After 3 Weeks With Prime

I remember reading this forum and a lot of of people comment that training goes by quick. It sure does. Days blend together and fly by. I did my week of classroom and have now heen on the road training for almost two weeks. I think that the program at Prime throws you onto the road without enough training overall.

Day one I was driving. Only 30 miles but the only experience I had was the simulator so it was pretty rushed getting on the road. Day two was 400+ miles and it was off from there. I really feel you ae lacking a lot of info out here. They pushed us out the door and ran us hard. At the end of the first week I questioned all of it because I didn't think I was getting the info needed to get my license. After talking with my fleet manager I feel a lot more confident because they had a plan. A plan would have been good to know from the beginning.

So far I've been in 18 states and each time zone. We started in Springfield Mo.from there it was Bakersfield, Boise, Provo Wi, Atlanta and now we're just outside of Lexington Ky. I've ran over lawn furniture, stalled on a mountain, almost had a head on collision a few feet in front of me (dumb 4 wheelers passing on a two lane without enough room) , saw a driver life flighted away from a mangled cab, and today a downgrade in pouring rain. Its been insane. In the next few days we're heading back to Illinois to do a dedicated wal mart route. This will get me a lot of backng practice. 2 weeks and I should get back to Springfield and test for my CDL. Its crazy that I've done all of his with only a permit. My trainer says I need to be getting paid. I agree, but it is what it is.

Training sucks, but its a necessary evil. You have to learn. Even if your trainer isn't someone you want to be with. I want my freedom and space. All of it will come in time. I'm loving every second of driving. I can't wait to finally get out on my own. Its been fun and terrifying all at the same time. I can't wait to see what's next.

Hang in there Britton! This time is tough, but you'll soon realize you can't get any better training than being right there behind the wheel in all kinds of crazy situations. The great part about it is that there is someone there with you to kind of act as a buffer between you and total calamity. Just being out there on the road is some of the best training you can get, and you're right Prime has a plan - they've been doing this so long that they know exactly what they are trying to achieve.

Did you ever read that article I wrote about the trainer testing you on more than just your driving skills? I'm convinced from my training experience that these companies are looking at more than your driving skills during training, but also want to see how well you handle the stress and pressure of the job. There is such an immense amount of things to process while driving a big rig that it can be overwhelming at first, but the nice thing about having that trainer there with you is that you can ask questions or even take a break while someone else takes the wheel for a while if needed.

I can tell you are doing fine by the way you ended your post.

I can't wait to see what's next.

That's a good attitude toward the end goal - Keep it up, we're all pulling for you!

That was a great update..but you didn't answer the most important question...WHAT is the PLAN???

Hey, sounds like things are moving along nicely! Keep doing what you're doing!

Here's that article Old School was referring to:

Your Trainer Will Test You On Far More Than Just Your Driving Skills

...and he's totally right about that. They're purposely testing people to see if they're dedicated, if they have patience, and if they can tolerate the constant change and challenges of life on the road.

After talking with my fleet manager I feel a lot more confident because they had a plan. A plan would have been good to know from the beginning.

That throws off a ton of people. I can say with the utmost confidence that thousands of people drop out of trucking every year during their training phase because of this. People want to know the plan. They want to know exactly what is being done, and why, and what's next.

Unfortunately, trucking doesn't work that way. You rarely know what's coming around the next corner. You almost certainly won't know what load you'll get next, whether or not plans will change in the middle of it, or why things are being done the way they are.

That's just trucking. You have to roll with it. Believe me, they have a plan for training you. They have everything planned out. But they purposely don't tell the drivers everything for several reasons, including:

1) If they tell you a plan and then plans change, most drivers will get all bent out of shape.

2) They want to test your patience and your ability to cope with uncertainties

So hang in there! Take it one day at a time and keep pushing forward.

Amen to what Brett says. My trainer would make me sleep all day, keep me up 10 hours, then make me drive in the dead of night and through fog. He would tell me to take an exit, than at the last minute say no. He would tell me to slow down, then get on my case for driving slow. It was crazy. But in the end, he TOLD me he did it on purpose, for exactly the reason Brett stated. To see how I would react, and to test my patience.

Think about it, they cant have you going off on a shipper or receiver or worse, a 4 wheeler, and you are most likely to do so when tired. Right at the end, i was dead tired, and completely blew a backing maneuver I should have had no problem with. Man, my instructor laid into,e something fierce. Accused me of doing it on purpose and threatening to have me bounced out of the program.

After some much needed reason, he started in again, and finally responded wit, I think you are doing this just to get under my skin, and if the god lord wants me to go home, then so be it, but I'm not going to let it bother me.

My instructor had a hint of a smile, and said, yeah, your ready.

I was in springfield within a few days, and passed my exam with flying colors.

And THATs the PLAN

Stick with it. You can do it.

Peace

Man, so many more people would actually get their career off to a great start if they only knew they were being tested! People expect to be treated with patience, kindness, and respect when they enter their training period and wind up thinking their trainer or the company is just lousy. But in reality, they're testing your patience and resolve. They know that the only people who are going to stick around in this business are people with the right attitude, the right personality, and a healthy dose of dedication.

Thanks for the updates. The lessons I have learned on this site go far beyond driving maneuvers, weight limits, and log books. I feel the input from everyone is really helping me prepare for my new journey.

Thanks again.

Woody