Profile For Andrew J.

Driving my personal vehicle really makes me happy when i come home. Going from an enormous semi, to a little Toyota Tacoma with a fun, manual trans just makes me smile every time. I usually spend an hour driving around town right off the bat every time I get back

Hello everyone. A couple of weeks ago I posted here asking some questions about Prime Inc., and what to expect as a new driver. Well I finished Orientation a week ago, and now I'm on the road with a trainer! Because I went to a private CDL school, I was able to skip the PSD portion of training and get started team driving with my trainer. So far, it has been a great experience. I'll admit, I was expecting to have a very difficult time during team training. Ive always enjoyed alone time and personal space, so I assumed that living with a stranger in a space the size of a closet would be a grueling and difficult experience, but so far it's actually been ok. It's certainly not the easiest thing in the world, and it took some adjusting, but for the most part I've been loving my time on the road. My trainer is a great guy, and is very easy to get along with. He's made me feel at home on his truck, and so far he's paid for at least 1 meal a day, and every shower, which is very generous of him. So far my experience with Prime has been wonderful. I made some really good friends at orientation, and had a great time at headquarters in Springfield. I've still got a while to go before I get my own truck, so I'm going to use this time to learn everything I can so I can be a successful solo driver

Hello again. Yesterday I posted some questions about working for Prime in general, but after reading through some threads, I have some questions specific to primes orientation process. 1. As I said in my last post, I already have my CDL and my DOT medical card. Will that make a difference in orientation? Will I still need to take a physical? I get nervous sometimes, and I'm concerned that my blood pressure will be high. When I took my DOT, i was at 132/86, which is cutting it close. Orientation will be in an unfamiliar city, and I'll be anxious about starting a new career, so I'm worried that my nerves will get the better of me and increase my BP. 2. What is the truck simulator like? I have experience driving through the trucking school I attended, and i feel confident in my abilities to handle the vehicle. However, I still have difficulty backing, and downshifting going up or down a hill gives me trouble. Is the simulator just designed to asses basic skills, or is it going to put me through some tough situations? Being a 22 year old starting a career can be nerve wracking, especially in this field, so this forum is very helpful and informative. Thanks in advance to any and all replies

Thank you for all the advice, and kind words of welcome! To answer Splitter's question, yes I do have my tanker endorsement. After reading the replies from splitter, turtle, and Rainy, I am even more excited to start my career. I'll admit that the training period is what I'm most nervous about, and im hoping it goes well. There are all sorts of people out there, and there is a chance that me and my trainer might be completely incompatible, which would make for a rough couple of months. But as Turtle pointed out, it's a small amount of time in the grand scheme of things, and will be well worth it by the end. I'm very excited to get my own truck with Prime. I'll be earning more than I ever have before, and I'll get to do the job that I've always wanted! Thanks again to everyone who took the time to reply, it was very helpful information

Hi all. I'm about to begin my trucking career, and I'll be signing on with Prime Inc. I have a few questions regarding Prime, and what it'll be like for a rookie. Some background info: I'm 22 years old, single, and I love being on the road, so it seems that Prime is a good choice for me. I just got my CDL last week, so training isn't a concern. I have some questions for anyone currently working for Prime. 1. Is the pay really as good as the recruiter says? From what I undestand, rookie drivers can make up to 47 cents a mile, which could mean up to $55,000 in my first year. Those are excellent numbers, but I know that recruiters often exxagerate such things. 2. Is the drug screen Urine, or hair follicle? I don't see any reason I would fail a hair follicle, but I've heard they are more prone to false positives. I was also prescribed hydrocodone a couple months ago, and I can't find the bottle, so I'm a bit nervous about taking a hair follicle test. 3. How long will I be on the road? I'm single with no kids, so home time isn't a huge concern for me, but being on the road for 6 weeks at a time might still be a bit much. And my general question is about the training process. Most companies send you out with a trainer for the first month, and that is a long time to be crammed into a truck with a total stranger. I'm a fairly sociable guy, and don't anticipate any problems, but I just want to know what it's like to be in such close quarters for so long. Any advice on being on the road with a trainer would be appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read, and I'll appreciate any and all feedback