Profile For Secola S.

Hi everyone! Thanks for your words of encouragement. I was planning on going back out with my trainer and doing everything right. That's what I needed to do. That's what I was going to do. However, something happened and someone said something and a rumor was taken over truth. I now have another job lined up closer to home, better home time, and better pay. Prime is a great company, I just ran into some bumps. I will pay them back every penny as I move on to this next company.

Jimbo has a point too. You might want to try talking to a trainer and see what his take is on this. Also talk to Brett Aquila.

Best of luck to you.

-mountain girl

Hi! I've talked to my trainer. He knows about everything that's going on. He told me it might be best if I go to the reefer division. I will probably get my miles done quicker and I'll be able to get home sooner and more often. My dispatcher probably won't be happy about that at all. Before I came out to get my license I did a ton of research and I talked to family members who drive. I knew I would be gone for weeks at a time and not able to see my family. But when important matters come up pertaining to my family, I need to be here. My uncle and aunt told me that's expected and he's been driving 40 years!!

Work for Prime now. Got my CDL 2 weeks ago. Got it on the first try. After 2 months in student driver training, I learned what I think I needed to know. In 2nd stage of training now. Driving a Pete now, it's like I'm learning all over again and all the stress (wow). I learned on a freightliner, so for this noob like me, it's like night and day between the 2 trucks and super different. I'm having a hard time :(. I have a disabled son who is my everything! Finally got to see him after 2 months and my dispatcher called today and chewed me out!! He told me i've been home too long, I need to get back on the road ASAP, I have an obligation to them. He told me I change my mind too much; I have too much going on. He was very discouraging. I'm kind of in between a rock and a hard place. My trainer now is an awesome guy but if I go back out with him I probably won't see my son again for another 2 months. If I go back to the terminal I might be waiting around for a few days (I really don't mind) for another trainer. I could go to another company that offers better home time. I've heard from 2 so far, one said I could be home every other week and the other says I would be home every 3 weeks. I just don't know what to do now. Prime is awesome but my family comes first.

Hi everyone! Cece again. I got my cdl 2 weeks ago on my first time. I practiced so much that weekend leading up to it but after all the time and frustration I got it. I am the proud owner of my own cdl now. I had 3 different trainers but my last one was awesome and taught me how to drive that truck! Now....everything has gone down hill since then. I have a 3 year old son who is my everything and he happens to be very special with autism. I'm now in the phase where I rack up miles to gain more experience with another driver. My new trainer has a peterbuilt and I learned on a Freightliner. In my noob opinion it's like night and day. Oh yeah and did I mention I run flatbed :). Yay for female flatbedders!!! Anyways, I came home 9 days ago. My trainer said it was fine since I have a family and I had important things to take care of since I've been gone for 2 months. Well, today my dispatcher (who has been on vacation the past week) calls me up and chews me out! Yea, we almost get into it over the phone. He says that I hopped off the truck, I have an obligation to them, I need to get back out there ASAP. Well, buddy, my family will always come before my job!! He had an assessment for preschool and his autism today and another one on the 31st. I really do feel like I am in a catch-22 situation. If I go back out I probably won't be able to get back home for his next meeting, really I probably won't see my son again for 2 months. Nothing against peterbuilts but learning all over again is going to be tough for me and I just got my license. Not seeing my son though for another chunk of time is going to be hard. I've put in applications at other companies because I need home time. All the small local companies want a certain amount of experience so I haven't applied with them. But, yea, I love where I was trained but if they can't understand that my family comes first and I don't want to learn all over again then something is up. I really don't know what to do now. I can go back out with my trainer or I can go onto another company. I'm venting again in this post, I'm sorry.

Hi all! Cece here again. Im in the co sponsored program with Prime. I've been on the truck with my instructor for 3 weeks and 2 days and I have about 45 hours. He didn't let me drive for the first few days and after those days we were on roads that were not beginner friendly. After the initial nervousness of driving this big blue truck I started to stop thinking so much and start driving. Anyways, now I am on my way back to the terminal because I am in need of a new instructor. The one I have is a cool guy but a lax teacher. I am still messing up on the same things that I messed up on at the beginning. I've told my instructor and dispatcher what kind of training I need and he still hasn't given it to me. A couple examples: my instructor has never shown me how to properly back up the truck. When I'm practicing backing he is either outside of the truck or in the truck on the phone whilst also giving me varying hand signals. Dude, am I the only person that needs to be shown how to do something. Maybe I am dumb, but I know I can drive this truck if an instructor shows me how instead of talking on the damn phone. My second big problem according to him is i grind the gears sometimes. I'm still a noob, of course I grind them but I get them in gear most of the time now. Which I had to teach myself. I double clutch and my instructor floats the gears. I'm still learning how to to not jerk the truck when taking off through the lower gears. I've asked my instructor for help but he hasn't told me anything yet. He's mostly on the phone. Sorry I am venting. I really do like driving and I think I can do it. I know I can do it. Hopefully I'll be back learning soon.

Hey hey. By the way, I am so nervous about the truck simulators. Someone told me they send people home if they mess up too much. Anyways I've been watching videos and stuff about changing gears and getting the gist but I know that is not going to help much. You ladies have any advice on starting out moving a truck and changing gears? Ya know, that kind of stuff?

Hey! After the crazy bus ride from NC to MO, I finally got to prime on Sunday evening. And, man, were you guys right. They pushed us in the deep end. After hardcore studying for the cdl permit test, I passed it on the first day. I did have to do the combination vehicles test twice but it wasn't that bad after all, as long as you study. I almost have everything ready for Friday when we go meet trainers but I am still waiting on medical stuff. They had to know everything about my past pregnancy 3 years ago because the nurse from trinity told me to include that on they form. I've been healthy since my pregnancy but I had a really bad and complicated pregnancy. Anyways, wish me luck that they get all the information they need. And I had to take a sleep test even though I've never had a problem with my sleep. I'm not worried about that as much, maybe they'll teach me something. My class on Monday was huge and everyday I see people leave; gotta keep my head up. It's cool here and I've learned a lot so far, hopefully I can finish everything up and get a trainer on Thursday or Friday.

Hi! I start CDL training with Prime Inc. on Monday. I've been a stay-at-home mom with part time jobs for the past 2 and a half years and now it's my turn to go out into the work force full time to bring home the bacon. This move is something I've been planning to do for a while now and my family is not so young anymore (in my opinion) that I feel like they are helpless. Well, any advice anyone can give me would be great!!!! Thanks much!