Profile For Rocky Mountain Princess

Thanks everyone! I will post a diary soon. Lots to learn in the coming weeks!

Apologies for not responding until now. I appreciate all the great info and points of view from everyone.

I see the value for both the company and driver in sticking with your first conpany for AT LEAST a year. I hold to heart Brett's concept that a brand new CDL doesn't hold true value until proven, only potential. Not everyone at my school quite understood that.

Anyway, to update, I finished school, got my shiny new license, and I'm currently in orientation with System Transport. I liked just about everything about Jim Palmer had to offer, but chose System in the end because of the extra physical challenge and a closer-to-home regional route for me. I can post more about all that in a CDL Diaries thread if anyone's interested.

Thanks again for all the feedback, friends. I may not post much but I'm constantly creepin' around this forum for all the great advice!

Dave, thanks for responding! That's a wealth of information. A few things you said differ from what the recruiter told me so I definitely have some more questions when we talk again next week. I'm actually glad to hear I could get a slightly older truck with a manual. I'd prefer to get my experience in a truck I have to really drive. How long have you been with Jim Palmer? Are you happy there?

Coffee, the recruiter I spoke with didn't say a word about a contract since I'm getting my CDL on my own, and though I do plan on staying with my first company for AT LEAST a year, I wouldn't sign a contract. The instructors at my school have actually told us never to sign a 1 year contract like that UNLESS the company is paying for your CDL training. Sounds off to me since you're paying for school with your GI Bill.

G-Town, I binged-listened to the whole Road Home podcast series in a day. Good stuff! :D

Hi guys and ladies!

I'm officially a third of the way through truck driving school and I've been talking to all kinds of companies. I spoke with a recruiter at Jim Palmer yesterday and want to know what you folks think of what they're offering. If anyone is currently working for Jim Palmer, I would LOVE to hear what you have to say. So here's the info I got:

"The Western 10 run focuses on the 10 western states. This is a dry haul, 53’ trailer, drop and hook, no touch freight lane. Tractors come fully loaded with EPU, inverter, satellite TV and Radio, flat screen TV, fridge, and auto tranny. This lane is guaranteed hometime 3 times a month, with starting pay at 45cpm. This lane averages 2500-3000 miles a week."

The pet and rider policy is pretty great - no pet deposit, no breed or weight restrictions, people must be at least ten years old and not preggo, 4 heartbeats in the truck max. She actually said "so you can bring your boyfriend, your miniature horse and your goldfish as long as there are only 4 heartbeats in the truck." :D

A typical schedule is 1 to 2 weeks out and 2-3 days home. Average 800 - 900 miles per trip. The governed speed is 65mph, 68mph on cruise control. Aetna healthcare available after 60 days. I don't have any info yet on how good/expensive their plans are. The recruiter didn't know what their pay increase structure is; I'll have to talk to one of the fleet managers about that. I'm paying for my own school, but I'm going to ask them about tuition reimbursement.

Training is 30k miles, 12cpm for the first 10k and 14cpm for the last 20k OR $600/week, whichever is greater. Miles for mile training, so as long as the truck is rolling, it's counting down miles towards your 30k. She said to plan for about 2 months of this. This is a bit of a sticking point for me since it will be a lot less than what I've been making BUT I'm fully aware that this is standard for any company I start with. I'm prepared to do my time in the beginning so I can hit the ground running when I'm ready for it.

I take all negative reviews with a big fat grain of salt, but here's one I took from Indeed. I've seen a few like it, so wanted to check in on this one: "make sure you read the fine print. there is none. they make you pay for things that are not legal to charge for. always ask for "down time pay". always ask for the next load status." I've also read a few about not getting even close to the promised home time. Thoughts?

I've always heard good things about Jim Palmer (and good things about sister Prime) and their trucks are so prettty, but I want to do my due diligence. What other questions should I be asking?

Anyone know if they push the lease-purchase on new drivers? I'm only interested in being a company driver right now. Also, what is a western 10 route??? I've only heard of western 11s. Which state do they kick off the island for a 10?

Whew this is a long post. Thanks for reading through!

PS: I live in Colorado, so I'm closest to their Denver terminal.

Ok! I just ordered the Plantronics Voyager 104. I had it narrowed down to that and the Blueparrott B450. I didn't check out the Blue Tigers only because I had a $112 credit from Best Buy to turn in my battered LG Tone, and Best Buy doesn't carry Blue Tiger (side note, the Geek Squad replacement plan was beyond worth it! I paid $92 for the Tone in December plus the $30ish replacement/ protection plan. Just brought the Tone in, literally held together with electrical tape, and they gave me the full price I paid for it PLUS extra because I still had time left on the 2yr protection plan.) Anyway,the parrot would have been my choice but I read a few complaints about it being a little uncomfortable on the ear with long-term wear, and I have sensitive ears and I'm used to wearing a headset for 14 hours a day.

We shall see how the Voyager works out. Thanks for all the helpful input! You guys rock.

Hi friends!

I'm in the market for a new bluetooth headset. Right now I'm just driving a straight truck with a reefer, but she is old and LOUD. I have an LG Tone (the neckband one with retractable earbuds), and no one on the other end can hear me over the road noise, especially when I'm climbing a pass. I love the neckband setup, but I'm fed up with the call quality and ready to move to a headset or ear piece if needed. I'm reading good things about Bluparrott and Plantronics, but I want to know what you guys have and what you like and don't like about it. Here's a list of what I'm looking for, in order of importance:

1. Call quality (specifically on the other end, can the other caller hear ME and not my truck) 2. Comfortability (I'm in and out of my truck a lot for many small deliveries in a day. Looking for something that won't fall off, and something lower profile if I can find it) 3. Sound quality (I eat podcasts and audio books for breakfast) 4. Battery life (I also eat podcasts for lunch and dinner)

Thanks in advance! This is my first post and I have to say that I'm so glad I found this forum.

-B