And So It Begins…..
Topic 32570 | Page 7
So I’m off and running on TNT. Currently sitting at my 90 just outside of Atlanta waiting to get unloaded. I’ve had two driving shifts so far and they have been pretty eventful to say the least. First day was in the rain, through tiny little towns, and over mountain roads barely wide enough for the truck and nice drop offs on the side. Lane departure alarm screaming at me the whole time. At one point I found myself yelling at the truck “If you weren’t so damn fat you would fit in the lane!” Nothing like body shaming a semi….. Couldn’t drop early so we ended up doing a 34 at a Pilot. Learned that walking laps around the parking area is going to be a great way to get some exercise. Then spent the day watching football. Really can’t complain. Today I started driving and finally got some of those wide open interstates I’ve been hearing so much about. Oh, but wait, can’t make it too easy. Let’s go ahead and throw in construction areas and Atlanta traffic! Lol. But made it to the 90 ok. Been watching some of these drivers back in these spots that I would consider very wide and easy…..yeah, a lot of them had trouble. Makes me feel a little better about my backing. Yet one more thing Kearsey did for me was make me park in the hardest spots during PSD.
Not sure where we are off to after this. I do know we are getting routed to Pittston but unsure of any load between now and then.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.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.
Woohoo! Congrats Etch! Does it feel different behind the wheel now? Good luck in the traffic and construction zones. Funny how those lanes get so narrow. Be safe!
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Don't worry guys....Etch is on a training truck but still texts me to harasse.from.time to time. 😂. He is trucking along
Don't worry guys....Etch is on a training truck but still texts me to harasse.from.time to time. 😂. He is trucking along
Awesome! I found when I started training, time flew by so quickly. I suspect when running solo it'll be about the same. Haha
Glad to hear Etch is still harassing ya! lol
He ran through the terminal the other day. We saw each other for about 30 minutes. We have chatted a bit. Their truck was in the shop in our PA terminal for 6 days. He got to pass through all 3 of our major terminals within 2 weeks.
I am trying to keep his spirits up through training. 😂
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.
I am sure that he is doing great. We are all rooting for him. Well, I know I am, and reading the posts of others tells me that I am not alone.
Any updates Etch?
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Well done Etch! Congratulations to you and Kearsey!