Questions About Training....

Hello,

I am new to the forum. I am considering applying for a position with Prime or Roehl. If there are other good options, please let me know. After reading many of the pages on this site, I have a few questions. I am positive my work record, driving record, and criminal record will not keep me from getting an offer to go to one / all of these schools.

I am a little confused about the training process. Let me see if I can logically explain my confusion:

Step one: You are offered a job. No questions. Step two: You go to the training center for a week to get your paper test CDL learning permit. 1. Prime pays your food and hotel. Do you get the $600 a week pay at this point? 2. Should I go test at my local DMV for CDL before I go?\ Step three: Drive on the road 3-4 weeks with a CDL instructor. Return, pass Skills Test - Obtain Class A CDL. 1. Are you paid during this time? If so, how much? (I have a family to feed.) Step four: Team drive with a trainer for 4 to 6 months. Paid at $600 a week or 12cpm for over 5000 miles in a week. No questions.

I will have some income from my previous job coming in for 2 to 3 months but it will be reduced. I a just trying to figure out how to support my family during my career transition. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcomed. Thank you for all the help!

I also replied to you on my thread if you haven't seen that yet, but I'll answer the questions you asked here as well.

No, you don't get the $600 minimum until you pass your CDL exam. Once you finish orientation (the first four days), you get a $200 a week advance (every Friday), which will be paid back at $25 a week once you start getting paid. You're not hired until you get your CDL. And notice I said $600 MINIMUM. You are paid at a rate of 12 cents a mile during training, but are guaranteed at least $600. From what I understand, the miles you run usually get you a good bit more than $600. I'll be able to tell you soon whether this is the case.

Yes, get your CDL permit before you get here. I didn't, because I couldn't afford to get a DOT physical before I left home. You will be behind if you don't have a permit when you get here. I missed out on a lot of training. In my other reply to you, I talked about how nervous I was about backing. If I had come here with a permit, I would have gotten some backing training before I even met my instructor. I was too ridiculously broke to afford $50 or whatever for a physical, even though I knew I should have my permit. It makes me angry thinking about how broke I was. Anyway, get your permit.

Also, your training really shouldn't take four to six months. My trainer says I should be done in the beginning of March. Today is my first day. Well, tomorrow, when we leave the terminal. But I've heard that a lot of trainers keep you on their truck for as long as possible, because you make them a lot of money. Fortunately my trainer is not one of those.

Thanks for both of your post. Good information. How long does it take to get the CDL when you are on the $200 a week draw? I am scared on backing too. I have done a lot of crazy driving over the years as a Paramedic and Firefighter. I think I have that experience will benefit me because I can anticipate other driver's moves before they know they are going do them. The thought of the travel appeals to me. Driving a 70 foot long mega ton truck is intimidating.

All the info that I have gotten from the Prime recruiter has all the info that Paul spoke of. If I am not mistaken the $200 advance's have to be paid back at $25 a week. Thinking I am in the same boat as you. I will get a final paycheck from my current job about 3 weeks after I quit for all of my vacation and holiday time that I have built up.

I should hear from my Prime recuiter Monday as she has been on vacation since Christmas. That way I can find out if I will be enrolled in a class in Feb. Best of luck to both you and Paul.

It should take no longer than a month, ideally two to three weeks. We came back to Springfield somewhere between two and three weeks to get some electrical issues fixed, and I was going to test then. But it snowed like crazy and they closed the pad. So we went back out for about another week. We came back to Springfield on Christmas Eve, and I didn't test until two days ago. My instructor's girlfriend lives near here, so he spent more time there than he did working with me. Plus he was sick for two days after the company Christmas party, which I think was more hangover than actual illness. I had three days backing on the pad, in nearly two weeks. Fortunately he was good at teaching backing, so I was able to get pretty good at it in that short amount of time. Long story short, it's been roughly a month and a half since I left home, and I just got my CDL two days ago. Oh, and I forgot to mention I was here for another week after orientation, because my instructor's previous student took forever to test out. So it shouldn't take as long as it did for me, but you never know. And as they say here, Prime isn't a school that also runs a business, it's a business that also runs a school. So running loads and making money takes priority over getting a student back for testing.

Driving the truck gets less scary the more you do it. I'm as comfortable driving on the highway as I am in a car. I'm still nervous on city streets, though. I'd rather drive down a steep mountain than drive in the city. I certainly have more experience doing so, after all the driving we did out west. I've always been a careful and defensive driver, so hopefully that will help me in this career. The travel is pretty awesome. In three weeks, I think I counted eleven states we went to that I'd never been before. I'm into photography, so I try to make a point of taking some pictures every day. I've gotten some good ones.

That is so awesome. I pulled the trigger and put in the online application at Prime. How long does it take for them to contact you? Do you have a choice of when to go to school? I am not quite ready to go yet. It will be a month or two before I can commit.

The other really scary part, I have a decent job. I have been at the same place for over ten years. It is time for a change. The years of public service have worn on me. I am scared to leave my job and then wash out in training. Then what? Three kids and a wife depend on Daddy!

I didn't wait for them to call me. I called the day after I applied, and they had me assigned to a recruiter, but she was off that day. So I first talked to my recruiter two days after I applied online. I think it took a day or two after I talked to her to be approved. You can start whenever you want. Classes start every Tuesday. I set my date about a month and a half out from when I applied. I even bumped it back another week when it got closer, because I wanted more time to do stuff with my family in Alabama before I left (like going to the Alabama vs. Tennessee game - ROLL TIDE!!!). It's not set in stone until they've bought your bus ticket.

I'm sure you'll do fine in training. As long as your background is fine, and you tell the truth about any part of it that's not fine, then you'll get through training, I'm sure. It's scary, and it's not the easiest thing, but it's not rocket science either. I still have lots to learn, and I'm not fully confident behind the wheel, but I'm getting there. As I said before, I was babied too much in the PSD phase. The TNT phase I'm starting now won't be that way. It's a team driving situation, and I will be doing just as much driving as my trainer. So those jitters are going to be worked out soon, I'm sure.

When I put in my application the recruiter called within about 3 hours. I had to cancel a class that was going to start Jan. 14 because of financial reasons. The state has dumb rules about when you can quit. I am hoping to finalize a class date for second week of Feb.

I know what you mean by time for a change. I been working the state correctional system for the last 14 years. Minus a one year break when I went overseas. My leave balance should be enough for the wife to pay the bills for a couple of months while I get rolling good.

The only real driving experiance that I have other than everyday stuff is I was the transport officer for my facility for two years. Drove over 100,000 miles and never left the state. I was also never late for a court or DR's appointment. And back during Desert Storm I drove the 5 ton truck with trailer for medical aid station. Got a bit nerve wracking driving through a literal mine field. Best of luck to you.

Ray we seem to be almost identical. Good luck to you. Keep me posted on how it goes for you. I am 41 years old. Thinking of a career change at this point is insane. I need to do something though. I can not keep on doing what I am doing. I need to get out before I lose all compassion for any other human on earth.

Thanks for all the help Paul.

All the info that I have gotten from the Prime recruiter has all the info that Paul spoke of. If I am not mistaken the $200 advance's have to be paid back at $25 a week. Thinking I am in the same boat as you. I will get a final paycheck from my current job about 3 weeks after I quit for all of my vacation and holiday time that I have built up.

I should hear from my Prime recuiter Monday as she has been on vacation since Christmas. That way I can find out if I will be enrolled in a class in Feb. Best of luck to both you and Paul.

Hey Ray is your recruiter Cindi? Because that's my one as well and she's on vacation until Monday lol