Profile For Bama

I know how you feel, my husband started school on March. He now has his own truck (leasing) we have 2 kids with 1 more on the way. It's not easy, but this job is what makes him happy. And I will back him I'm his decision in life. If you truly love your spouse then I say just support him. It won't always be a fun and joyful experience. There are times I've been stressed, upset, lonely, and overwhelmed by this job but at the end of the day my love for him doesn't change and I know no matter what job he does the one that makes him happy will make me happy.

Old School Thank you so much. That has been by far the best answer I have gotten. It has helped a lot and it has better helped with the decision. And I have encouraged him to do this job. He had a major passion for truck driving before we got together. But after being together a while and he had grown to love being around me and my daughter he had changed his mind because he didn't want to leave us. I didn't encourage his decision on that. I was a little upset, but after discussing it for a couple months he has come to realize that it is still something he loves and would love to do. I know it won't be easy but it has been a dream of his and I want him to go for it. Prime might not give him as much time home but overall they seem like they will be the best option for him and what he desires to become. Like I said thanks again. Your honesty and bluntness has given us just what we need.

Did you have to pay any money out of pocket upfront? Or do you get paid for training to be able to put towards the permit and other expenses?

Not trying to hijack Don's thread....

You need to come with $155 for $100 for program entry fee and $55 for permit fees and transfer fees. They loan you $200 a week while you are in PHD which is 2 to 3 weeks. Once you come back to upgrade you will get a $250 bonus if you Trifecta and pass all 3 test to get your class A CDL and then once you start your TNT portion of you training you start getting paid $700 a week. Sometimes more if you drive extra miles. Once you start getting paid in TNT they start taking $25 a week to pay back the loans you received during PSD. You don't have to take the loans. They are loaded on you comdata card but what you don't use will not have to be paid back. I suggest getting your learners permit before you go. It is less stressful and an expense you won't have to have when you get there.

Thanks!

Did you have to pay any money out of pocket upfront? Or do you get paid for training to be able to put towards the permit and other expenses?

@BamaPride - I've spent only the 155$ they ask for the training cost and permit. I've not spent 1$ more since then. The meal cards they give you (3 meals a day) have been increased to a little over 7$ each meal, (think the breakfast is 6$) and I always have a little left over money. As for hands-on learning, only have been doing the simulator lab so far, which is top of the line equipment. We go this week/end coming up to the real trucks, learning how to back them and etc. I'd say it's pretty hands-on. Lot of study material given to you as well. Shuttles that take you around for free. 24/7 Walmart a block away, too.

My decision was based on the school, pay and equipment they provide you, such as the trucks and APUs. All of which seem to be great. That and I can take my dog with me ;)

Thank you for the information. It helps a lot. I'll be following to see how it goes. Good luck.

Come to Roehl

What is the upfront costs? Is it a good company to work for?

"Roll Tide" I really love saying that but now on to the point...both are good places to start so really it all depends on what fits you best. I went with Prime Inc. because I wanted more training and higher training pay plus I like their equipment and divisions.

Ken C.

Roll tide! Well so far I've read a lot of good with Prime. But my main question is how much are they asking up front? I've been told none to about $200. So I'm not sure what to expect.

Knight primarily runs Refrigerated and Dry Van. One of our older members runs a dedicated flatbed for them, and will have a better answer, but beyond that, I ask not sure what else Knight offers for flatbed. Prime, though, has a sizeable flatbed division. We have A younger member who drives for them. I am sure both will chime in. You can't go wrong with either company. Personally, I would go with Prime, only because they probably have better logistical flatbed support.

Flatbed isn't the only option. All options are open right now it's just a preference. Also about how much does a permit cost if done before training?

Sean, we always recommend getting your permit before you go to Prime because that will allow you to immediately move on to other areas of training while the rest of the class sits around studying the CDL manual and gets shipped back and forth to the DMV to take tests. So it puts you ahead of the group by a few days. You're not going to soar to glory if you show up with your permit, nor will you crash in defeat if you don't. But it will get you ahead of the class just a bit and impress the people at Prime just a bit.

These Company-Sponsored Training Programs are really more like tryouts to make a team more than they are a school. Yes, obviously it's a school and they'll train you very well. But the entire time they're evaluating everything about you because they're trying to determine as quickly as possible which students have the potential to become safe, hard working, reliable drivers and who won't. The company doesn't want to waste its time and money on people that won't pan out. You'll find that probably 1/5th of the people won't make it through the first day because they'll fail the physical or drug test or they lied on their application. By the end you'll be lucky if 20% of your initial class actually completes the training and goes on to drive for Prime. So you want to do all you can right from the start to show them you have an awesome attitude and that you're serious about becoming a safe, hard working, reliable driver.

As far as which state you'll be living in and ultimately have your license in, that definitely complicates things. Some states allow simple license transfers and it takes 20 minutes of paperwork - no problem. Other states, like Illinois, require you to start from scratch and do ALL of the testing over again - road test, pre-trip inspection - everything. So you'll want to look at the policies of the various states before deciding on a strategy. And if you find the policies are difficult to deal with you might want to pick the state you're going to live in and get established there with a regular license before getting your CDL permit and going to Prime.

But let me be clear....no matter what you do it will work out so don't stress yourself over this stuff. It's administrative garbage and it's annoying, but nothing more. None of these decisions like which state you live in, where and when you get your permit, etc are "make or break" decisions. I know preparing for a start in trucking is overwhelming, stressful, and confusing - it is for everyone. I just don't want you to stress yourself over these particular issues. They'll work out fine one way or another.

What is needed to take the test for the permit? Approx how much does it cost? I'm in Alabama. I don't have a lot of money to put upfront so if it's expensive it's not really an option for me.

I was trained by Swift and drive for Swift so I can't really offer first-hand information on Knight or Prime. Both companies do run flatbed, so that is in your favor. We have drivers from Knight and Prime on this forum (and one of them drives dedicated flatbed for Knight). Expect additional information shortly.

Alright thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it.