Prime Inc - Flatbed/Reefer - CDL Trainee

Any updates Chris? Are you still on track to go to Prime? We're watching.

Are you still on path to start November 8th, Chris?

I'd suggest you read Turtle's & Chief Brody's diaries, prior to your flatbed experience with Prime, and also ANYTHING posted by Old School, as well.

Best wishes!!

~ Anne ~

These are great reads. Thanks for sharing this with me Anne! :)

We took a personality assessment on the first day of training that helps Prime Inc. match us with a trainer that aligns with our personality type. I hope I filled out that questionnaire well enough to attract the likes of one of these kinds of flatbed drivers.

Moose,

With YOUR attention to detail, both in your postings and your study habits, you'll end up with a great trainer, IMHO.

Turtle may chime in with more... but you GOT this!!

I'm SO excited for you; I literally felt like I was THERE!!! (Even when you were lifting those dang tarps, DANG!!)

Carry on, good sir. Stay AT it!!! KUDOS!

~ Anne ~

Weekly Update! (Part 1 of 2)

Saturday 11/13 - The first half of the day was spent working on our Pre-Trip. I, and a couple of other students have a shared determination to perfect our Pre-Trip inspection for each segment, before moving on to the next. Engine Compartment --> Drivers Door and Fuel Area --> Coupling --> Trailer --> Etc. Eating the elephant one piece at a time. The engine compartment takes the longest, the Drivers' Door and Fuel Area is quite easy, and the Coupling and Trailer are definitely easier than the Engine compartment, but they still introduce some unique terminology in the area of the 5h wheel assembly and sliding tandems. As mentioned in last week's post, I continue to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. The two other students I've closely connected with are eager to test one another and make corrections to even the most trivial errors. The remainder of the day involves additional time on the simulators. More driving in the snow and ice. I may have driven off into a snowbank and jack-knifed the semi-tractor. Despite this error, the trainer was pleased with the results because it ultimately resulted in a teaching moment. On the simulator, we can test the 'knife's edge' to determine the point of no return. The lesson is quickly learned: semi's handle extraordinarily differently than passenger vehicles. The first person on the sim usually crashes or kills a deer or otherwise brings the simulation to a dead end. Meanwhile, the rest of the students watch from behind and memorize every pivot point in the simulation. By the time we get to the last person on the sim, they've watched everyone else fail so many times that they are successful in completing it 100%, flawlessly. I think the sim would be a lot more interesting if each student went into it blind. After all, driving a semi in real life is pretty much the same as the first person on the simulator. Everything is new and you have to be proactive to succeed. I think perhaps the closest you can achieve the 'learning' effect is to get away from the pack while driving down the highway and observe the vehicles ahead of you and use them as indicators for dangers/hazards ahead. In essence, they are simulating the environment 8-20 seconds into the future. Of course, this doesn't stop a rogue wind or deer from testing out your driving skills!

Sunday 11/14 - Today is 7 days in a row being in class (we started at 7 am the previous Monday). We're all feeling a bit exhausted and we're told this is the closest we'll have to a 'day off for a bit. The entire day is dedicated to driving on the simulator -- including an off-beat simulation called 'Doom'; a driving scenario that involves traveling through a post-apocalypse city while attempting to avert disaster at every turn, while practicing our ability to maneuver the tractor-trailer through the tightest setups and sharpest turns. It's not a Kobayashi Maru, but it's darn close! Most of us fail. Again, only the students who've had the pleasure of watching and learning every point of failure make it through successfully. Today is a good day to run a load of laundry. As of the time of this writing, only $0.50 a load for wash and dryer ($1.00 for a very full bag of clothes). Much better facilities than back at the hotel. This facility is available to students/employees anytime 24/7. Pretty cool.

Monday 11/15 - We're all feeling a bit tired and groggy at this point. I think some of us are on the verge of getting our second wind. The fact that it's Monday indicates that our body's rhythm should be shifting back to normal. It doesn't. We sluggishly push on through. We're at the point where coffee seems to have less of an effect. I can drink 32 oz of caffeinated coffee right before bed and hit the pillow hard and sleep until my AM alarm goes off. Practice for what's ahead? Maybe! We head out to the training 'pad' (I've been erroneously calling it the tarmac) and continue working on Pre-Trip. Everyone in my cohort begins evaluations today and no one passes. I'm the last person to be tested that day and I manage to successfully pass all sections except Coupling. I told the evaluator that I hadn't had adequate time to prepare for it and requested to be tested on it first thing tomorrow AM. He was absolutely thrilled that I was taking the Pre-Trip inspection paperwork they gave us so seriously, and learning it word-for-word. He commented that I must have a really high IQ -- I think he failed to recognize just how much hard work went into memorizing every piece and component of that Pre-Trip. For the record, I don't think IQ has anything to do with this. It's all about getting a consistent pre-trip that is clean enough that if you were asked to do it when you're half asleep in the middle of the night, you should have no trouble doing it. All my practicing paid off.

