Comments By Leedoshuffler

I'd recommend staying away from SRT. This company is based in my home town and has a very bad reputation. I've also got a friend who works as a dispatcher there and he tells me that "mindf**king drivers is how he has fun at his job." Js

Smart move there Katie. I took full advantage of the online training program trucking truth offered. It helped a tremendous amount. I managed to pass my states CDL permit exam with a 97 first time out.

Good luck with the process and training!😊

Hey Katie,

I'm in my 2nd week of TNT training with Prime and have really liked it so far. No company is perfect but this one is a very good one. Most of the drivers I talk to are quite happy with their situation. If you can get your CDL permit before you come to orientation. It will make your first week of jumping thru the hoops less stressful, and believe me it can be a bit stressful. I'd also not be in a super rush to find a PSD trainer. I'd suggest trying to spend a few days on the training pad and getting a feel for the backing procedures. It sometimes hard to get much backing practice on the road. When you do find a trainer spend some time talking with them and getting a feel for how and why they train. Don't just let them choose you, be involved. Good luck and I hope all goes well for you.

Got a question regarding hill / mountain driving in a lightweight. I've been out here training in a full size Peterbuilt. When I get my own truck it'll be a lightweight Freightliner. Are there any tips, tricks or suggestions regarding doing hill / mountain driving in a lightweight truck?

Starting pay for a Prime company driver in a lightweight is now .43/cpm with a potential of .01-.06/cpm in fuel bonus. They pay a min. Guarantee of $700/ week during the second phase of training.

I'm back from home time and into my second week of company training after getting my CDL. So far this phase of the training is going a lot smoother and I'm enjoying it quite a bit more. My second phase trainer has a better demeanor and is definitely more laid back. I've been docking into almost every dock we come to and learning more about different types of driving as well as dealing with customers, paperwork and Qualcomm procedures. I also feel much more relaxed and confident driving and it really helps to get a decent paycheck for my efforts. I've enjoyed my experience starting and training with Prime. I'm looking forward to the day I can upgrade to my own truck.

Until next time. Be safe out there all!!

Hmm? Heard about me? Sounds confusing. Don't know what to say to that or feel embarrassed or indifferent. Oh well. Not going to stress. On a positive note my instructor did do a good job of teaching me how to drive in multiple situations and environments. I put in over 110 hours of driving time in the five weeks we were out and feel confident driving in all traffic conditions.

After some much needed home time I'll be going back out with different trainer for the second phase.

Be safe folks!

After about 5 weeks we finally headed back to Prime's HQ for my CDL testing. We came into the terminal a few days early to get some backing practice done. My biggest gripe about the training at Prime was the limited backing practice I got out on the road with my CDL trainer. In 5 weeks I had only 3 dedicated training sessions for backing and 5 chances to actually back into a parking spot or dock. Back at the terminal our first backing practice session went so bad my trainer got three kinds of ****ed at me and started yelling about me getting my head out of my ass or I'd fail. He was under the impression that we had plenty of backing on the road and I should've had it all down - NOT. I also didn't appreciate his ****ed off demeanor towards me. My trainer decided to delay my CDL testing by one day and focus on backing. I decided not to pay attention to his ****y attitude and just focus on getting better at the backing. Over the next three days we put in over 20 hours of backing. I backed so much I had to elevate, ice and medicate my left knee every night. It paid off though. When test day came I got a perfect score on my pre-trip, only 2 points on my backing and missed a trifecta pass on day one when I didn't quite get all my trailer in a turn lane during the road test. I managed to get a passing score on the road test the next day. Now I've got my CDL license and I'm officially a Prime employee. Now I'm heading out for a week of home time before getting back on the road with my 2nd phase trainer. It was a tremendous relief to finally pass my CDL test and get my license. Now I've got my second phase of training to get thru before I get my own truck but I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Until next time! Be safe out there folks!

Thanks for your replys.

I can see why I should use more motivations then just sleeping patterns. I don't mind running a few nights every week especially if it means more money. This far in my reefer training I've run midnight to six 80-90% of the time. I actually been inspired by Old Schools comments regarding the extra exercise, challenges of securing a load and satisfaction of a well secured or tarped load. I've found myself looking over all the flatbeds I see and observing how well their loads are set up. I'm not a big guy, 145lb soaking wet, but I'm tough (former marine) and I believe I can handle the physical and mental challenges ahead.

Wish me luck at finding a second phase flatbed ding trainer. Our company does both but primarily runs reefer. So finding a flatbed trainer will be more difficult.

I've gone thru a few weeks of CDL training. I've been out on the road with my instructor who runs in a Reefer division. All this driving all night and sleeping during the day is driving me crazy.

After I get my CDL I'll have a choice of running flatbed or reefer. I'm strongly leaning towards flatbed now. My instructor stated that flatbedders generally run during the day and stole I. The evening.

Is this generally the case?