Being A Trainee At Prime Is An Awful Experience.

I apologize if I came off as criticizing anyone or argumentative. That wasn't my intent. I'm trying to convey the perception of somebody doing research and what I'm finding. Primes program is great on the surface but a lot of people seem to be having trouble with it. I've read through Pauls experience, the OP and papa bear. I think of it this way: you need repairs on your truck so you go on Yelp. One shop is advertised as the best, but has a bunch of bad reviews and a small amount of good ones. Would you take your truck there?

A lot of people may be having trouble with Prime’s training, but obviously thousands of drivers didn’t. That’s what I found when researching companies-for every complaint online, there are dozens of drivers working for the same company with no complaints.

That's a great point. I know prime has many good trainers and you only hear about the bad experiences, but I try to envision myself in that position in my planning. Maybe a thread should be started expressing prime happy endings.

Banks...you seem to be missing some key points.

Rainy wrote this to you several hours ago:

So what makes me so different from those who fail? What makes Miss Myoshi, Diver Driver, Kanelin, Christian, Icecold, Ernie Turtle, Adam,and so.many others so different. Are we all lying or stupid?

I suggest searching on their individual diaries and attempt to understand why they all succeeded while others have failed.

Everything leading up to being upgraded to solo is a test; formal or informal, subtle or obvious. Expect there to be challenges when coexisting with another human being in a space the size of a walk-in closet, There will be friction and disagreements. Expect it. Learning how to adjust and adapt is at the heart of every successful Prime-ate Rainy listed. The other folks you mentioned were either unable, unwilling or found it too difficult to make adjustments.

Take note; making adjustments and the ability to adapt are tests. Tests that must be passed before going solo...both skills are a must for safe and efficient trucking. Once you are "out-here", its no longer a test.

Shift your paradigm a bit and try to grasp what I am throwing at you. Every company has some great trainers, some good ones lots of fair ones and a few really bad ones. It's consistent from A-Z. It's how you adjust and adapt to the situation the matters most and typically is the only difference between the successes and the failures.

You seem like a fairly intelligent person. When you meet your trainer for the first time talk to them. It's a must before you plant yourself in their truck. Although you are their guest and should never lose sight of that, it's give and take, compromising. Have a frank conversation to determine expectations, yours and theirs. If you apply a tenth of the energy in that conversation as you have in this and a couple of other threads, you'll have a fairly good idea if you and your prospective trainer can work together and you can learn from them.

Peace out.

Hey Banks, first I hope you don't feel too beat up! You were open and honest with your post and I appreciate that. I covered this in my very long, and probably way too open and honest, training diary, but this initial phase can be super emotional. You're leaving your home, your family, the life you knew, and throwing yourself into a truck with a stranger to forge a new life, all the while trying to wrap your head around the ins and outs of operating a class 8, 80,000 pounds vehicle. When you throw into the mix a trainer who is less than ideal, to say the least, the situation becomes even more difficult and can lead to posting a good post that was, perhaps, hastily titled. We forgive you for bashing Prime in your title. :-)

I will say I'm sorry my diary came off as a bad review of Prime (assuming you're talking about MY diary--could have been a different Paul). It was never meant to be a review--reviews are quick reads that sum up an experience. My diary was a journey, not a summary, and taken as a whole I think the picture isn't negative, at least not on Prime's part. I am actually sitting here in the Campus Inn as we speak. Just finished up the second round of orientation and will get back on the road with another trainer in the next day or two. If you want a summary of my experience with Prime, here it is: I was paid $700 bucks a week to train for a career that is stable and profitable. Though the training was extremely difficult, at the end of that training I was entrusted with a nice new truck...which I promptly ran into an awning. Really dumb move. But then instead of facing the music, I quit, leaving a huge debt to Prime hanging over my head. REALLY dumb move. Did Prime call me about it, pester me, threaten legal action? No. They offered me my job back, whenever I was ready, an open invitation. Prime is really one of the best companies around.