Tuesday 11/6 - First thing AM I am tested on the Coupling section I postponed the day before. I made zero mistakes and I was instructed to proceed to Pad 3 to work on backing maneuvers. I'm please because I achieved the goal I set out for myself last Friday. My first attempt at straight backing is a success. I'm just doing exactly what I learned to do on the simulator. The lightweight Cascadia I'm training on has a distinctly different feel, but the techniques are the same. I'm eager to see my new friends in my cohort join me on the backing maneuvers, so I eagerly assist them with learning their pre-trip so they too can pass and move on.

Weekly Update! (Part 2 of 2)

Wednesday 11/17 - Another person from my cohort passed Pre-Trip. He was embracing the same philosophy as me learning every detail of the Pre-Trip. Everyone else is slowly learning that they will not be allowed to proceed to the backing maneuvers until they pass with a near 100% success rate on the Pre-Trip. It's becoming apparent that some of the students are grumbling about this. And they seem content to be upset and vocalize their disapproval of being judged so harshly on the Pre-Trip. They signed up to be truck drivers, not truck inspectors. Very slowly, they're starting to learn that this is a major component of being a professional driver. Anything less than a perfect pre-trip inspection increases risk for problems behind the wheel. Having had first-hand experience with a municipal bus company, I understood the importance of knowing the Pre-Trip inside and out. I'm happy to discuss this with any student who will listen and I'm happy to assist them with learning the Pre-Trip and practicing techniques to master each component. It is a lot to swallow. Some of the students, I fear, are not going to get much further here. When offered help, they decline it without consideration and say 'I've got it.' They don't get it. I'm tied up most of the day helping out folks in my cohort with learning their pre-trips. But I get more practice doing another set of Straight Backing maneuvers. I learn a little more each day. The mantra 'less is more' and positioning my arms in such a way to limit big movements of the steering wheel is key to success here.

Thursday 11/18 - The third day, still doing straight backing maneuvers. It's become apparent that the trainers on the pad want to see my cohort go through all exercises in unison. I am being held back at this point, rather than proceeding on to learning offset backing. There's still a good number of students who are struggling with the Pre-Trip. The instructors ask me nicely to assist struggling students with learning their Pre-Trip. I feel bad for the trainers; there are too many of us and not enough of them. They need the herd to move together; a pep-talk to all of us is given to remind us to work as a team and find the weaker students and assist them with their Pre-Trip. If getting the weakest link through Pre-Trip is the key to me moving on to the next backing maneuver, I'm happy to push that student along. The trouble is, it's kind of like leading an animal to water; you can lead them there, but you can't force their head into the water to drink. And if you do, they'll drown. I'm beginning to think that I'll be doing straight backing maneuvers through Thanksgiving. I continue to offer help to anyone who needs it. I'm not really sure why the students who are struggling the most are fighting their peers the most when it comes to learning their pre-trip. I'm continuing to hammer away at Pre-Trip inspections for Lights, Cabin Inspection, and Brake Test.

Friday 11/19 - I'm thrilled that as of today, most of my friends in my cohort have passed or are about to pass the Pre-trip inspection. It's nice to have their company on the pad to reflect on how to perfect backing maneuvers. It was a long day but right before we were about to wrap up, an experienced trucker who was hanging back with the trainers saw how eager I was to learn Off-Set Backing encouraged me into the truck and said he would take the flak if the trainers were upset about me jumping ahead. Finally got my firsthand experience doing offset backing in a truck. I learned today that it's absolutely no different than a successful offset backing on the simulator, except for the arc initially created to pivot the trailer towards the intended backing point. I look forward to hammering away at this particular maneuver over the next few days. I feel redeemed, despite the past week being rather sluggish in terms of new accomplishments. We were told today that we will have Thanksgiving off. My new friends and I are determined to spend the day far away from the hotel and indulge in the various holiday pies.

Addendum:

Temperatures really started to dip this week. A thicker beanie and balaclava is a much-needed item as the winds pick up the temperature drops below freezing. My lips are dry no matter how much chapstick I put on. We all savor the hour and a half lunch in the warm cafeteria and groan a little to ourselves as we step back out into the elements and freeze our collective you-know-what's on the pad.

I expect to have ALL of my pre-trip committed to memory and DMV-test ready no later than next Monday. The Brake test is a major pass-or-fail component. I plan to give this my absolute undivided attention and teach it to as many other students as I can to ensure that I know it by heart.

