What Does Prime Check Before Approving You For Orientation?

Topic 15834 | Page 6

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Cameron S.'s Comment
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There is certainly something to be said for such a relaxed approach. I did some intense research before deciding which company to go with. But after I had gained all the information I could through my research, had to make a decision. Ultimately I found that you just can’t get a feel for which company would be the best fit for you until you have some actual experience. I guess if you wanted to go to all the truckstops around your town and ask drivers how they feel about driving for their company, that would be the closest thing you could get to actually knowing. I did this as a driver. I talked with drivers that worked for companies I was interested in working for, and I learned a great deal from that. But until you really know the industry and what driving a truck is like, none of the information you will find in your research will mean much to you.

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Is there any chance at all that I show up in Springfield and the safety department disagrees with my recruiter and sends me home?

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Quite honestly, yes, there is that chance. But don't sweat it. You can only do what you can do. You've disclosed everything, you'll jump through the hoops they require, and hopefully it will work out with Prime. If not, don't sweat it. There are a ton of great companies out there. You'll get your chance.

Almost everyone that's new to the industry believes that their choice of company is an incredibly big deal. In reality it's not a big deal at all. You can be very happy and successful at any of the major companies, which are the ones that do most of the hiring of new drivers. They all have piles of money behind them, excellent equipment, tons of freight, and all sorts of opportunities for you down the line once you've gotten a little experience.

Here's how I chose my first company. I went to school in 1993. We graduated on a Friday and had a graduation ceremony, complete with pizza and wings, on Saturday morning. About an hour into the ceremony a recruiter from Gainey, a company a few miles up the road from the school, came by and asked one of the instructors who the top three drivers were in the class. I was one of them. He gathered the three of us together and said, "You guys were the top three in the class and you all have jobs waiting for you with us. If you follow me to the terminal we'll get your drug tests and paperwork out the way this afternoon and by the end of next week you should all be on the road with a trainer. "

We all looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and said, "Sounds good. Lead the way." And that was that. We all did our physicals, drug screens, and paperwork that day and within a few days we were all on the road with our trainers. Simple as that.

People spend months sometimes researching companies and to be honest I feel a little bad for em because they're mostly wasting their time. You can evaluate every possible detail about every company on the planet but in the end you're going to get the miles, home time, equipment, freight, and treatment you deserve based upon your performance. If you're a great performer you'll do great anywhere you go. If you're a lousy performer you'll get terrible miles and be miserable anywhere you go.

So don't sweat it. If it works with Prime, great. If not, great anyhow. No big deal.

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

Jason's Comment
member avatar

I know I've got a skeleton in the closet; but it's been 20 years and I did all I could to forget the bad times!

I've now spent $50 on two different National Criminal Searches and employment background checks and there's...nothing. I checked the states (not the one I live in currently) and they don't keep records that far back; so I'm a bit miffed on how they will 'find out' if I can't find it myself!

John L.'s Comment
member avatar

I have 3 dui's.Last one was 13 years ago. In California they fall off your record after 10 years. Can a company access the dui's that fell off my record? Just trying to decide if I should apply. Thanks.

DUI:

Driving Under the Influence

PackRat's Comment
member avatar

These will probably still appear on a thorough background check. There may also be a block on an application that could ask for "Do you have any DUI/DWI convictions? If so, list these." A lot of companies will not hire with multiple DUI convictions lifetime.

DUI:

Driving Under the Influence

DWI:

Driving While Intoxicated

Edward S.'s Comment
member avatar

I have multiple questions about Prime Inc's employment background check for a new trainee.

1: I have never driven as part of a job, so I don't have anything on the DAC (I got the free copy from HireRight--and it did not show anything). Does Prime only go back 3 years or for the full 10 years for non-driving employment?

2: I had a temporary (survival) job a couple of years back (during the pandemic) in which the employer (Amazon) MIGHT say I abandoned the job (but I am not sure), I did put in notice via their app, but was not able to give two weeks as I had found another job, but the new employer needed me to start sooner than two weeks (they said they would need to hire someone else if I couldn't start a few days after I was offered the job) and I took the new job because it paid $8.00 per hour more than what I was getting from Amazon. If I am truthful about it, would Prime still hire me?

3: I currently work for a company that is considered a temp agency, but am not on a temporary project--I am a long-term hire assigned to one of their clients. I was originally hired on a temp-to hire basis through another company on a 6-month contract, but at the end of the 6months, I was hired by the current company at that client. I don't work directly for the client (a Fortune 500 tech company that I will not name). I have also worked for another company that placed me at the same Fortune 500 client on a similar basis. The client considers me to be a "contingent worker." I have worked for a couple of these employers, but placed at that same Fortune 500 client for more than 8 years. Would Prime see it as a spotty employment record? There have been a couple of times I was laid off temporarily, but brought back.

Note: I am specifically asking these questions of anyone who has first-hand knowledge of Prime.

DAC:

Drive-A-Check Report

A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).

It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.

Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.

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