Made It To Prime

Well, made it to Springfield this morning. I would have put something on here sooner except all I wanted to do was take a shower and take a nap.

Made the walk to Walmart and now to steak and shake.. Feel like I'm finally getting settled, that trip on the dog killed me.

Looking forward to getting started tomorrow... I'll keep y'all updated.

Ahbleza

Hi Ahbleza,

Glad to hear you made the trip safely and I will be looking forward to following your progress too! I have a question for you since you are also from Ohio....did you consider Millis Transfer for school and if yes, what kept you from going there? I like what they have to offer and the school is about 7 miles from where I live. It did appear in the info Brett has on them they don't hire from Ohio, which I thought was a little strange. I figured I would call and ask them anyway, but if you have any info you gained I'd love to hear about it!

Well, made it to Springfield this morning. I would have put something on here sooner except all I wanted to do was take a shower and take a nap.

Made the walk to Walmart and now to steak and shake.. Feel like I'm finally getting settled, that trip on the dog killed me.

Looking forward to getting started tomorrow... I'll keep y'all updated.

Ahbleza

Welcome to the Family Of Prime Inc...! I'm in the 3rd week of TNT training and can't wait to get finished and upgrade..

Ken

Hi Ahbleza,

Glad to hear you made the trip safely and I will be looking forward to following your progress too! I have a question for you since you are also from Ohio....did you consider Millis Transfer for school and if yes, what kept you from going there? I like what they have to offer and the school is about 7 miles from where I live. It did appear in the info Brett has on them they don't hire from Ohio, which I thought was a little strange. I figured I would call and ask them anyway, but if you have any info you gained I'd love to hear about it!

Millis was on my list for a bit, and I did actually go by Brett's site on them not hiring from Ohio and eliminated it from the list. Besides They're a strictly Dry Van Company, I was looking for a company that had a bit of Variety in their divisions.

I ended up with a short list of Knight, Prime, and Roehl. While looking at the different companies and reading a variety of things on Websites I decided I would either try Prime or Knight, so I called both. Knight NEVER called me back even after calling more than a few times. Prime was right on top of things. Plus Prime has garnered quite a group on this site and I liked what I was hearing. So, in the end I only filled out one application, got approved and here I sit....waiting for class.

Good luck at Prime! Just a tip, it can be difficult to find an instructor. Its like a draft. So make sure you're always keeping an eye out for one. You'll find instructors on the training pad talking to students occasionally. They're out there searching for a good student, make sure you put yourself out there and label yourself as an easy student to the best of your abilities. Talk to people, be social.

Also, start learning that Pre-Trip Inspection right now. Seriously. I made a comprehensive thread about the Pretrip Inspection at Prime Inc. Its specific to Prime so if you memorize what I wrote on the thread you'll pass it no problem.

Pre-Trip Inspection by Daniel B.

Ahbleza, I second what Daniel said about the pre-trip: they will give you a copy of the pre-trip info and it's about five pages long. MEMORIZE IT!! You will have lots of opportunity to practice the pre-trip during the PSD phase - use it. My instructor never did pre- or post-trip inspections himself and only quizzed me a couple of times. Make sure you memorize ALL of the info verbatim and don't change the verbiage as the exact wording will be VERY important on your CDL license test. Also, be prepared for a complete culture shock when you do go out on the road for your PSD gig. And be patient - be very patient. Resist the urge to complain about anything or "set things right" with your instructor. As I have read elsewhere and love to say now myself: "Suck it up!" Humility will be the best atitude to adopt as you WILL encounter situations that may discourage you. Interesting word, that: dis - courage; as in removing your courage. Don't let anything bother you very much but if it does, call a friend or relative who will let you vent. Don't allow tension to build between you and your instructor. That's the best advice I can give you. Good Luck,

Jopa

Ya know, I just realized I missed mentioning Day One here. So I'm just gonna do a real brief post on both day 1 and 2.

