittain (July 3, 2019). "In Court Filing, Prime Inc. Says Amazon's Use of 'Prime' Causes Confusion". Transport Topics. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  14. ^ Ralph Green (July 6, 2022). "Springfield trucking company settles lawsuit with Amazon over use of word 'Prime'". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  15. ^ Keiron Greenhalgh (January 10, 2024). "Prime Launches Hopper Division, Starting With 25 Trailers". Transport Topics. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  16. ^ "A Guide to Trucking Divisions: Which Path Will You Take?". Prime, Inc. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  17. ^ "FTL Freight Transport & Delivery Services". Prime, Inc. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  18. ^ Mike Cullinan (February 9, 2024). "In the Driver's Seat: Prime Inc. controller ascends to president". Springfield Business Journal. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
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