Profile For Alex H.

I am starting this training diary for Prime Incs Prime Student Driver program in Pittston, PA. I start this program on October 22nd, 2018 (Monday). I leave tomorrow (October 21st) at 0845 and I will be on the bus until 2140. It's going to be a long first few days. I recognize that folks are mostly used to the training in Springfield, and there's not a lot of information out there on Pittston, so I will do my best to provide as much information as I can remember.

I started the process in September and was scheduled to start with Prime Inc, in Springfield, MO, on October 1st but I had a few things come up and I had to withdraw from that process. Swift offered me a position in their Richmond, VA academy and I accepted that position. When I got to the academy, we were told that the four (4) weeks we were promised was not going to happen because the academy was short of students and it was looking like more of eight (8) to nine (9) weeks before we complete the academy. I called my recruiter and ended up leaving the first day of the academy because I don't have the financial support to live 8-9 weeks without a pay check (or food).

I immediately went to the Doctor's Office, obtained a DOT Medical and then went straight to the Virginia DMV and obtained my CLP with the Tanker endorsement. My CLP, and endorsement, costed me a total of $4. I passed all of my tests the first time, getting a 100% on all four of them.

I re-submitted my application, to Prime Inc, and contacted my recruiter and let her know the situation. My recruiter was very understanding and got me re-approved to attend the orientation in Springfield, MO. When I told her I had upgraded and obtained my CLP, she asked me if I would like to attend Pittston, PA, as it is closer to my home and a shorter bus ride. I agreed and she stated that the first date they had available was October 22nd, for either Springfield and Pittston, as they are completely booked out. I accepted.

I was not allowed to hold a position, in Pittston, until I paid the $100 administrative fee. Once I paid that, I was booked for my position in Pittston. My recruiter called me last Saturday and told me that they had somebody drop off of the roster, for last Monday, and I could take the position if I wanted. Since we were repairing from Hurricane Michael, I denied her offer so I could stay home and work on repairs.

I will be staying at the Quality Inn & Suites (Wilkes Barre, PA) and I will be taking the Prime shuttle from the hotel to the terminal every morning, which leaves the lobby at 0630. Orientation starts at 0700.

I will continue to update this thread as I progress through training.

Thanks for your replies, everybody!

I understand the home time thing. My goal is to get out and travel around and see the sites of this wonderful Country and I am not opposed to being out for 4-6 weeks, at a time. I am also just kind of reporting what my recruiter told me, haha.

I chose to go to Swift. I start with the CLP program, tomorrow, and then the week after that I start the actual CDL program.

I am not worried about being away from home for extended periods of time, I have been out six to eight months before. I actually plan on staying in Richmond the entire time I am in class, so I can focus on the task at hand, that be: studying. I have been studying hard for the past 4 weeks and I am getting an average of a 97% on the online tests, but we will see how it goes when the real thing happens.

I want to thank everybody for your time and words of advice - I will keep you all posted in the School Diaries!

Hey Everybody,

I know you all were expecting me to be leaving form Prime's PSD which I would start on Monday, October 1st. But I had something that I wanted to talk about and get some guidance on.

Prime would have me in Springfield for around 1 week, and then I would go out on the road for 2-4 weeks, come back, take my CDL test, and then go out for another 30,000 miles. I would have to pay $155, upfront, and then another $70 to obtain my CDL in Missouri. I would have to work for Prime for one year to fulfill my contract for going to their school. I would be home every 4-6 weeks for 3-4 days.

Swift called me, today, and they offered me to start with them, October 1st, in Richmond (2 hours from my house). They are paying for the Hotel, DOT Physical, and Drug Screening, as well as all of the school. I am only required to pay back $40 a paycheck for 13 months and then I am free. The recruiter I spoke with said that, if I chose to leave before, I would have to pay back my remaining balance but that's it. He also stated that I would have to cover the DMV cost ($64 for CLP and CDL) as well as my own food (which is fine, I eat like a rabbit). I would be home every 2-3 weeks, 2-3 days at a time. The CPM is a little bit lower; however, I am willing to trade that for a national company (all 48 states) and a little more home time.

What is y'alls experience with Swift's Training program? I know we have a mod who went through the program and loved it.

I am also not asking for life advise but, given the same situation, what would you all recommend a newbie does as far as training? Prime or Swift?

I love this forum. You read one post, and it's comments, and that leads you to another forum and more comments. I have spent the past three hours, after listening to Old School's Podcast, reading the comments and posts on things that are directly related to what I need to know about this industry and I am quite happy that I found y'all!

Since we are talking about being a "Good Company Driver", always being on-time, always able to accept a load from your dispatcher, that brings me to my next question - What is the most effective and efficient way to operate your truck? I specifically want to know the tips and tricks that y'all have to keep your truck moving when others wouldn't be able to because of HOS. I have used the HighRoad training and I am familiar with the concepts shared in there, but I want to see if there are other things out there, floating around, that folks are using to be profitable and successful in this career.

By the way, if it means anything, y'all have basically steered me clear of Leasing... I can't afford the risk, right now.

Good Afternoon Everybody!

I am leaving for the Prime Student Driver (PSD) program this Saturday and I will be starting on October 1st. I am extremely excited for this new opportunity and I am also very excited to travel and see new things!

I would like some input and feedback from those individuals who have worked from Prime, either as a Company Driver, or in Success Leasing. I am looking for the cost vs. benefit of each program. I have done my research and I have talked to some people, as well as discovered some forum posts here, on TruckingTruth, but most of them are older and I want to be sure I am getting some good information.

I am a young one, well, 22 years old. I am out of Virginia and I have a wife and a son. My goal is to get into the trucking industry to make decent money, it's not my first time driving a big rig (I have been a Firefighter/EMT since I was 16 and I continue to volunteer) and that gave me experience driving heavy fire apparatus loaded with water and other equipment. I have also held jobs where I make well over $18/hr, but they just weren't for me. They say you'll never work a day in your life if you do what you love and being on the road is something I have always loved doing, I am a traveling kind of person.

So, again, to ensure this forum post stays somewhat on topic (other tips/tricks/advice welcome!!), I am interested in learning about the Company Driver side of Prime and the Success Lease side of Prime.

Thanks for all of your help, everybody! I am really excited to see what I can learn from y'all!