Starting With Prime Inc Next Month
Topic 5306 | Page 1
GM Sir There is alot of great info on here that will help u thru the process take advantage of it all On here U will not get BS from anyone It's all straight truth. Good Luck n B safe
Welcome David. Allow me to give you a few thoughts on your post.
I started with Prime 2 months ago and just finished my 40k miles of otr training. I too am a returning truck driver and am in a similar situation with young kids and a wife at home.
First off did your recruiter let you know how long prime is going to want you on the road and home? If you go company driver, Their policy is 1 day home for every week out, with no more than 4 days at home consecutive. They want you out for a minimum of 3 weeks as well unless you fall into one of their regional areas. With a 2 y/o this is a rough lifestyle. Be sure you're committed to it for at least enough time out will take to get some otr experience you'll need to get a local job near home.
You're worried about failing out of training and being sent home? Brother you've had a cdl already, is gonna come back to you quickly trust me. People with no experience with manual transmissions pass the course. Don't worry about your driving ability that will come back quickly. Just keep a positive attitude with trainers and fellow drivers so you don't get sent home for fighting. =)
Lastly I'm assuming you're going thru psd training? I've talked to a couple of students that were extremely stressed at taking their tests because their trainer only let them drive on the interstate and didn't let them do any backing. IF you get a trainer like that, you can request another. This is an unlikely case but just keep in mind it's a possibility. Talk to your trainer WHEN YOU MEET THEM and make sure you're gonna get backing training in the field so you don't get one of these jag offs that train like that.
Good luck with your endeavors!
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.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
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.
Welcome David. Allow me to give you a few thoughts on your post.
I started with Prime 2 months ago and just finished my 40k miles of otr training. I too am a returning truck driver and am in a similar situation with young kids and a wife at home.
First off did your recruiter let you know how long prime is going to want you on the road and home? If you go company driver, Their policy is 1 day home for every week out, with no more than 4 days at home consecutive. They want you out for a minimum of 3 weeks as well unless you fall into one of their regional areas. With a 2 y/o this is a rough lifestyle. Be sure you're committed to it for at least enough time out will take to get some otr experience you'll need to get a local job near home.
You're worried about failing out of training and being sent home? Brother you've had a cdl already, is gonna come back to you quickly trust me. People with no experience with manual transmissions pass the course. Don't worry about your driving ability that will come back quickly. Just keep a positive attitude with trainers and fellow drivers so you don't get sent home for fighting. =)
Lastly I'm assuming you're going thru psd training? I've talked to a couple of students that were extremely stressed at taking their tests because their trainer only let them drive on the interstate and didn't let them do any backing. IF you get a trainer like that, you can request another. This is an unlikely case but just keep in mind it's a possibility. Talk to your trainer WHEN YOU MEET THEM and make sure you're gonna get backing training in the field so you don't get one of these jag offs that train like that.
Good luck with your endeavors!
Thanks for the encouragement. I've read a quite a few posts about Prime and it's training on here and I feel a lot more confident that this is the best opportunity for me and my family. The more I read, the more excited I get about leaving for Springfield.
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.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
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.
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So...I'm getting back into trucking. I've had my CDL before through Central Ref. but I got stupid and let my CDL Lapse. So I'm starting over. I lightly researched some companies that offer company sponsored training and I came across Prime and they seemed like a good company to get into. I'm definitely nervous about a few things this time around. When I had my CDL before I was single. Now, I have a wife and 2 year old. I definitely want to drive truck (it kind of runs in my blood since my dad did for over 20 years and I got to ride with him every summer.) I worry about being away from my family but at the same time I know this would support my family better than my current job. (I would also get to see this great country.) I also worry about failing at some point during schooling and being sent home with no job to fall back on.
With my little rant over, I look forward to being on these forums and getting to know some people.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.