Prime Inc. CDL Training. Springfield, Missouri
Topic 17418 | Page 14
Congratulations
02/25/2017 0540hrs somewhere in Arizona
Oh what a glorious day it is!
I have officially surpassed the required 30k miles of TNT training, and we are currently on a direct course back to Springfield! By the time we reach home base, I'll have close to 32k in the books.
In some ways, the time flew by. In another, it went agonizingly slow lol. But now that I've crossed the......umm.....milestone,
I'm super excited for what's next. (See what I did there?)
It's the end of my shift, and I'm far too tired to ramble on at the moment. But thanks again for your continued support. Next up: The upgrade.
Peace
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.
02/27/2017 1122hrs Sprimo
So the last 100 miles before rolling in to Prime seemed to take forever. The anticipation of what was to come kept my spirits on a higher plane than usual.
We rolled in to Springfield at around 0400, and I brought us around to the wash bay. That poor truck hadn't been washed since before I first climbed in it. The wash guy did a bang-up job on it. She came out all sparkly and ready for the next victim.....I mean trainee.
I'd had all my stuff packed up for the last couple days, so after dropping the trailer I was ready to go immediately. Brian is taking the next week at home, so his wife came to pick us up and to take me to Campus Inn.
When I checked into Campus at 0545, the desk lady got me all set up with a room, then told me "They have an upgrade class tomorrow at 0700, OR you can make today's class in an hour if you want." So of course after driving all night and going without sleep for nearly 24 hrs, the only smart choice I could come up with was: "Well I guess I'll be in class in an hour."....
Seriously, I've been ready enough for this for some time now. Sleep can wait. The earlier I get this done, the earlier I can get my truck and get back to some resemblance of a normal life.
After a quick shower, I was in the classroom at 0645. The first upgrade class covered safe driving practices. We watched videos about defensive driving, distracted driving, adverse weather driving, etc. There was a short simple quiz on "What would you do" type scenarios. Nothing to sweat over though. Pretty common sense really.
Next was more SIM training, also simple stuff. Just be super cautious during the foul weather scenarios and you'll be fine. They also try to trick you by throwing in a 10ton bridge or low overpass once in awhile. No big deal, it's not a pass/fail kind of thing, only a training tool.
The final thing we did in class today was a backing/docking test on the SIM, mandated by Prime. It's really not a big deal, but this test will be recorded and part of your upgrade score, so naturally you'll want to ace this, or at least do very well. The instructor demonstrated the exact maneuver needed, then allowed us to practice as much as we wanted before taking the test. Easy peesy. After a couple trial runs, I took the test and nailed it, scoring 100 percent. It really is simple stuff. The hardest part is adjusting to the feel of a Sim, after driving a real truck for a couple of months.
Lastly, we are given a list of more cbt's to complete on our own time. These I finished in the next couple of hours. All in all I was done and back in my room by 1200 for a well deserved nap. Only a nap though, since I'm now trying to get myself adjusted to a daytime schedule again. I'll wait till nightfall before going to sleep.
In the evening, I met up with our brother TT'er and my fellow Primate Patrick R. He's a real good dude with a bright future ahead of him. Spent a while chatting with him over dinner before I had to finally get some real sleep.....and sleep I did. 10 hrs straight. Well needed, apparently.
It's now day 2 of upgrade, and in less than an hour I'll be going to a load securement class for us flatbedders. Details on that will be in my next update. Till then:
Peace
.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Been waiting on update! Glad all going good!
Great stuff man, you gonna be throwing your loads over on the flatbed variety thread?
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Turtle, since your taking your dog on the road with you, did they have a weight limit for your dog? I know the Prime info here says 40lbs. However I wasn't sure that this was still their official rule. I have a dog, boxer/blue tick hound. I would love to have him with me, but he is 55+ pounds, and that's healthy for him. if that is their rule, then I will have to find him a new home. I'm looking to start Prime SLC in the next 3-4 weeks. I have to move back to Utah, and get my permit before I can start orientation. I am not sure if I will have to go to Springfield to get the sleep apnea test done or not, but I will have to get it done. I also worry about my blood pressure, I used to be in pretty good shape, but as we know with time and age I have gotten a little bit out of shape, or maybe you can say I'm more of a round shape. anyways I'm ranting, thanks fro this diary, I look forward to living up to this standard as I go through training, once I start.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
Great stuff man, you gonna be throwing your loads over on the flatbed variety thread?
Absolutely. The interesting ones, at least.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Turtle, since your taking your dog on the road with you, did they have a weight limit for your dog? I know the Prime info here says 40lbs. However I wasn't sure that this was still their official rule. I have a dog, boxer/blue tick hound. I would love to have him with me, but he is 55+ pounds, and that's healthy for him. if that is their rule, then I will have to find him a new home. I'm looking to start Prime SLC in the next 3-4 weeks. I have to move back to Utah, and get my permit before I can start orientation. I am not sure if I will have to go to Springfield to get the sleep apnea test done or not, but I will have to get it done. I also worry about my blood pressure, I used to be in pretty good shape, but as we know with time and age I have gotten a little bit out of shape, or maybe you can say I'm more of a round shape. anyways I'm ranting, thanks fro this diary, I look forward to living up to this standard as I go through training, once I start.
Actually, I just got a company info packet yesterday and according to that, there is a 30 pound limit on pets. My tnt trainer said they don't enforce it however, and I've seen dogs that appeared well over 30 pounds come off Prime trucks. There is a deposit required as well.
Way back when I was looking at different companies, I thought I read that Prime didn't have a weight restriction for pets. But obviously I was mistaken. This is a problem for me now, since my dog weighs over 120 pounds. So I'll likely leave him home now with my son. At least he'll still be at home.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
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.
Additionally, is every new driver who completes the upgrade getting an automatic? also are they getting the smaller trucks? I know you said most reefer was, but I just want to know is it possible to get a full size manual truck for reefer once I complete TnT.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
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.
Sorry I forgot to add in the question above, this is for company drivers not leasing. I'm not sure in year one if I am going to lease a truck or not.
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Congratulations Turtle! Great job. I can't imagine how happy you must be. Hope they give you a real beauty! Drive safe!
