Profile For PR aka Road Hog

I HIGHLY recommend the sites High Road Training program. It boils it all down into easily understood language, and does so in a manner that reinforces the correct answer.

If you drive for Prime I suggest you set the cruise on 58 and role. I found that to be the 'sweet spot' for hitting my fuel bonus.

Did they go into detail about home time for company drivers?? They'll tell you the policy is 1 day home for 7 days worked. But not that days you work over 21 or 28 don't carry over. IE if you stay out 25 days you get 3 days off earned. The extra 4 you had over the 21 don't carry over to the next trip. You lose them.

If anyone else had it different, I'd like to know.

I drove for prime, and yes you accrue 1 day for each 7 out. Home time cannot be any longer than 4 days, though did me good once or twice when I need it and got extra. The do accrue, so you can use them whenever, Mine never expired.

As far as training, company policy is no home time until you go solo, and you will go with a load. My Dispatcher was pretty cool, and always got me into town a day or so early, allowing me extra free time. Also, any day you drive any portion of the load, counts as a drive day. So say my home time is scheduled mon-thurs, my dispatcher will try to get me a load delivering Sunday. Sometimes, morning, sometimes evening, but almost always a day early.

As far as getting by home, I wouldn't count on it. I live in Atlanta, Ga but as a rule my dispatcher kept me everywhere but the South East. Now, I've also talked to other driver's that said differently, so maybe it varies by dispatcher.

As far as actually taking home time? that really is entirely up to you, and yes, you can go home every 4 weeks, (minimum time out for Prime). But keep in mind your pay is directly related to your miles, as is your dispatcher's pay. The difference is you Dispatcher might have 45 drivers on his / her board. Now if you take home time every 4 weeks, you might 'slip down' the list of your dispatcher better drivers. I usually took home time every 6-8 weeks. Another thing to consider, is if you take 4 days off every month, thats the equivalent of taking 6-7 weeks off per year. That could make the difference of a 37K annually, or only 30K.

Finally, Prime does not have regional routes, though they did have me on somewhat of a schedule as far as places I went. Indy was popular, Maine, Massachusetts, Virginia, Nashville, Michigan, Dallas, Houston, Idaho - Potatoes, California LA and Santa Maria - produce., Utah, New Jersey .... well you get the idea. By the time you finish training and start solo, you will start going .... I remember this place..... And say hello to the Nestle bunny for me.

I don't know this for sure either, but if I understand it correctly, the engine brake is exactly that, a brake. And in slick conditions, you don't want to ride the brake, as that can cause a slip or spin out. By down shifting, you lower the rpm's, thus slowing your speed, and the torque, which can also play a part.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Hi Linda, Another thing to consider is that part of the trainer / instructors job is too push you, to evaluate what kind of decisions he makes in various situations. The hours can certainly be long on the road, and I can tell that more than once I would get stuck at a shipper / receiver that would take so long to load / unload me that it completely disrupted my sleep cycle. So part of it is getting used to those hours.

The second part is, that if 'they' are drying 18 hours a day, then they probably are driving 'team', each driving a 9 hour shift, with a 30 min lunch in there and even a fuel stop, both of which easily add an hour to your day.

My instructor would often, intentionally, try to push my buttons to see how I would react. I'm sure you know, just driving a car can get you riled up with people cutting you off, or slowing you down, or not letting you out. If your son is one to start talking to himself and 'cussin out the other drivers, he may not be a good candidate for trucking. Especially considering he's driving a vehicle thats close to 70' long with tractor and trailer, and can easily weigh 70-80,000 lbs. You don't want a hot head in that situation.

The point is, all the 'chatter' is about evaluating him. Is he willing to drive faster just because his instructor say to? What about when he is out on his own? Also, the amount of miles you run, directly relates to your paycheck, and its a common way to think when driving. Can I hit 3,000 miles this week? Or is it going to be more like 1,700? at .35-.40 cpm, thats about a $500 a week difference. And if you want to hit 3,000 miles a week, your gonna tap out your clock where you won't be able to drive.

Worst case scenario, he has to put with his instructor for 4-6 weeks, and then a trainer for 3-4 months before getting out on his own. It's small potatoes compared to learning how to drive a rig. I'm sure he will be fine.

Happy Holidays !!

I went through Prime also, great company. I sweated the pre-trip also, so I know the boat you're in. What really made the difference for me was 2 things. !st, when you're out on the Pad, there are generally 'spotters' out there while you pull forward the 1st time. It the deep corner, there was a tractor with the hood popped, to expose the engine. They went through the pre-trip with us, and physically showed us where each piece was and what had to be checked. Seeing the part, and putting a name to it made a big difference for me, and allowed the memorization of the study sheet. So if at all possible, have an instructor or spotter or even another driver to actually show you where everything is.

The 2nd thing that made a difference was "A-B-C" and "C-B-B". Anything that holds air or fluid, is "A-B-C", no Abrasions, Bulges or Cuts. Everything else, "C-B-B", not Cracked, Bent or Broken.

If all else fails, stop in the tractor shop and ask if one of the mechanics can show you a few things. They probably will, some good folks in there.

Hope it helps, and good luck!

While we are on the topic of showers, I was wondering, If the hot water goes out durring yiur shower do you get a refund?

While the showers rarely run out of hot water, if they do, just mention it to the clerk / cashier, and they will put another one on your card.

A more probable issue you will have, is the water going from whatever temp you have it set at, to scalding hot every 30-45 seconds !! These truck stops do not install back flow preventers on their faucets, and don't want to spend the extra $100+ per valve to prevent this. Sooo, every time someone flushes a toilet, you get full on hot water on your body.

Be prepared, and Beware.

The really amazing part of this post is that a driver actually FOUND a parking spot in Orlando !!!

If there is one thing ive heard 1000 times about trucking OTR its bring your own food. So i was wondering what id your favorite food item to bring , what is you meal that you like to make in your truck. And what cooking utensils/machine do you use to make it. I'll hanf up now and listen to your response.

If you can. put in a fridge/freezer and get the small george forman grill. I would cook steak, chicken fish, whatever I wanted. At the Wally World I would p/u cans of fruit and always keep 2-3 cold inn the fridge. Top it off with a microwave and cans of soup, cans of veggies and pouches of chicken and ramen noodles, and I always had a meal to go in about 15 mins. for snacks, nothing beats pb&j or a pouch of tuna. Plus I always kept ketchup mustard and mayo in the fridge along with some drinks. Add a jar of soy sauce and some salt and pepper and I eat like a king.

Love wally world !!!

1st. I suggest you take a good pillow and a fanny cushion. Those seats are seriously uncomfortable. 2nd. Most busses have wifi on them, and also plug ins. Take a laptop 3rd. Take a permit book to study as a back up, but i HIGHLY recommend Bretts High Road Study Guide. Its the best way to prep for your exams.