Comments By Randall H

I would check with the companies that you are interested in working for and talk to them to see where they specifically stand on the issue. They may just want you to go through orientation and spend some time with a driver for X number of miles to show them you are ready to drive again. You just would not have to do the part that leads up to taking the CDL exam. Here at Prime that is a separate phase and then once the license is secured the student goes out with a licensed driver/trainer until they reach 30000 miles. Then they get upgraded to their own truck. It would be my guess that you would do that, or some part of that to their satisfaction. Since you are licensed and driving as part of team during that time, you do get paid so it's not wasted, unpaid time. It's just to get you up to speed for going solo. Good luck.

Ask an instructor and they will tell you that nothing gets in the way of a student learning to get their CDL and driving a truck more than.......

Ask a student and they will tell you that nothing gets in the way of an instructor training a student to get their CDL and driving a truck more than.....

Their EGO!!! Both are so true.

Students need to be humble and teachable and realize that the instructor has valuable information to give. Getting defensive when told something only makes learning take longer and does not help anything......well, except maybe their own ego. Good attitude and humbleness go a long way.

Instructors need to be humble and remember that they once were the student and that being all macho goes over like a lead balloon in the eyes of students who just want to learn, NOT become someone's doormat. And what could possibly make driving a truck more difficult that having an instructor being unable to instruct without losing it. The student is already confused and stumbling to do the right thing. Escalating and exacerbating it by becoming a loud in-your-face source of noise is certainly NOT going to help anything.......well, except maybe their own ego. Being level headed and humble go a long way.

Set aside the egos guys. We can be proud of who we are without being puffed up about it.

My 2 cents worth.

You seem to have a steady and solid head on your shoulders and should do very well with Prime. I obtained my CDL by going through Prime's training and documented my experience here as well, right up to the point I went home due to my wife having some complications with her pregnancy. I was out of trucking for nearly a year and when I tried to return I tried to return to Prime, but they said no :(. I still think Prime is a great place to get your start, it's not the easiest carrier to work for as they expect you to be a grown adult and make the right decisions but they do not treat you unfairly. I am now driving a flatbed for Swift and enjoy it here just as much. Good luck to you and be safe on the road!

Thank you Allan and best wishes to you. Glad to hear things worked out for you in the long run. I am considering going tanker division but have questions about it before I go that route. I have heard that being tanker reduces the ability of the dispatcher to match the driver up to requested destinations, i.e. when I want to take days off in a particular city and need a load to take me there. Also I have heard that there can be more deadheading and more chances of there being gaps in getting loads compared to reefer. But I want to talk to someone here at Prime that is in it and can give me firsthand information.

Be blessed and be safe!

Since my last post there is nothing much new. Watched others doing backing maneuvers but only watched as my instructor did not make it there over the weekend. ...too much fun. Yesterday was a very good day of driving, with my performance and comfort level improving. I felt good about my navigation through cities and in traffic on the highway

Still too many students waiting for instructors after a week and a half since orientation ended. The ones waiting end up feeling like kids not wanted on the kickball teams. And some are very good and decent people that would be good students. This is the biggest problem here. One guy is thinking to just go home and many like him quit their jobs to make the change.

Off to breakfast and more driving. ...

Be blessed and be safe.

This thread has helped me so much. I was recently laid off as a web designer and I cannot find work anywhere. I was talking to my uncle over the holiday weekend and he told me I should check out truck driving. I used to have a CDL B when I was younger and have drove passenger with my brother in law a few times, so I was looking for good trucking schools and came across this thread.

I think I might just give Prime a chance.

Thanks for such a detailed thread. Good luck and be safe.

Thanks for the feedback. That is precisely what I want people to gain from it whether they choose Prime or another company. Good luck.

That's cool Daniel. I had thought of doing precisely the same thing. Great job!

Shouldn't a static air check verifying that an air loss of no more than 3 psi happen before the service air ( 4 psi ) check ?

-s-

I understand where you are coming from but it is NOT a part of the test on the exam.

Wow...it is part of the test in NJ. Looks like there's a difference the training and testing in NJ.

Even so, the concept remains the same and that step of the test would be added in at the appropriate place. The main point is seeing the bigger picture of what is happening instead of just memorizing a set of words.

Bravo Randy, Bravo!

Hope you're doing well!

Thanks Daniel. I am doing great. Learning to do the back up maneuvers tomorrow. My instructor said I am doing very well after 1 week. I'm really pumped up and should have my license in hand in 2 weeks. Hope things have smoothed out for you after your rough time off. Holler at me when you get here....if you come here.

Shouldn't a static air check verifying that an air loss of no more than 3 psi happen before the service air ( 4 psi ) check ?

-s-

I understand where you are coming from but it is NOT a part of the test on the exam.

So, here goes….stage 1

Mr. Examiner, I will need you to help me with this by timing me for 1 minute while I firmly hold the brake pedal down, during which time the air pressure should not drop more than 4 psi while I am also listening for air leaks.

Stage 2 I am now going to pump down the brakes until the alarm buzzer and light come on which should occur at or before the air pressure reaches 60 psi.

Stage 3 I am now going to continue to pump down the brakes until both the Tractor Supply and Parking Brake valves pop out which should occur between 40 and 20 psi. IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!

If during this test you realize you made a mistake……….stop and tell the instructor you are going to start over. This is allowed. Then go back to setting up for the test by starting the truck and letting the air compressor build the air pressure to 120 to 125 psi. You are allowed to do it over!!!

If your examiner should ask you if your test is complete, know that he may be asking you to give you a friendly hint that you missed something. He can NOT tell you that you made a mistake, but he can ask you if that completes your test. If he does this, starting over would be a great idea because if you miss even one thing on the test, YOU FAIL!!! If you get it right twice, GREAT!!!

There is nothing that stops you from doing it over. It is not timed. They just want to make sure you know how to do the entire thing 100% right. If that means repeating it, then great, repeat it. But saying you are done and you’ve missed something……..not good at all.

So, learn the big picture and what is actually happening with each stage of the air brake test and it will be a lot easier to remember the stages, how they are done, and what the results should be. That’s how to “BRAKE” it down!

Hope this helps you.