ABOUT PFM

Built by a fleet owner, not a consultant

Prime Fleet Management is the DOT department our founder wished she’d had. Now it’s yours, whether you run one truck or a whole fleet.

Ontaria Read, founder of Prime Fleet Management
OUR STORY

I did DOT at night, after the trucks were parked

I came into trucking knowing nothing about it, without even a CDL. I bought one truck. Within six months we had three. By the end of year two we had five, and by year three, my own eight-truck fleet.

I learned every part of the business by doing it. I hired drivers and worked to keep them. I fit maintenance around trucks that had to keep earning, and found mechanics for breakdowns three states from home. I rented trucks so we never missed a run on our contract, even on days we only broke even. We started leased on under another carrier’s authority, then got our own and learned what insurers look for in a new company. We ran air freight, local, over the road, dry van, refrigerated, and container freight, and every one was like learning trucking all over again.

And I did all of it while working a full-time job. A fleet has good months, bad months, and months that run negative, and I had a son to raise, so I couldn’t give up a steady paycheck. During the day, I worked my job and ran the business. At night, I did DOT: the logs, the driver files, IFTA, the plates, the paperwork that never stops. Three hours of sleep was a good night. What it really cost me was time with my son.

After I stepped away from owning equipment, I taught new owners the real numbers nobody talks about. I worked in dry bulk. Then I became an independent DOT expert for companies that never thought of themselves as trucking companies: recycling, event production, media, and construction.

The construction company changed everything. They had a safety department, but no DOT department. Everyone expected the safety director to know DOT, and nobody above them knew it either. I built their safety program, their training, and the numbers they track. I also saw how many companies like them have multimillion-dollar projects that depend on work trucks nobody is managing for DOT.

So I built Prime Fleet Management: the DOT department I wish I’d had, built from every seat I’ve sat in. Our systems work the way they do because I’ve lived the problems they solve. Big carriers have a safety department. Now any company with commercial vehicles can have one too, so no owner has to give up their nights, or their family, to keep DOT running.

Ontaria Read, Founder & CEO

The road to PFM

  1. 1 One truck No trucking experience and no CDL. Just a truck and a contract to keep.
  2. 2 Eight trucks Three in six months, five by year two, eight by year three, all while working a full-time job.
  3. 3 Every kind of freight Air freight, local, over the road, dry van, refrigerated, and container.
  4. 4 Teaching new owners The real numbers: the good months, the bad months, and the ones that run negative.
  5. 5 DOT expert for non-trucking companies Dry bulk, then recycling, event production, media, and construction.
  6. 6 Prime Fleet Management A whole DOT department for any company with commercial vehicles.

What we believe

Safety culture is job oneNot a poster in the break room. Every event reviewed and every driver coached, early, every day. The paperwork is how we prove it.
Proactive, not reactiveWe look for the pattern before the problem, and fix it while it’s small.
Do the work, don’t just watch itAlerts aren’t decisions. We do the work, so it never lands back on your desk.
Tell the truthWe tell you exactly what we do. Scores, audits, and premiums are decided by others, so we never promise them.
Your time mattersYou should be growing your business and making it home for dinner, not doing compliance at midnight.

You’re not hiring a consultant. You’re getting a department.

A Compliance Manager, an Hours of Service Specialist, a Safety Specialist, and with Core + Operations, a Compliance Admin. Each an expert in their lane, all working your fleet every day.

Meet your team →
We came from the industryWe’ve run trucks. We know the pressure.
A team, not a ticketReal people who know your fleet by name.
Our own platformIt does the reading and chasing, so your team spends its time on decisions and people.
You see the workA monthly report shows what we did and what’s next.

Built for any company with commercial vehicles

Construction, utilities, energy, service fleets, for-hire carriers, new carriers, and owner-operators, anywhere in the lower 48. We don’t serve passenger or hazmat carriers.

Who we serve →

Want to be part of the team?

We’re always looking for people who care about safety and doing the work right.
See open roles →

Let’s see where you stand

Your free DOT Compliance Assessment takes about 15 minutes, and you get a 12-page report on your gaps.

Book your free DOT Compliance Assessment