TNT Training Question And A Few Others

My first question is mostly for clarification purposes. I'm looking for a more generalized answer here. How long is TNT training. I'm sure this has been asked plenty of times before, but I have seen literally everything from 42 days, which sounds like one extreme to 6+ months which sounds like another extreme. 42 days sounds great, but unlikely, and speaking as the spouse of the one who's training, 6 months is not anything we were prepared for, and I think if it was starting to push past 4 months, the time at the company would officially be done. 4 months in itself is pretty ridiculous unless the students are home at least one day a week. That's the only way that length of time could be excused. We understood it that I'd be once a week going into this, but then we started hearing many various other stories. So it would be great to have some clarification on this. Neither of us do very well with vague time frames and uncertainty. Any concrete information would be appreciated. Also, it's the refrigeration division if that makes any difference.

My other question is this. Can a spouse with a US passport card go with the driver if they have to go into Canada or Mexico? I'm in the process of getting my passport so that I can travel with him on those trips too. I know people can travel with the drivers in general, but I wasn't sure what the policy was for other countries. It stands to reason if I have a passport, it should be fine, but I try to never assume anything.

And just one more question. Once orientation and the initial training for taking the CDL license is over, the student comes back home to convert their permit into the license. Do they get a say in how long they stay home for, or can they ask? My husband literally just called and told me 5 minutes ago that there's some things he needs to do here and would like to be back for 2 weeks but doesn't know if that's possible, or if it'll somehow mess with the continued process of the training.

Any information would be greatly appreciated. I find this forum to be incredibly informative for so many truck driving related thing. Thanks in advance guys!

Our Prime drivers can answer the current specifics on those questions. But yes, a passenger can go into Canada with a driver, passport in hand along with any other documentation needed. I was recently in Canada and another driver had his wife with him. The company handled all paperwork, that's why I don't know if anything else would be required. I don't believe any or many companies bring drivers south of the border due to safety concerns and therefore higher insurance needed.

Sorry, I meant to specify the company in the subject line. It's Prime.

Yeah, any loads going into Mexico, from my experience, is dropped at a drop lot. Then, drivers from Mexico come and pull the loaded trailers into Mexico, and empties back into the US.....I dropped like 4 loads in a yard a few miles from the border.

Besides, with the current state of affairs with the cartels, etc, who really wants to go INto Mexico now ? hahaha Not me, and I spent LOTS of time there growing up, and speak the language...

Hi. 9 year Prime driver, TNT trainer, and CDL instructor here.

The reason that you are getting conflicting reports is that throughout the years, Prime changed the length of time of training depending on truck and freight availability and driver incidents. Vague and ever changing time frames and plans are the basis for trucking. If this doesn't sit well with either of you, you will both be stressed.

For almost 2 years, prime had the requirements as 50,000 miles of team training. Due to low freight volumes and trainer shortages, yes it was taking 5 to 6 months. They recently reduced it to 30,000 miles.

It is impossible to give you an accurate time frame of how long that will take due to freight, truck shop time, trainer and student home time...and how well the student does. Hit something or get a ticket? It could add 10,000 more miles. Which could be another 2 to 3 weeks. Truck breaks down and needs to wait for a part? Could delay things.

I have never, ever, ever heard anyone say 42 days. A day or week has never been Prime's requirements. About 15 years ago, they did have 6 months. Other than that, it has always been miles. 30,000 if you go through Prime for your CDL and 40k if u come with a CDL. Before last week... from Oct 2022 to last week it was 50k & 60k truck miles.

I usually had 30,000 mile TNTs done in 8 to 9 weeks and got us a week of home time in there. But it depends on the trainee. I had one woman who was so bad, after 6 weeks we only had 18,000 miles. Welcome to trucking. Things change constantly.

If you cannot handle 4 months apart for the beginning of his career inexchange of a lifetime of CDL knowledge.. do not apply to Prime. He will be learning to drive an 80,000 pound killing machine. It takes 6 months just to learn to back and 2 years for the nervousness of backing to go away. It takes a whole year to learn to manage your clock properly, so please, do not so quickly dismiss the need for training. Most new drivers on this forum, regardless of length of training time, struggle once solo. The longer with a trainer, often the better. We cannot teach everything ... even in 6 months. So the more prepared, the better.