KEY POINT: This entire week is an interview, treat it as such. Dress Appropriately, and keep your language at a business level(watched a guy get reprimanded for cussin' up a storm while waiting for File review. And by dressing appropriately I don't mean suit and tie, I mean don't wear stuff with all sorts of swearing or inappropriate graphics or jokes. KEEP IT CLEAN.

Day One:

Get your 5:45 wake up call and get cleaned up. Once all that is done head up to the cafe for breakfast at 6:00, don't stress breakfast to much yet, you have time. Class starts at 7, they follow the same general rule I've held my life to, Early is on time...On time is late. You'll go through Roll call, get a brief intro and be given run through of all the paperwork you'll have to complete. Then off to your File Review(Have your $100) and your physicals. BE PREPARED TO WAIT. My class started with 76 people, this can take a while. Also if you have any concerns with health, I'd recommend getting that physical out of the way first, That way if your condition is correctable you're ready to go on Day 2. Once you have these things out of the way head into the SIM lab to work on your CBT(Computer based Training). You'll have to watch 9 videos, and answer quiz questions getting 100%, so PAY ATTENTION! But really, if you don't get that 100%, reread the questions, and correct your answers. That pretty much completes DAY 1 so head back to your room, Walmart if you need to, and get your rest. It has only just begun.

Day Two:

Get your 5:45 wake up call. (class doesn't start till 8:00) Get cleaned up and hit up the cafe for breakfast. Be at class before 8:00 again..EARLY IS ON TIME, ON TIME IS LATE!!!! After ROLL CALL, anyone who still needed to complete the File Review or physical(or go back and be rechecked in the physical) were free to do so. If you still need to complete some of your CBT's go ahead and do it. Report back to the classroom at 11:00 after ROLL CALL, we had a bit more intro into the program. Went over what you need for the CDL Permit and if you had one what you needed to have in order to make sure it satisfied the requirements for your PSD. After all this if you still need File review or Physical GET IT DONE. Shuttles leave for DMV at 1 to take your permit tests, so be ready. Also for those of us who had our Permit we got to meet up at the SIM LAB at 3 for an intro into the SIM, then we got to start working through the different simulations. I really do believe this is a great way to introduce someone to the basics of the truck without endangering the students, the equipment, or anyone else. Though, even I understand that it feels nothing like a truck. Also DON'T TREAT IT LIKE A GAME, watched someone today ignore the signs take her truck off road, around an accident, and start giggling like a fool. She got ripped into pretty hard about how it wasn't funny.

BTW: Those CDL Trainers are here, watching all the students, getting a feel for you. Don't be surprised when one of them starts asking you questions, then says something like lets take a walk. It happened to me on day 2...He went over the rules on his truck, how he works showering, and how he planned to work through the process. He then took my name and said he'd request me today.

I'm up for Day 3 - Damn that 5:45 wake up call.......class today isn't until 8:30....I'll make a post either tonight or tomorrow on that..and once done with all this I'll transfer these posts to more of a Diary format for the CDL Diaries section.

Day 3:

As I said earlier the phone went off at 5:45 even though class isn't until 8:30. Got to class at 8:30 and sat through roll call, after that those who still needed to complete their Permit testing were permitted to leave, those who had a permit stayed for a brief introduction to the Pre-trip. After a quick once over of basic terminology and the engine compartment we went out to the lot and got a look at some of the trainer/trainees trucks. then back in for a quick Roll Call and dismissed for lunch. After lunch we headed back out to the lot to work around the trucks some more, and that was it. during our little lunch break I did manage to get in my last Sim practice.

Overall today was a short day, I'm going to be working over the pre-trip tonight and getting prepped for tomorrow.

Ahbleza how did you apply for the training? Is it a paid training?

I just went to Prime Inc, Paid Apprenticeship Training and applied.

As far as if paying for it...You sign a contract, and as long as you stay for an Entire year, you pay nothing. In any case that link will give you all the details and information.

The only thing it doesn't mention is that I agree with everyone here...It may cost you a bit more but get a DOT Physical and your permit w/ tanker endorsement before you get here. It saved me so much time, trouble, and stress.