Training is hard, for the trainer and trainee. If you get one who is abusive, as mine was, then call your Fleet Manager. If your FM isn't helping, call the training office. But do some soul searching, find the faults you have and clean those up first. You never know, that may fix the problem. If it doesn't, then you're in the clear and have no reason to not get another trainer. In the end, it's 6 weeks of your life. Gone in the blink of an eye in the long run. Just...don't run into an awning when you upgrade. :-)

Hey Banks, first I hope you don't feel too beat up! You were open and honest with your post and I appreciate that. I covered this in my very long, and probably way too open and honest, training diary, but this initial phase can be super emotional. You're leaving your home, your family, the life you knew, and throwing yourself into a truck with a stranger to forge a new life, all the while trying to wrap your head around the ins and outs of operating a class 8, 80,000 pounds vehicle. When you throw into the mix a trainer who is less than ideal, to say the least, the situation becomes even more difficult and can lead to posting a good post that was, perhaps, hastily titled. We forgive you for bashing Prime in your title. :-)

I will say I'm sorry my diary came off as a bad review of Prime (assuming you're talking about MY diary--could have been a different Paul). It was never meant to be a review--reviews are quick reads that sum up an experience. My diary was a journey, not a summary, and taken as a whole I think the picture isn't negative, at least not on Prime's part. I am actually sitting here in the Campus Inn as we speak. Just finished up the second round of orientation and will get back on the road with another trainer in the next day or two. If you want a summary of my experience with Prime, here it is: I was paid $700 bucks a week to train for a career that is stable and profitable. Though the training was extremely difficult, at the end of that training I was entrusted with a nice new truck...which I promptly ran into an awning. Really dumb move. But then instead of facing the music, I quit, leaving a huge debt to Prime hanging over my head. REALLY dumb move. Did Prime call me about it, pester me, threaten legal action? No. They offered me my job back, whenever I was ready, an open invitation. Prime is really one of the best companies around.

Training is hard, for the trainer and trainee. If you get one who is abusive, as mine was, then call your Fleet Manager. If your FM isn't helping, call the training office. But do some soul searching, find the faults you have and clean those up first. You never know, that may fix the problem. If it doesn't, then you're in the clear and have no reason to not get another trainer. In the end, it's 6 weeks of your life. Gone in the blink of an eye in the long run. Just...don't run into an awning when you upgrade. :-)

Wow!!! Welcome back Paul. Congratulations on this enormous development. I was very disheartened by your decision to quit but am elated that you reconsidered. No words of wisdom except to say good on you for putting your priorities in order. Also, Banks isn’t responsible for the title, that was Indalecio. I will be joining you in March! Getting a few more paperwork details in order but am approved by recruiting & security. God bless you & your family. Good luck & stay safe.

Wow wow wow!! This was a great surprise.

Hey Paul, great to hear from you. BTW Banks isn't the OP, he replied to the OP, check the first page you'll see what I mean. Take care.

Banks...you seem to be missing some key points.

Rainy wrote this to you several hours ago:

So what makes me so different from those who fail? What makes Miss Myoshi, Diver Driver, Kanelin, Christian, Icecold, Ernie Turtle, Adam,and so.many others so different. Are we all lying or stupid?

I suggest searching on their individual diaries and attempt to understand why they all succeeded while others have failed.

Everything leading up to being upgraded to solo is a test; formal or informal, subtle or obvious. Expect there to be challenges when coexisting with another human being in a space the size of a walk-in closet, There will be friction and disagreements. Expect it. Learning how to adjust and adapt is at the heart of every successful Prime-ate Rainy listed. The other folks you mentioned were either unable, unwilling or found it too difficult to make adjustments.

Take note; making adjustments and the ability to adapt are tests. Tests that must be passed before going solo...both skills are a must for safe and efficient trucking. Once you are "out-here", its no longer a test.

Shift your paradigm a bit and try to grasp what I am throwing at you. Every company has some great trainers, some good ones lots of fair ones and a few really bad ones. It's consistent from A-Z. It's how you adjust and adapt to the situation the matters most and typically is the only difference between the successes and the failures.

You seem like a fairly intelligent person. When you meet your trainer for the first time talk to them. It's a must before you plant yourself in their truck. Although you are their guest and should never lose sight of that, it's give and take, compromising. Have a frank conversation to determine expectations, yours and theirs. If you apply a tenth of the energy in that conversation as you have in this and a couple of other threads, you'll have a fairly good idea if you and your prospective trainer can work together and you can learn from them.

Peace out.

That's my one take away from this. I would be a guest in someone else's home and I should conduct myself as such. I would never walk into someone's home with muddy shoes and help myself to their fridge. A sleeper truck is no different. This site has helped me mentally prepare for that and understand that it's only temporary. Keep an open mind, communicate clearly and calmly, make sure we have the same goals. Is there a "ask your trainer before you go out" thread? I think that would help a lot like ask a recruiter did. Thanks G.

