My Prime Journal

So here goes. I'm sitting in the Greyhound station in Harrisburg Pa. 12:20pm Sunday May 24, 2015. My bus doesn't leave til 2pm. My girl friend/ride here had to work so I get to start my hurry up and wait life a little early. All good. Gives me time to check in here and do some high quality people watching. Nothing like inner city people watching. Unless something interesting happens on my way to Springfield Mo my next update will come after my 23 hour and 10 minute bus journey. Really a huge thanks to this site for getting me this far. The High Road made it a breeze to pass the written test. I really feel like reading these forums will give me a huge advantage in getting started and staying safe in this industry. Thanks again Rick O

Sounds like your getting it! Keep us posted!

Packed up and ready to roll. Waiting for my laundry to dry. Than shuttle over to the millennium building to meet my trainer. 4 hours on the pad than we're picking up a load and going somewhere.

My trainer says the only time he will drive is when Im too tired or struggling getting into a doc. I will be his fifth trainee and four before me all passed their cdl test. So I think I got a good one.

Next update from the road.

Enjoy the ride, Rick. I like people watching, too. Soon you can sit in a truck stop and begin truck watching! That includes watching the truck drivers, as well as watching the trucks back in to narrow slots!

Thanks for keeping a Prime journal and, only a day? Pfft. My routes are showing over two days on the grey dog! Keep us updated. What division are you aiming for? Did you use the High Road Training Program?

Thanks for keeping a Prime journal and, only a day? Pfft. My routes are showing over two days on the grey dog! Keep us updated. What division are you aiming for? Did you use the High Road Training Program?

Hmm Jessica must have stop reading my first post half way thru. Haha yeah I used High Road and the written test was a breeze. Not sure what division. Thought I would like flatbed. I was talking to someone who worked here and they said the flat bed division goes thru lulls in work. Anyone find that to be true? He said reefer gets batter loads? Anyone find that to be true?

Anyway I made it here. Got signed in. Had my boxed lunch now just chillin. The ride went smooth and mostly boring other than the drunks at the white castle at 1am last night in Indianapolis. Pretty funny, Not sure what tomorrow has in store. They said a class at 7am and whiz quiz and physical. Hope there is more to it than that.

I look forward to seeing how your experience compares with mine. I got to the Campus Inn about an hour and a half ago and just finished going though the paperwork.

First full day is almost over. Woke at 5am got the wake up call at 5:40. I was in line for breakfast when they opened at 6. Good food, had eggs potatoes and bacon. Orientation class started at 7am. Went to around 9. Mostly followed along on paperwork. Pretty boring stuff. We were put in four groups a-d. I am in group d. We had 5 things to accomplish today. I started with the interview. Thanks to a tip on TT I sat in the back of the class and got out the door first. Which led to being interviewed first. From there I was told to go to apex testing. On my way there I passed the whiz quiz line and it only had 3 people in it. Wasn't passing the opportunity so I got in line. Passed the quiz and was sent to the doc physical. Not many in line there yet either. I had an issue with my cpap report so I had to go see someone in the sleep study office. All good and cleared. From there went to the apex test. No line at all. Lifted a few boxes, climbed a ladder and that completed everything for the day until my 8:30 to 11pm scheduled driving simulator. Don't know how I got thru it all so fast but by 1pm I was done and off to lunch. Since I had so much time I knocked out all my cbt and now just chillin in my room til dinner time. So far this has been a good experience. Everyone here has been really friendly. Feeling like I made a good choice. The only disappointment was I watched a video of the Prime Millennium Campus with the gym and basketball court and lounge with pool tables. I thought that was where I was going. Its not. This isn't a dump by any means just not what was in the youtube video. Tomorrow starts with Logging class at 7:30 am Not much else all day. Maybe a trip to DMV to switch my permit to Mo. Again simulator at 8:30 to 11pm. Hope there is more to do tomorrow. Nap time now............

I look forward to seeing how your experience compares with mine. I got to the Campus Inn about an hour and a half ago and just finished going though the paperwork.

Awesome. Sit by the door tomorrow morning and maybe you will have day like mine. When I left for my room at 4:30 there was still a good sized line for the doc. Good luck

I look forward to seeing how your experience compares with mine. I got to the Campus Inn about an hour and a half ago and just finished going though the paperwork.

Awesome. Sit by the door tomorrow morning and maybe you will have day like mine. When I left for my room at 4:30 there was still a good sized line for the doc. Good luck

Haha your day was much different than mine. Apex took about twenty minutes with the wait and all, then over to the drug test, where I waited for 45 minutes. The line for the nurse was another 20 minutes, and then another 20 minute wait to see the doc. After that, I took a couple of written CDL tests as I don't have my permit yet. I'm surprised at how many people came without studying - I used The High Road, and passed my Gen Knowledge and Combination first try. I'll do the rest tomorrow - I ran out of time due to having to be in the sim lab. I am group A, so I was done at 3:30.

After that, I made my way to the interview, which I didn't walk out of until 5pm due to the line - last one of the day, I believe. The interview itself was less than 5 minutes as I don't have anything on my records. I ate dinner, my only meal of the day, and did CBTs until about 7:30.

I don't envy group D, by the way...

Sorry to hijack your thread, just throwing out my contrasting experience. Lots of hurrying up to wait!

I look forward to seeing how your experience compares with mine. I got to the Campus Inn about an hour and a half ago and just finished going though the paperwork.

Awesome. Sit by the door tomorrow morning and maybe you will have day like mine. When I left for my room at 4:30 there was still a good sized line for the doc. Good luck

Haha your day was much different than mine. Apex took about twenty minutes with the wait and all, then over to the drug test, where I waited for 45 minutes. The line for the nurse was another 20 minutes, and then another 20 minute wait to see the doc. After that, I took a couple of written CDL tests as I don't have my permit yet. I'm surprised at how many people came without studying - I used The High Road, and passed my Gen Knowledge and Combination first try. I'll do the rest tomorrow - I ran out of time due to having to be in the sim lab. I am group A, so I was done at 3:30.

After that, I made my way to the interview, which I didn't walk out of until 5pm due to the line - last one of the day, I believe. The interview itself was less than 5 minutes as I don't have anything on my records. I ate dinner, my only meal of the day, and did CBTs until about 7:30.

I don't envy group D, by the way...

Sorry to hijack your thread, just throwing out my contrasting experience. Lots of hurrying up to wait!

.. All good highjack anytime.

Today was allot of down time. Class at 730am on log books. Med cards at 1030. Quick shuttle to DMV to transfer permit. They didn't except my air brakes from PA so I had to take that test again. Took less than 5 minutes. $32.50 Got a copy to the office than off til 830pm. Walked over and got a much needed hair cut.

Sim lab went much smoother tonight. That double clutchin took a minute to get the rhythm.

Really not as much going on as I thought. Lots of down time. I read other posts that talked about how they spent their down time on the pad doing backing and pretrip practice. If that was true before it isn't goin on now. We wont see the pad until the weekend. So looks like a day or two on the pad before they throw you in the deep end and you hit the road.

I think we go to the millennium building saturday too.

No more late night sims for me. Glad that is over. They have a shuttle to what they call coyboy church tomorrow night, Might go check that out. Have to find a place to watch the Rangers game 7 friday night.

Tomorrow should be a very exciting update. It starts with an insurance class. Than a ton of down time.

That double clutchin took a minute to get the rhythm.

The simulators were open from 11-Midnight to practice, so I took advantage of that. I've officially double clutched myself sore...