Profile For Joe B.

My bad Brett, I should have mentioned that I will be getting my CDL locally here in South Carolina. I'm looking for info that pertains to recent CDL graduates...ps good early am!!

Hello all! I see that TT has a section for company reviews, but I can't go thru each one, one at a time looking for the info I need. A few years ago they had a chart with starting pay, pet policies, etc. and I can't seem to find that. Anyone know where that might have been moved to?

Can you elaborate on the food situation....like what to bring, size of the fridge, etc?

Now which training are you referring to here? Because Prime used to send students on the road with a trainer for several months at a time. So I'm not sure what this portion of the training is.

As noted by Roadkill, the training I was referring to was my Prime Student Driver training (PSD). This is the pre-CDL stuff which Ernie explained very well. Thank you for that. If you like, you can look at PSD as consisting of 2 parts. First is the 1 week of class room work. Second is the actual driving where you should get your 10,000 miles. This should last 2-4 weeks before returning to Springfield to test for your CDL. After you obtain the CDL you move onto TNT. As my instructor puts it, in PSD you learn to pass the CDL test. In TNT you learn how to actually be a truck driver.

Thanks for all of the information here. I'm hoping to get started down at Prime in the next month.

So it looks like you could be done with the classroom portion in as little as a week however could be another week or two? During those added days its just hoping you are lucky enough to get out there and practice if the later staged groups aren't using the pads?

I'm trying to prepare as much as possible to start this journey. Because I'm limited on funds I want to get to the second phase of training as fast as possible to become a paid employee. I have saved up a good chunk so I should be fine even having to wait a little longer. I took my permit tests last week and got it and all endorsements taken care of. I'd rather not train with a smoker but I can sacrifice for a while to get out there sooner. I will probably need a sleep study, so my guess is that will add some time. Is there anything else I can do to get myself ahead of the game?

The class room stuff will only take 1 week. By that first Friday you must finish your computer based training, get the sleep study done if needed and receive your permit. I do know of 2 exceptions to this that are both medical related. First, I know of one guy that had to wait for his doctor back home to fax his previous sleep study paperwork to Prime. If Prime wants you to have a sleep study, and you have had one previously, ask if you can just have the paperwork from the previous study faxed to Prime. Remember, you pay for the sleep study, not Prime. The second involved some guys that had to wait for some military medical paperwork that Prime wanted to look at. If I remember it involved relatively recent surgeries they had while still in the military. Now, the reason I stayed longer than 1 week is because I was not lucky enough to get an instructor. If you are also lacking in luck, it will be as you said "During those added days it’s just hoping you are lucky enough to get out there and practice if the later staged groups aren't using the pads."

From the sound of it you're really well prepared. I don't know what else you could really do at this point. You've gone through our High Road Training Program, you've gotten your permit and endorsments, and you've researched the various companies. All that's really left is to pull the trigger and go for it.

Ill add something to this. Plan out how you will be handling your finances. Develop a budget, meal plan and even arrange for someone to pay your bills. I’ve actually got myself in a bit of trouble and had to ask my mother to pay my bills. The reason is that I use Wells Fargo and, at this time, Wells Fargo does not operate in Missouri. Also, most shippers, receivers and truck stops are not near any banks. Therefore, I was not able to deposit my pay advances into my checking account. Not in any way I could think of anyhow. if the people you owe money to accept money orders then you can get some at walmart. however, if your landlord, for some odd reason, will only accept checks, then plan ahead. I also suggest making a cook less meal plan. remember, you are on the instructors rig, you will be traveling during their schedule, will likely not have a lot of time to cook and most truck stops are not filled with healthy or cheap food.