Looking To Going To Prime Trucking.

So for awhile now i have been saving to get my CDL in my own state but that doesn't seem to be working very well for me. I have been looking into some companies like Prime trucking to get my CDL. I was wondering how many people have gone through it. what are the pros and cons of going. All i know of is that you do have to sign a 1 year contract which I'm kind of nervous about. If you break the year you have to pay them back $3727.52. if you break the contract after 6 months you pay back half. I would like to get my license in my home state so i don't need a contract. If anyone has any. thing to add to this please feel free I'd love to hear from you.

http://www.gofundme.com/CDL-Training

My experience with Prime's training program was a positive experience. I came into Springfield the first week and showed up and did all the things that were required to get on the road. During PSD phase it was all on the job practical experience on the road doing real work where I had to get to 70+ hours worth of driving time which we were able to do in about 2 1/2 weeks. We then came back to Springfield to learn the finer points of backing and hammer down on everything that would be covered on the CDL exam for about 2 days. From there the TnT phase amounts to team driving where my trainer progressively became less hands on over the course of 30,000 miles as his trust grew in what I could do. After about 7 weeks of team driving I'm back in Springfield doing my upgrade and getting my own truck.

I chose Prime because I learn best by doing and they seemed to be the best for doing that. As far as the 1 year commitment goes I'm not worried at all as I get along well with my dispatcher and everything I've seen up to this point I like.

I did my CDL training with Prime, although it was back in 2008 so things may have changed. I had quite the experience there, as you will read. My overall experience was positive with nothing bad to say regarding the company. The hotel was clean, the instructors were nice and were willing to answer everyone's questions, so if you have a question, ask. The time spent there was short, only a few days. I don't remember exactly what was done each day, but you started off with paperwork. Then you went or physicals and pee tests. After that was out of the way, people from different areas came in and talked and let you know of what their department can offer you as support while you are out there. You had to study the first night, cause the second day you did your written exam to get your temps. Then there was yard training, you got to hop into a truck with an instructor and a couple other students and learn the basics of the truck while in the yard. Once the instructor was confident in the group of students, who alternated who was behind the wheel, you took to the road. This was good to show you shifting and turning, it was in an area with no other traffic. The mood in the truck was light, with some joking around, but plenty of informative tips and corrections. Once the yard instructor felt comfortable letting you loose, you got assigned a trainer.

My trainer was a cool guy, very easy going, worth his weight in gold with information. We clicked right form the start, which leads me into my story. After meeting him, we went and met his DM , and he gave me a tour of the place. Their home office is awesome, and there are a ton of driver amenities there. His DM texted him to say that the load info was on the way to his Qualcomm , so we headed to the truck. After getting settled in, he showed me the Qualcomm and what he did accepting the load and all that. Then we were on the way to pick up the load, with me behind the wheel from the start. After picking up the load, securing it (I was pulling a flatbed), and getting headed west, the instructor started having some pain in his stomach. It started getting worse, so he said "I need to lay down, and you need to get me to a hospital." So here I am, green as green can be behind the wheel, no smartphone cause they weren't really around then, and no gps in the truck, and my instructor is no longer actively with me and needs medical attention. Luckily, there was a hospital sign at the next exit, so I followed the signs into town and got him there. He had to have emergency surgery, and I had to decide what to do as I was stuck in a truck with no instructor. I called the DM, he got a team to come repower the load, and the DM gave me the option to kick it in the hotel for a couple days, or to have a new instructor come pick me up. I decided to stay with him, and 4 days later we were back on the road.

Ok, so after all that, I got my miles in, got back to the yard, and then had to take a road test. My trainer thoroughly ran me through everything that would happen on the test, and made sure that I was able to do each task with no issue. This meant that when we weren't running and waiting for a load, we were practicing. I even got good a parallel parking, and it did come in handy one time at a small truck stop where the only open spot was against the curb between 2 parked trucks.

I left after getting my CDL, so I never did the team portion of my training. Only reason I left was to pursue an opportunity that landed in my lap and had me regional 6 months later, after teaming with a trainer for a while followed by an OTR commitment, which worked for me as I had my first kid on the way.

Sorry for the novel here, but wanted to let you know my general experience. I'm actually just getting back into trucking, starting orientation with Western Express 2 Sunday's from now, so the reminiscing is pretty nice.

Good luck with your training. And remember, it is all you who decides how your career goes. I ran into many people that didn't have good things to say about their company, including the company I was driving for, but they just seemed to have a sour attitude in general.