I know! Ah...I read the first two pages hours ago, then caught up with the rest a bit ago, and in doing so got my wires crossed there. I re-read it a moment ago and realized my mistake. Well, the point remains the same. And...Brett, we need an edit option! :-)

Thanks Reyn! You're making a great choice. I missed it terribly while I was gone and am excited to be back.

I will be joining you in March!

When in March?

Hey Banks, first I hope you don't feel too beat up! You were open and honest with your post and I appreciate that. I covered this in my very long, and probably way too open and honest, training diary, but this initial phase can be super emotional. You're leaving your home, your family, the life you knew, and throwing yourself into a truck with a stranger to forge a new life, all the while trying to wrap your head around the ins and outs of operating a class 8, 80,000 pounds vehicle. When you throw into the mix a trainer who is less than ideal, to say the least, the situation becomes even more difficult and can lead to posting a good post that was, perhaps, hastily titled. We forgive you for bashing Prime in your title. :-)

I will say I'm sorry my diary came off as a bad review of Prime (assuming you're talking about MY diary--could have been a different Paul). It was never meant to be a review--reviews are quick reads that sum up an experience. My diary was a journey, not a summary, and taken as a whole I think the picture isn't negative, at least not on Prime's part. I am actually sitting here in the Campus Inn as we speak. Just finished up the second round of orientation and will get back on the road with another trainer in the next day or two. If you want a summary of my experience with Prime, here it is: I was paid $700 bucks a week to train for a career that is stable and profitable. Though the training was extremely difficult, at the end of that training I was entrusted with a nice new truck...which I promptly ran into an awning. Really dumb move. But then instead of facing the music, I quit, leaving a huge debt to Prime hanging over my head. REALLY dumb move. Did Prime call me about it, pester me, threaten legal action? No. They offered me my job back, whenever I was ready, an open invitation. Prime is really one of the best companies around.

Training is hard, for the trainer and trainee. If you get one who is abusive, as mine was, then call your Fleet Manager. If your FM isn't helping, call the training office. But do some soul searching, find the faults you have and clean those up first. You never know, that may fix the problem. If it doesn't, then you're in the clear and have no reason to not get another trainer. In the end, it's 6 weeks of your life. Gone in the blink of an eye in the long run. Just...don't run into an awning when you upgrade. :-)

You are the Paul I was referring to. I followed your journey from the decision to go to hitting the awning to some time at a milk farm lol. I'm glad you're back on your path. Also let me say, to clarify, I did not title nor did I start this thread. I've found myself being the antagonist in it, though. Prime was actually the first company I looked into. They're Pittston terminal is 30 minutes away from me and their program is reputed to be one of the best around. When you start digging and hear about the bad trainer experiences it can begin to be a bit disheartening. This whole process has been a new form of soul searching for me. I'm learning more about what I value and what my expectations for the future are. Through running around this site I've found myself wanting to be OTR , regional and linehaul based on the post I'm reading. I've found myself wanting to do tanker, dry van and flatbed all in the same day. Do I want to go to a specialty company that I'll be contacted to only to find out specialty isn't for me? Do I go OTR and find my family resenting me for being gone and questioning my priorities? I didn't sign up for this site to give advice or give my two cents. Frankly, I have nothing to offer. I'm well aware of that. I found myself looking for answers in dealing with difficulty of leaving your family. I didn't find anything but a few initial posts before guys left for training. So I signed up just to start my own thread. Now I'm here with some of my ideas coming off in an Ill manner. I get it, it's hard to convey tone via text. I have a lot of questions and I'm just searching for the answers to make the best possible decision I can make. Do I stay at my job and go to school? Luzerne County community college was the only school willing to work with my schedule and now they're in a bind with penndot. Do I leave a good paying job to go to training? What if I get there and they say you're not what we're looking for? Not unheard of. What if I spend a month there, but I just can't get passed the road test. Now what? I'm trying to find the beaten path. My feet won't fit into anybody else's shoes, but I can find the most comfortable pair for me. Thank you for time, Paul. I sincerely wish you the best of luck.

Banks...if you only live 30 minutes north of Pittston PA, then you are about 2 hours from the Walmart terminal I drive out of.

I'd be happy to have you ride along with me for a local out and back day run. Might help take the edges off your concerns...let me know.