The timeline for testing is not clear at this point. I get the impression that Prime Inc. is backed up with students and short on trainers -- especially TNT. I'm not personally in a hurry to get through this process. I certainly don't feel rushed through the learning process. It would be cool if the trainers kept students who were quick learners flowing through quickly while allowing others to slowly practice and master the skills. I'm choosing to believe that the company is keeping us on the slow-burner so that we're not held captive for weeks on end waiting for a TNT trainer after passing our CDL drivers test.

Again: sorry for any grammar/spelling errors. Wish this site allowed edits!

Weekly Update! (Part 2 of 2)

Wednesday 11/17 - Another person from my cohort passed Pre-Trip. He was embracing the same philosophy as me learning every detail of the Pre-Trip. Everyone else is slowly learning that they will not be allowed to proceed to the backing maneuvers until they pass with a near 100% success rate on the Pre-Trip. It's becoming apparent that some of the students are grumbling about this. And they seem content to be upset and vocalize their disapproval of being judged so harshly on the Pre-Trip. They signed up to be truck drivers, not truck inspectors. Very slowly, they're starting to learn that this is a major component of being a professional driver. Anything less than a perfect pre-trip inspection increases risk for problems behind the wheel. Having had first-hand experience with a municipal bus company, I understood the importance of knowing the Pre-Trip inside and out. I'm happy to discuss this with any student who will listen and I'm happy to assist them with learning the Pre-Trip and practicing techniques to master each component. It is a lot to swallow. Some of the students, I fear, are not going to get much further here. When offered help, they decline it without consideration and say 'I've got it.' They don't get it. I'm tied up most of the day helping out folks in my cohort with learning their pre-trips. But I get more practice doing another set of Straight Backing maneuvers. I learn a little more each day. The mantra 'less is more' and positioning my arms in such a way to limit big movements of the steering wheel is key to success here.

Thursday 11/18 - The third day, still doing straight backing maneuvers. It's become apparent that the trainers on the pad want to see my cohort go through all exercises in unison. I am being held back at this point, rather than proceeding on to learning offset backing. There's still a good number of students who are struggling with the Pre-Trip. The instructors ask me nicely to assist struggling students with learning their Pre-Trip. I feel bad for the trainers; there are too many of us and not enough of them. They need the herd to move together; a pep-talk to all of us is given to remind us to work as a team and find the weaker students and assist them with their Pre-Trip. If getting the weakest link through Pre-Trip is the key to me moving on to the next backing maneuver, I'm happy to push that student along. The trouble is, it's kind of like leading an animal to water; you can lead them there, but you can't force their head into the water to drink. And if you do, they'll drown. I'm beginning to think that I'll be doing straight backing maneuvers through Thanksgiving. I continue to offer help to anyone who needs it. I'm not really sure why the students who are struggling the most are fighting their peers the most when it comes to learning their pre-trip. I'm continuing to hammer away at Pre-Trip inspections for Lights, Cabin Inspection, and Brake Test.

Friday 11/19 - I'm thrilled that as of today, most of my friends in my cohort have passed or are about to pass the Pre-trip inspection. It's nice to have their company on the pad to reflect on how to perfect backing maneuvers. It was a long day but right before we were about to wrap up, an experienced trucker who was hanging back with the trainers saw how eager I was to learn Off-Set Backing encouraged me into the truck and said he would take the flak if the trainers were upset about me jumping ahead. Finally got my firsthand experience doing offset backing in a truck. I learned today that it's absolutely no different than a successful offset backing on the simulator, except for the arc initially created to pivot the trailer towards the intended backing point. I look forward to hammering away at this particular maneuver over the next few days. I feel redeemed, despite the past week being rather sluggish in terms of new accomplishments. We were told today that we will have Thanksgiving off. My new friends and I are determined to spend the day far away from the hotel and indulge in the various holiday pies.

Addendum:

Temperatures really started to dip this week. A thicker beanie and balaclava is a much-needed item as the winds pick up the temperature drops below freezing. My lips are dry no matter how much chapstick I put on. We all savor the hour and a half lunch in the warm cafeteria and groan a little to ourselves as we step back out into the elements and freeze our collective you-know-what's on the pad.

I expect to have ALL of my pre-trip committed to memory and DMV-test ready no later than next Monday. The Brake test is a major pass-or-fail component. I plan to give this my absolute undivided attention and teach it to as many other students as I can to ensure that I know it by heart.

The timeline for testing is not clear at this point. I get the impression that Prime Inc. is backed up with students and short on trainers -- especially TNT. I'm not personally in a hurry to get through this process. I certainly don't feel rushed through the learning process. It would be cool if the trainers kept students who were quick learners flowing through quickly while allowing others to slowly practice and master the skills. I'm choosing to believe that the company is keeping us on the slow-burner so that we're not held captive for weeks on end waiting for a TNT trainer after passing our CDL drivers test.

