Prime Inc TNT Students Will See Increased Mileage Requirements In Training
Topic 25606 | Page 3
Wow I’m glad I went with Roehl. Smaller company and maybe not the freight base that prime has but I only went with a trainer for 19 days. After 2 months from being hired I was in a truck by myself and it’s been great ever since. Looks like there are a lot of people applying and not as many trucks and or freight. I heard they stopped hiring from Florida too.
I think it is more like they arent being as selective as they were years ago so.more people are getting into training.
Years ago, they would have been more strict about medications, diagnoses and conditions which would have eliminated drivers before starting training. I am not saying people are not DOT compliant, just Prime is being more lenient than the policies of years ago. My class started with 76 and had 20 by the end of the first week. As time went on, larger groups came in but more and more stayed.
Regardless, most people dont make it through training and certainly not a whole year. I have a friend who had 7 different students on his truck this year. Only one upgraded. Two got the miles then took home time and quit. The others quit in the middle saying trucking isnt for them.
I had 4 trainees the past year. Two upgraded, one got fired, one quit after getting the miles and took home time.
We hear a lot of griping about trainers, but students can be crazy too. A friend of mine had a woman on the truck who called dispatch saying she didnt want to stay with the trainer because she was yelled at. When they got to the terminal , the student changed her mind... but women dont make up like men do. So the trainer told her to get off the truck and she would be assigned a new trainer. The student refused and after security was called and the woman was screaming and yelling at everyone, she was shocked she was fired.
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.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Both places I trained (West side transport and OD) where a month personally I avoided Schneider because I felt 2 weeks was too little and I avoided Prime because I felt it was too long, plus I didn't like the idea of being put on a lease ops truck.
For me 30 days is the perfect amount of time, first week is a get to know you phase and learning basics, 2nd and 3rd week is the real learning and then 4th week the trainer just observed and student is more or less on their own.
Also keep in mind that Primes old training program was SIX months. yep, i said that.
As both a trainee and a trainer...i would have killed someone at 6 months. lol
Well..how many miles does the team average during TNT? Is it consistent? A fellow student told me the miles can lack at times. Doesn't sound right.
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.
Also keep in mind that Primes old training program was SIX months. yep, i said that.
As both a trainee and a trainer...i would have killed someone at 6 months. lol
Well..how many miles does the team average during TNT? Is it consistent? A fellow student told me the miles can lack at times. Doesn't sound right.
Depends on the trainer, the hometime and the loads. For example, I insist on the student driving at least a week or two with me sitting in the passenger seat. Therefore, the first couple of weeks are 2600 to 3000 miles each. Then it is more like 4500 to 5000. i insist on getting 34 hour breaks in there though to soften the blow.
Nothing in OTR is consistent, so no.
I know trainers who run it hard with 5500 to 6000 miles per week but at that point, neither of you are sleeping, eating or showering. Students cant learn if they are exhausted.
There were weeks where we had 3000+ miles but then the load delivered past the payroll cutoff so the other 2200 miles goes on the next week.
Trust me...you will appreciate any and all downtime to catch up on sleep.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
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.
TNT?
PSD?
Habla Inglese por favor!
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.
PSD is Prime Student Driver. Student with a permit driving the truck with a CDL instructor in the passenger seat. They get acclimated to the truck and practice pretrip inspections. After a couple weeks they come back to Prime to test for their CDL.
TNT is Trainer and Trainee. After getting your cdl the newly hired trainee with their fresh off the press cdl is sent out with a trainer to team drive for 30k miles (50k staring in June). This is when they learn the bulk of what they need to know to run their own truck.
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.
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.
PSD is Prime Student Driver. Student with a permit driving the truck with a CDL instructor in the passenger seat. They get acclimated to the truck and practice pretrip inspections. After a couple weeks they come back to Prime to test for their CDL.
TNT is Trainer and Trainee. After getting your cdl the newly hired trainee with their fresh off the press cdl is sent out with a trainer to team drive for 30k miles (50k staring in June). This is when they learn the bulk of what they need to know to run their own truck.
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.
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.
I think the quality of the training is far more important than the length of the training. I remember one student several years ago who went through four months of training with Prime before going solo. In all that time he had never done a drop and hook by himself and wasn't sure how to drop the trailer. He was at the yard and had to ask another driver for help.
The student's comfort level also makes a huge difference. I went to a private school and then only went on the road with a trainer for two weeks before going solo. I felt I was as ready as I was ever going to be, and quite anxious to get my own truck. I got along splendidly with the trainer. He was a great guy who I felt did a great job teaching me all he could in the time we had. We both felt that trucking is a "learn by doing" type of trade. Once you know the basics of how to handle the truck you just have to get out there and get the experience. Sitting there next to him was going to hold me back more than it was going to help at that point. He had said at the time that he kept some students for 4 - 6 weeks, but others are ready after 2 weeks.
Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.
Ok, let's clear up a little bit of the "marketing" that Prime is putting out there also. Here is what Prime says is the reason behind these recent changes:
Due to large growth in the last year, unprecedented low turnover, and limited availability of equipment, we are making some changes to our training program intervals and the upgrade process starting in June
The reality seems to be a little different though. If you read the recent news articles you'll find that freight has slowed quite a bit this year versus the past two years. Some examples of articles:
Declining volumes undercut US truckload rates
Truckers Cut Payrolls As Freight Demand Softens
Trucking companies pulled back from hiring in March as freight demand softened and job growth across the logistics sector slowed.
Carriers cut payrolls by 1,200 jobs last month, according to preliminary figures the Labor Department reported Friday, halting a nearly yearlong expansion amid signs a hot streak that boosted transportation companies’ profits in 2018 is cooling.
The past two years showed very strong freight demand and companies increased the size of their fleets and raised rates to take advantage of the good times. But things are definitely slowing right now. This is not a concern for new drivers coming into the industry, nor for existing drivers. There will still be plenty of freight for drivers to haul. The adjustment these companies make will be to the size of their fleets, not to the number of miles that the drivers are getting. Truck utilization must remain high at all times. The trucks have to turn a lot of miles to remain profitable. So you won't see a drop-off in the available miles per truck, only the number of trucks in the fleet.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
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Also keep in mind that Primes old training program was SIX months. yep, i said that.
As both a trainee and a trainer...i would have killed someone at 6 months. lol