Accepted To Prime Training School, Question About Hazmat

Hello everyone, I am very proud to have just been accepted to Prime's training school in Missouri. Although after reading the info they sent me and some of the DMV book, I am very worried. It said in the information packet that all company drivers are required to obtain a hazmat endorsement which would not be a problem for me except that I don't think I will be approved. Both the DMV handbook and the TSA website say that if you have ever been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital that you will be turned down for Hazmat. Although it does say that I could apply for a waiver in this situation. Now I know what you are thinking but it's not like it sounds. I was there for depression briefly a long time ago and have been completely fine since. I have finished college and have been working productively for nearly a decade and I am not on any prescription medicine. I have been completely honest with Prime on my app and during recruiter questioning, however they did not ask any questions regarding this situation. I was so happy to have been accepted and now I don't know what is going to happen with the school and my job with Prime after training. I am assuming the FBI background check they will do at orientation will not show this information since it is a medical record. I have read a lot of conflicting information regarding Prime and hazmat requirements. It even says on one page of their website that you will obtain your CDL with hazmat endorsement (if you want it), but some of their other pages and the packet I was e-mailed it says that all company drivers are requirer to get hazmat. I have read online that they don't require it but that info was a couple of years old. Will an inability to obtain a hazmat endorsement keep me from working for them after finishing training or maybe even cause them to send me home before I finish? Does anyone have up to date information regarding Prime's hazmat endorsement requirement?

I passed the hazmat test when I was getting my permit, but it can only be added after you get your CDL. I didn't go back to that state after getting a Missouri CDL , I don't have a hazmat endorsement on my license now, and they just gave me a truck, so I would say don't worry about it until you have to, which is maybe never.

Yeah don;'t worry about it until it's time to worry...I still haven't got my HAZMAT and I've heard nothing about it

Hello everyone, I am very proud to have just been accepted to Prime's training school in Missouri. Although after reading the info they sent me and some of the DMV book, I am very worried. It said in the information packet that all company drivers are required to obtain a hazmat endorsement which would not be a problem for me except that I don't think I will be approved. Both the DMV handbook and the TSA website say that if you have ever been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital that you will be turned down for Hazmat. Although it does say that I could apply for a waiver in this situation. Now I know what you are thinking but it's not like it sounds. I was there for depression briefly a long time ago and have been completely fine since. I have finished college and have been working productively for nearly a decade and I am not on any prescription medicine. I have been completely honest with Prime on my app and during recruiter questioning, however they did not ask any questions regarding this situation. I was so happy to have been accepted and now I don't know what is going to happen with the school and my job with Prime after training. I am assuming the FBI background check they will do at orientation will not show this information since it is a medical record. I have read a lot of conflicting information regarding Prime and hazmat requirements. It even says on one page of their website that you will obtain your CDL with hazmat endorsement (if you want it), but some of their other pages and the packet I was e-mailed it says that all company drivers are requirer to get hazmat. I have read online that they don't require it but that info was a couple of years old. Will an inability to obtain a hazmat endorsement keep me from working for them after finishing training or maybe even cause them to send me home before I finish? Does anyone have up to date information regarding Prime's hazmat endorsement requirement?

Martin, there are a lot of things you need to do much more important than getting your HazMat endorsement and worrying is NOT one of them . . . Prime has all sorts of requirements that at first seem like stumbling blocks and turn out to be not nearly so critical . . . this HazMat endorsement is one of many . . . Ken C. and I started at Prime at roughly the same time and neither of us has gone through the complete process of getting the HazMat endorsement to date . . . after you get done with the PSD training (a few weeks), come back and test out for your CDL-A and before you go into the second training phase (TNT that lasts a couple of months) you will have to apply at the Prime office for your TWIK which is the process of receiving your clearance to go into Ports-of-entry at U.S. sea ports and other facilities that require this "security clearance" . . . it will be during this process that your problem might surface or it might not - there is no way for me to advise you on that outcome . . . HOWEVER, I have only used my TWIK on two occasions (both times picking up bananas in New Jersey - very high security risk involved with bananas) and I have only been offered ONE HazMat load in six months that I could not accept because I have not completed the process yet . . . I'm still employed at Prime and plan to be there for a bit longer as well . . . what you DO want to do, though, is to take the High Road CDL manual training available on this website (send me $29.95 and I'll get you in like flint!) and get your CDL-A permit BEFORE you get to Springfield . . . this will lower your anxiety level by 80% and give you a leg up on everyone else who has not done so . . . don't worry about what state you test in as Prime has you take the test for the actual license in Missouri and that's where your initial CDL-A license will be . . . OH, one other requirement (well, two, really) get the Pre-trip stuff down to a fine art ASAP (use Daniel B.'s aid you will also find on this site to help you ) and HAVE FUN!!

