Making $ On You - Prime
Topic 16666 | Page 1
How?
You wrote that you can see your miles in prime app. I looked and can not. What are the steps? Thanks.
I am half way through TNT.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
If the trainer is lease/op, they are the ones paying your checks.... They make a bit more because they get to keep all the revenue (%72 for reefer) and only have to pay you .14cpm, since yall are constantly moving, its more loads that they can accomplish in a given week, which generates more revenue...more loads= more money. Your getting payed a tiny slice of that at 14cpm while in turn they pocket most of the load (aside from truck expenses and fuel)
CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
First off, they can't lie about the miles. I just talked to my FM Friday and he pulled me up on the computer and told me my miles right there. It's all tracked.
Second, you need 30k miles after you get your CDL. PSD miles don't count. And 30k is minimum, you could end up with more.
My trainer is L/O. He makes money per load, not per mile. The loads we're running now pay way more than the same distance loads first a solo. Mainly because we're getting them there twice as fast. For company trainers I would bet they are getting whatever they cpm is for team miles minus your pay. Don't quite me on that tho.
As for how to see your miles, look under loads. Every load you have been on is on there. You can also see the miles on your settlements each week.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
- Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
- Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
- Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
- Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
- Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
- Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.
UpShift wrote:
Please explain why and how a TNT trainer is making money on you During the TNT phase. I know they're making a lot more money because the truck never stops. And Prime is paying the students wages $700/wk gross + .14 cents/mile over 5,000 miles while available for dispatch. I've heard trainers may lie about the miles completed and keep you on the truck longer (download the Prime app. and count them yourself) We've only completed about 5k miles in PSD. So, I figure I need 25k more miles to complete my training and upgrade. Winter is coming and I'd like to get winter driving in before I upgrade.
Am I missing something?
Not really sure what you are asking or trying to point out here. Unfortunately I think "yes", you might be missing something.
The whole point of TNT is for you to learn. You are basically being paid a minimum of $700 per week to learn. PRIME and your trainer is taking on the lion's share of risk while you are doing this. Why do you care if they are making or losing money on you? Not your concern or problem. Furthermore they cannot "cheat" on your miles driven as long as you are logged-in as the active driver on the QC.
Focus on what is important. Learning to operate a loaded rig, safely and efficiently. Learning PRIME's process. After 5000 miles you have barely scratched the surface. Patience...patience, patience.
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
- Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
- Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
- Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
- Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
- Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
- Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
All great responses. I wanted to know if there was a catch to TNT that didn't present itself. I'm here for the excellent training provided by my instructor. And get some real winter driving in before I get my own truck. So, this may go on for more than 30k miles or X amount of months.
On the home page of the Prime app. Click the "View Loads" button. Shows each load with loaded and empty miles.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
UpShift replied:
All great responses. I wanted to know if there was a catch to TNT that didn't present itself. I'm here for the excellent training provided by my instructor. And get some real winter driving in before I get my own truck. So, this may go on for more than 30k miles or X amount of months.
On the home page of the Prime app. Click the "View Loads" button. Shows each load with loaded and empty miles.
UpShift one of our successful PRIME drivers on here, "Rainy" received extra training before she was promoted to a solo driver. Keep that in the back of your mind in the event you believe you need a bit more seasoning.
Good luck.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
Please explain why and how a TNT trainer is making money on you During the TNT phase. I know they're making a lot more money because the truck never stops. And Prime is paying the students wages $700/wk gross + .14 cents/mile over 5,000 miles while available for dispatch. I've heard trainers may lie about the miles completed and keep you on the truck longer (download the Prime app. and count them yourself) We've only completed about 5k miles in PSD. So, I figure I need 25k more miles to complete my training and upgrade. Winter is coming and I'd like to get winter driving in before I upgrade.
Am I missing something?
From what I was told, the trainer is basically "leasing" the student from prime during TNT. So the student is actually a company driver and the trainer pays prime the .14cpm and prime pays the student. They make money because a seasoned driver would be paid about .20cpm or more. Plus teaming gives them double the miles of solo
HOWEVER.... Most TNT and PSD are going to have some sort of mishap or accident. The trainer absorbs responsibility for the damage. If the student rips off someone's front end in a truck stop or damages the trailer...the trainer pays the insurance deductible which could be $500 to $1000. Also, the better driver the TNT is the more miles the truck will get and more money made. If one student can't handle the truck above 55moh, the trainer will make less money than With a student who feels comfortable driving 65mph. A TNT that has an accident might have to do another 10,000 miles before upgrade but the trainer is paying the deductible for the damage. Remember to a lease/owner op...it is their truck and an accident can be very personal to them. Its a major risk to take a student.
Company trainers are different, they do not have to pay the .14cpm....they get paid normal dispatch miles. I'm not sure if they pay for the damage either. As a solo company driver I didn't have to pay for the trailer I hit. So not sure how it would work in training.
What the other post said is correct.. The 30,000 TNT miles is in addition to PSD not including it. So my guess is you will be getting winter driving. I got my CDL on Oct 30th and didn't upgrade til Feb 14th because my trainer took a lot of time off.
Many trainers do not keep track of the miles with the student.... They ask the FM which you can do at any time. I have seen students get upset not realizing the miles are not counted until the load is delivered . so while on a 3,000 mile run. One student yelled he was getting screwed...he didn't realize the load was not complete yet so it wasn't applied to him. This is because loads are sometimes repowered or dropped at yards if the appointment times are too far away. It keeps the truck rolling to drop the load and pick up another.
The Prime app is great... But you need to download the new version if you haven't. The old version did not show the loads and miles. Many hate the new app cause you can't use it while the truck is moving.
The "catch" to TNT is that it will be what you put into it. Ask questions, insist on doing all the backing. Pay attention when the trainer is driving to how they shift or turn. I suggest you even make a list of the truck stops you like so you can go there later. Found a place with parking at 3am? Write it down. When in the terminal talk to other drivers and get phone numbers. Make a note of what time of day they drive. If you ask 3 trainers/drivers how they do things you will get all different answers. I had a list of experienced drivers I could call 24/7. This helped so much when I went solo .
If you feel you are not getting enough training then tell the FM. Need more backing? Tell them. Mine was a strange case... And yes, after my TNT I got a few hours with two different trainers to help me back. I was still nervous going solo, but I practiced at every truck stop during the day.
My PSD trainer quit before I tested out so I was taught to back by a company driver then went with an owner and then her friend who was lease it was interesting. Treat it like boot camp. Get through it and life will be great.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
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.
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
- Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
- Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
- Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
- Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
- Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
- Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
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Please explain why and how a TNT trainer is making money on you During the TNT phase. I know they're making a lot more money because the truck never stops. And Prime is paying the students wages $700/wk gross + .14 cents/mile over 5,000 miles while available for dispatch. I've heard trainers may lie about the miles completed and keep you on the truck longer (download the Prime app. and count them yourself) We've only completed about 5k miles in PSD. So, I figure I need 25k more miles to complete my training and upgrade. Winter is coming and I'd like to get winter driving in before I upgrade.
Am I missing something?
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.