As far as a spouse going to Canada/Mexico.... Prime does not go to Mexico... and mostly experienced teams go to Canada. In 9 years of reefer , I have never gone as I was usually solo or training. That does change with division as Chief Brody here is tanker and goes to Canada a bit. I don't kmow of any spouse at Prime going unless a driver themselves. Ask the recruiter.

As far as PSD with your permit... he will be in orientation almost a week. Then out delivering loads with a trainer for about 3 weeks before taking the exam. Yes, he must go home to get the CDL from your state. Yes, he can take 2 weeks off to work things out BUT... he will not get paid for those 2 weeks as he is "not available for dispatch".

Once he is ready and tells Prime, a trainer will be assigned to pick him up for TNT at which time the 30,000 will begin.

I have a bunch of TNT videos on youtube that can help. There is also a newbie playlist for general trucking info.

Trucker Kearsey Prime TNT

As always Kearsey nailed it.

I was in the era of 30k/40k and wound up on my trainers truck until 38k due to equipment availability issues.

I don't know where you heard "home one night a week" as being OTR this is simply NOT feasible. You may have heard "earn one day home for every week you are out....." Which aligns with current policy.

The following was my fimeline: 4/18/21 arrive in Pittston for orientation. 4/19 Monday, orientation paperwork, computer based training, etc etc 4/20 Tues More of the same. Cleared background checks 4:45pm, told to return to the hotel and wait 4/21 Wed assigned PSD trainer. At that time they did pad based training in some situations. 5/6 Passed my skills tests, trifecta-d. Filled out my actual employment paperwork, and was officially hired. 5/7 put on another TNT trainers truck to get us both to NC. He had home time he needed, his student washed out, they needed more than one drive shift to bounce home. 5/10 finally got my CDL upgraded, and got called that my trainer would be picking me up the next day. 5/11 get on Troys truck. Lots of driving, run hard, etc etc. he had lots of things scheduled for his home time, and I needed the pay, so I was put in a hotel about 30 mins from his home. That time totalled almost three full weeks off when added together. 7/25 get the message that I am being sent to the MotherShip to upgrade to my own truck. 7/26 get to Springfield and do the upgrade classes for company drivers. Have the road skills eval because the sim they use makes me vomit. Yes, I actually vomited. 7/29-31 get things fixed on my truck, get my gear, and settled in. The shops were slammed, so there was a lot of wait time. Chunk had a phantom steering grind. 8/1 picked up my first solo load.

This timeline is wholly dependant on the current freight market, availability of trainers, and how hard a team can run. There is very little a person can do to control some of those factors.

The best thing you can do for your husband right now? Suck it up buttercup and start handling the home stuff. If he can't fix it in 5 minutes on the phone, then it's going to have to wait until he is home. This includes you complaining about him not being home. He is going to be in a seriously high pressure situation, with a steep learning curve that includes death of others at his hands if he makes a mistake.

Great idea NaeNae

Holiday season caused my trainer to take a lot of hometime. 30,000 miles

Arrive at Prime 9/22 Passed CDL exam 10/30

Upgraded & first load 2/14

2 PSD instructors (family emergency instructor quit prime)

2 TNT trainers (First pme wanted another 2 weeks off and i couldnt wait for her, so went with guy #2)

Hope this helps

Neither of us do very well with vague time frames and uncertainty.

This is really going to have to be overcome somehow. Trucking has variables and uncertainty on an almost hourly basis some days. I'd think long and hard about this career if you can't adapt and overcome on a daily basis.

Neither of us do very well with vague time frames and uncertainty.

This is really going to have to be overcome somehow. Trucking has variables and uncertainty on an almost hourly basis some days. I'd think long and hard about this career if you can't adapt and overcome on a daily basis.

This hits the nail on the head.

You'll get used to vague and uncertain or you will stress yourself to the point of insanity.

Yesterday I got to a customer a couple hours early with 40 min left on clock, they were closed. No biggie. An hour later, a security guard came to me.and said the company moved the week before.

The new location was 20 miles away... during rush hour work traffic.. and because my clock got screwed up, i lost a 1500 mile load on this check.

Today i get to shipper an2 hrs early, with a 1500 mile load... and they are telling me the load isn't going where i was told. They wont tell.me where and Prime cannot get answers from the broker.

So it could be going 300 miles to TX or 1400 to Atlanta.. and no one kmows. Been here waiting for an hour.

This is trucking.