Comments By Tom B.

The $3,000 commitment was for the flatbed equipment I would have had to pay for.

Thank you for replying Errol.

With Prime you can finish the 1st week of orientation, go out in Phase 1, then return and test out, at which point you would receive a Missouri CDL. THEN you would be obligated for 2 years in order for the school to be "free". I did not earn any pay, so was therefor never an employee. I have NO further obligation to them, period.

YES, all of the reasons I quit were because I was suprised. The recruiter lied in terms of the commitment and choice of division, and after I arrived the personnel lied about the commitment structure AND lied by omission the cost of flatbed equipment. I don't care to work for anyone who blatantly lies about such important details. When said matters were addressed, for personnel to tell me I can "like it or lump it", is a red flag and I wasn't willing to chance 2 years of who-knows-what's-next worrying. Even if I was ok with the contract and dealt with the trainer, I wasn't able to change from flatbed (I said from day 1 I wasn't interested in that division). Why would I in my right mind continue when at worst I could learn from this, and choose more wisely next time? I am failing to see my "disasterous" consequences here people...

I have a CDL. I have not graduated from a driving school. I chose not to continue with Prime. I have learned a lot from all of it. I am now back to square 1, the difference is I have a CDL and have spent money instead of making it.

I still don't even know if I qualify for a "refresher" course and start team training with another company, like Western Express, or what the best approach for me is at this point...

I appreciate everyone's opinions, yet nobody is helping with a solution or advice. I can not go back in time. What would you do if it was you in my situation?

Thank you for replying Shiva.

I started with a school, I chose to quit that school, I am now with a CDL and unsure what to do. If I made a bad decision and decided to suck it up and take a chance on things working out for 2 years so as to not be liable for the cost of the school, as opposed to what I chose to do, then so be it. I may or may not regret it in the future.

The bottom line is this [as I stated in my huge post]... I said it simply sounded to me like that IF I had a preference, western 11 and dryvan sounded good. I hope I am able to find a company to start with [i forgot to mention western express] where I could start in a team situation in order to gain the experience necessary to be a reliable solo driver, where the pay during that training is ok, and where the commitment to that company is 1 year or less.

Perfection is always desired, never expected. I completely understand I will have very little choice as to route, region, etc. I simply noted my preferences in order to enlighten anyone who cared to comment, as to my current situation, and my future goals.

I am always happy to receive criticism, I just hope it is constructive. I am still hoping to get any actual valuable advice, and perhaps this thread would then be able to not only guide myself, but others in the future:)

Dang it Tom, why didn't you participate in the forum before you got yourself into this predicament? We could have helped you get through the things at Prime that you perceived as insurmountable problems, and helped keep you from messing up your first year. You keep saying you know how important your first year is and yet you did everything you could to give yourself a black eye.

I'm sorry, but this first post of yours aggravates me. We could and would have done everything we could to help, and now you've decided you'll come to us after screwing everything up. I'm flustered to say the least, and I'm on the road today taking my thirty minute break right now. I'll jump back in here tonight and see if there's anything I can offer to help you redeem yourself.

Old School, I see your posts all of the time, and you always help with great advice. Thank you for replying.

I understand your point completely. I could have done more to try and work things out, and patience is definitely a virtue in this industry. I felt like staying there would have been a constant battle, and since I had a relatively low investment up until that point I decided to cut my losses and pursue better options. Staying there, IMHO, would only lend itself to possible greater problems, not to mention that if I had obtained my CDL through them I would be on the hook for $5,500 less the prorated portion of time I drove for them. My actions resulted in no financial commitment to them, and a neutral departure. Perhaps I made an unwise choice, I am new to everything related to trucking. I am sure I will make more unwise choices, but I am trying to start my new career under the least stressful conditions possible:)

Some of my research has shown that some companies, Maverick for instance, will hire straight out of private schools. They have about a 6 week driver training program then put you out on your own. Others may have more info.

Thanks for your reply Scott. I did not graduate from any school, I simply have 3,000 miles experience before I quit Prime, and then obtained a CDL a week later through a private DOT tester for $300. This is the problem, there seems to be no category for my situation, so I am unsure as to how to proceed with my applications, and what to put on them even if I do qualify for another company in any capacity.

Hello everyone!

Let me see if I can explain this in 5,000 words or less...

I got my CDL A Permit 6 weeks ago. I went to Prime's Student Training school (the one I chose after 1 week of reading forums here). I then went to Orientation for 1 week (where I excelled), and on my 8th day there, I had a trainer and drove Team OTR for a week (where I also excelled). After only 2 weeks I quit, but we parted ways neutrally. This was due to my dissatisfaction of being forced into flatbed (with a $3,000 commitment), a trainer who "asked" me to drive on his logs, and being forced to drive 8p-4a only, as well as a 2-year commitment to have the tuition fee paid. Anyway, I decided to leave that school, I returned to my home state, and switched my CDL Permit from Missouri back to my home state. A few days ago I tested through a private tester ($300), and now have my CDL A license. Here is where I am getting completely lost:

I have an excellent employment history, 1 misdemeanor DUI and 1 misdemeanor marijuana possession charge (both are 9 years old), 0 accidents, 0 tickets, 0 failed drug tests, and am in my 40's. I have 3,000 verifiable OTR miles in a Cascadia 10-speed (I printed out my 8-day e-log from Prime). I also was an excellent driver, given that was my first week in a truck, ever. Obviously, I will need experience in weather, backing, Qualcomm, policies and procedures, etc., etc... But NOW what do I do?

I have spent many hours reading through this forum (awesome forum and website!), but am having trouble figuring out what to do next. This is how I understand things to be at this point, so is there anyone who can take a few minutes to correct me and/or offer me advice in terms of what to do next? I would be so grateful:)

1) My first year is VERY important in terms of starting my new career, so I would love to have the luxury of making the right decision so that I can maximize my experience, pay, and overall happiness.

2) I MAY be able to start with May, Gordon, Schneider, Werner, KLLM, or Conway, but would they even accept me under my circumstances?

3) I think I want to be a dryvan driver. I hated driving in the east (traffic, time, roads), and I am partial to the West anyway since it's where I grew up (less traffic, better roads, partial to the geography, etc.). Is it a pipe dream to think I can be a dryvan driver in the western states?

4) I have no problem going through any company's schooling, being a team OTR driver for their requirement period, and suffering with less pay, so long as it's good training and a decent company to start with. My preference (if I could choose that is) would be:

- any training course/timeframe that the company requires (so long as it is paid and my commitment is 1 year or less to that company)

- dryvan western region, solo (team OTR anywhere is ok, but the shorter the training requirement the better)

- the best combination of: pay during training and then solo, perks and equip/routes, and training that makes me the best driver I can be after that 1 year so that I have the experience to perhaps move up.

5) Also, should I even mention Prime? I don't want to lie, but I don't want to seem like I might be a difficult employee or a quitter either. I am guessing any company would know I had a Missouri license so I better be honest about that, but Prime can not legally divulge why I quit, so I am wondering what to even say about that....

6) Should I apply to as many companys as possible, or are companies aware of who I have applied to and would that look bad? Should I consider a service where a 3rd-party company will match me with a trucking company? (I don't know anything about this, or if it's even a viable option in my case).

SOOOO... do I have options in terms of choosing a company that's right for me?

This WILL be new career, I just don't know how to best approach the next stage and what to do. After my 1st year of OTR I am under the impression that everything else will take care of itself and most of my questions will be answered, but right now I am so confused and stuck!!!

I hope these aren't dumb questions, and any advice is welcome!

Thank you all :)