Again: sorry for any grammar/spelling errors. Wish this site allowed edits!

Wow, Moose!!

You're really 'killin' it over there at Prime!

I'm so excited & happy for ya; bet Turtle & Chief Brody (Rob D.) are as well!!!!!

Keep it up, good sir. Excellent read for future applicants!!

~ Anne ~

ps: Have you tried Burt's Bees instead of Chap Stik? It's better!!!!!

pps: Did you use Daniel B.'s Pretrip, from this site, to help ya study, or does Prime provide adequate materials?

Wow, Moose!!

You're really 'killin' it over there at Prime!

I'm so excited & happy for ya; bet Turtle & Chief Brody (Rob D.) are as well!!!!!

Keep it up, good sir. Excellent read for future applicants!!

~ Anne ~

ps: Have you tried Burt's Bees instead of Chap Stik? It's better!!!!!

pps: Did you use Daniel B.'s Pretrip, from this site, to help ya study, or does Prime provide adequate materials?

Anne,

Thanks for the reminder about Burts chapstick. there was another one that was sold at ski resorts I worked out in Tahoe that was really thick almost like carnauba wax that worked really well as well. That’s on my purchase list next time I am at Walmart. Hopefully tomorrow!

I need to check out the pre-trip inspection you mentioned. The one that Prime Inc. provides is outstanding. they made it really easy to memorize the entire pre-trip, breaking the whole “elephant“ down into major components and their pieces, and utilizing universal phrases repeatedly (e.g. “Abrasions bulges cuts”, “cracked bent or broken”, “properly mounted and secured”). when I learned pre-trip in California for a municipal bus company there was special phrases for each component making it a much longer and more difficult process. I actually feel like I will be able to perform a high-quality pre-trip inspection given that my pre-trip with Prime Inc. is more of a framework. no complaints by me about Prime Inc. pre-trip. The only thing that I would suggest to the company is that they underlined and put in bold: “you must know the following 100% before you will be allowed to begin backing maneuvers.“ This would save the trainers on the pad a lot of headaches. Unfortunately, some of the students are jumping ahead to backing maneuvers even after being told by the trainers that they need to work on their pre-trip more before proceeding to backing maneuvers. The trainers are all very intelligent guys and it’s fun to pick their brains and learn things about the maneuvers and pre-trip. But they are definitely overwhelmed by all of us students. I’m guessing there are a lot more students being pushed through the process than normal. They appear stressed out. I, and a couple of other students are trying to help out as much as possible by working one-on-one with students who are struggling. Unfortunately, those are the same students that refused to study the 10 page paper that Prime Inc. created.

If they are motivated enough to truly want to pursue trucking, something as easy as the pre trip inspection should not be a huge hindrance, especially after more than a week of study. Some either can not or will not do what's necessary to facilitate their own success. Not everyone can be saved, especially from themselves.

Anne,

Thanks for the reminder about Burts chapstick. there was another one that was sold at ski resorts I worked out in Tahoe that was really thick almost like carnauba wax that worked really well as well. That’s on my purchase list next time I am at Walmart. Hopefully tomorrow!

Moose, are you thinking of Carmex? That's a really heavy duty lip balm.

Anne,

Thanks for the reminder about Burts chapstick. there was another one that was sold at ski resorts I worked out in Tahoe that was really thick almost like carnauba wax that worked really well as well. That’s on my purchase list next time I am at Walmart. Hopefully tomorrow!

Moose, are you thinking of Carmex? That's a really heavy duty lip balm.

Carmex is great. I actually ended up trying a new chapstick based on reviews online: Lypsyl - Intense Protection. More expensive than alternatives but still reasonable at Walmart for a two pack. All I have to say is: wow! Works GREAT! A combination of going back-and-forth between really hot and cold spaces, and a bone chilling wind working outside all day. This is by far the best Chapstick I’ve ever used. Instant relief to chapped lips. Doesn’t go on thick. And I don’t need to reapply constantly throughout the day. Wish I had discovered this brand along time ago! Highly recommend to anyone.

If they are motivated enough to truly want to pursue trucking, something as easy as the pre trip inspection should not be a huge hindrance, especially after more than a week of study. Some either can not or will not do what's necessary to facilitate their own success. Not everyone can be saved, especially from themselves.

No disagreement here. Honestly, I enjoy the whole pre-trip process immensely. I get profound satisfaction from doing it well every single time. Especially since my eyes are beginning to pick up on the areas of the engine compartment and chassis/frame components that are prone to failure and wear and tear. I think most flatbed drivers derive a similar satisfaction from performing a quality load securement.