Jopa

Hello everyone, I am very proud to have just been accepted to Prime's training school in Missouri. Although after reading the info they sent me and some of the DMV book, I am very worried. It said in the information packet that all company drivers are required to obtain a hazmat endorsement which would not be a problem for me except that I don't think I will be approved. Both the DMV handbook and the TSA website say that if you have ever been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital that you will be turned down for Hazmat. Although it does say that I could apply for a waiver in this situation. Now I know what you are thinking but it's not like it sounds. I was there for depression briefly a long time ago and have been completely fine since. I have finished college and have been working productively for nearly a decade and I am not on any prescription medicine. I have been completely honest with Prime on my app and during recruiter questioning, however they did not ask any questions regarding this situation. I was so happy to have been accepted and now I don't know what is going to happen with the school and my job with Prime after training. I am assuming the FBI background check they will do at orientation will not show this information since it is a medical record. I have read a lot of conflicting information regarding Prime and hazmat requirements. It even says on one page of their website that you will obtain your CDL with hazmat endorsement (if you want it), but some of their other pages and the packet I was e-mailed it says that all company drivers are requirer to get hazmat. I have read online that they don't require it but that info was a couple of years old. Will an inability to obtain a hazmat endorsement keep me from working for them after finishing training or maybe even cause them to send me home before I finish? Does anyone have up to date information regarding Prime's hazmat endorsement requirement?

I have been with prime over a year and no one has ever pressured me to get a hazmet endorsement

Thank you everyone. So even though I live in NC, I should get my permit before I leave? Will I have to get a Missouri permit when I get there or just test for the Missouri CDL? Also, I am assuming that you have to pay for the High Road Training Program on here?

Thank you everyone. So even though I live in NC, I should get my permit before I leave? Will I have to get a Missouri permit when I get there or just test for the Missouri CDL? Also, I am assuming that you have to pay for the High Road Training Program on here?

Everything on here is free from what I can see.

Ok, if you have your permit before you come to orientation, you will have to transfer it to missouri. If you don't, then you will test for a missouri permit.

Thank you everyone. So even though I live in NC, I should get my permit before I leave? Will I have to get a Missouri permit when I get there or just test for the Missouri CDL? Also, I am assuming that you have to pay for the High Road Training Program on here?

I live in NC also Martin, and it wasn't hard to get the permit, I tested for my permit in Huntersville NC and passed it first try. It is 100 questions for the class A and it is computerized, the computer reads the questions off to you also. There is a skip function so you can skip questions you aren't 100% sure on and the test will complete as soon as you meet the passing requirement. For example General Knowledge is 50 questions and if you pass 41 of 50 questions the section will auto complete. So you may not even make it back to the skipped questions. I studied High Road for like 2 weeks just read through basically, and then took like a 2 week hiatus and came back to it and finished combo vehicles and went and sat for the permit. I was prepared to fail the first time just to see what it was like, because in NC you get three attempts for the $30 fee. Then there is an additional $15 for the actual permit card. Study up on road signs because NC will give you a sign test and you can't miss any at all. There are 12 signs that they show you, and you will have to pass a color test, and eye test, along with a peripheral vision test. Also all you need is your Driver's License, I took my birth certificate and a bunch of other crap that I thought I needed after reading the NC DMV website. Good luck, and if you are worried just go take the test once and see where you stand. Like I said you don't lose anything but like 30 mins. You have to pay the 30.00 any ways and you get 3 attempts with that application fee. You may pass it and not have to sweat it any longer. BTW I am going to prime on Jan 5th also, so we are on the same path.

Thank you Matthew, perhaps I'll see you there. Unfortunately cost is something of an issue for me. Do you know if it would be costlier in the long run to get my permit in NC and then have to transfer it to MO versus testing for it in MO? Also, I wonder if the tests would be similar in both states or significantly more difficult in one than the other. I am somewhat concerned about having to transfer my license to a MO license in order to get my CDL. How does that even work regarding residency? What will my address on my license be, Prime headquarters? Will my motorcycle endorsement transfer to my MO license? Will I be able to transfer my license and CDL back to NC after completing training without having to take a road test again in NC? I got an e-mail with my orientation on it from prime three days ago when I was accepted and the recruiter told me when I would be leaving and arriving but the bus info portion with the ticket confirmation number and other travel info of my packet was left blank. I wonder if they will send me that info this week or if it was mistakenly left blank because it says "See you at orientation".