Comments By Ahbleza

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.

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.

Funny you should ask this...Considering I have an Ohio Permit and I'm in Prime PSD Orientation week this very moment.

There are three questions you need to be able to say YES to.

1. Is my permit going to be VALID for at least 30 days? 2. Do I hold a Tanker endorsement? 3. Am I medically Certified in my state so I can drive INTERstate?

If you can say YES to ALL 3 questions you will not need to transfer your permit.

As far as should you have your permit and all that before you show up? It definitely made my life easier. They sent everybody who needed a permit over yesterday and quite a few didn't pass, so they have to retest today. And they don't teach you, it's all self study. So while you may need to throw down some $$ to do it in your home state for the physical and all that, I say go ahead and get it done. Save yourself the stress.

There seems to be a lot of strange people here.

HEY NOW!!! What you mean strange? lol... But really..everything he said is just about right, including the number of "strange" people here. Myself among them.

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.

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

Congratulations... Way to make it... I'm looking forward to hopefully posting something similar here in a month or so. Currently I'm just trying to settle after my ride on the dog.

As far as the desktop mode vs mobile mode on phones. Especially the note 3. Why not just hit menu then tell your browser to request the desktop site.

Congratulations... I'm currently on the bus headed out to prime

I would think so. If you had your corporation issue you W-2's under the business name, to your personal name, this indicates income. Not just income but traceable income. Regardless if you were the owner of the corporation and the sole Employee, or had multiple employees.

But lets face it, this is an educated guess at best. The only thing I can really suggest is talk to a couple recruiters and as them, They could give you a more definitive answer.