Comments By David J.

Jonathan, I don't know how long your bus ride will be, but you'll want a little pocket money for the ride. I think I spent $20 on the way up here from Florida, but if you pack some snacks and some water you can cut that way down. Bring some black ink pens, highlighters, and a spiral notebook. Laundry cost $1 per load. Greyhound allows one carry on and one checked bag, a second checked bag cost $15. I brought my bedding with me, but I would probably just buy it at the Walmart if I had it to do over. It's one less thing to keep track of on the bus. There is a Walmart about a 1/2 mile away if you need odds and ends. I brought my study materials on the bus, there's plenty of time to read on there.

Bring "patience", Monday is going to be very busy. We were in lines for everything. Think about it, they're processing around 80 truck drivers, oops I mean Students, through physical, drug screen, and interviews in one day. They are very organized about it though. As long as you move from one task to the next without slacking off, you'll plow right through Monday. If you get here early Sunday you can get a jump on your computer lessons. There's 16 that have to be done by Wednesday, I had mine done on Sunday night. I'm taking my permit test tomorrow and if I pass that I'll only have to do sim lab and a couple of their classes for the rest of the week. I'm not bragging I just think it's a good idea to get off to a good start.

Hope this helps let me know any other questions.

I'm here now and I must say, it's been a great experience so far. I am very impressed with what I've seen up to this point. Now, the greyhound sucks, but I figure Prime spent probably at least $200,000 just on bus fare. That's a lot of money just to get us here. Once, you're here at Campus inn you're pretty well set. The staff is awesome, the food has been real good, the room is cleaned daily, and it's very comfortable here. Today was physical, drug screen, physical agility, and application review, so it was pretty hectic, but I got through everything and I have a little chill time.

Congratulations and good luck. Let me know if you have any questions about my experience here at Prime or if you have any questions about the training program. I have to say I'm glad I came here.

I always say double whatever you think you need.

I'm on the last leg of my 24 hour Greyhound ride to Prime. I'm Beat down, yet wide awake. Lucky I get to relax tomorrow before orientation starts on Monday.

Praying for a speedy recovery.

I'm on the way to Springfield, wish me luck.

It's funny, As I'm reading this, I'm wearing my flip flops, a pair of shorts and my IPad is resting on my fat belly. I'm on my couch though, so maybe I get a pass? Also, would overalls be considered unprofessional attire, if they are clean and complete with a clean shirt and work boots?

Thanks for the input everyone, I admit that "bait and switch" might be a bit harsh, but the point I was making is that the recruiter "sugar coated" the process. We talked about the tuition and he stated several times, I would be approved and even did a follow up call to confirm my start date. He never asked about the strength of my credit and gave me the impression it didn't matter how bad it was. He even told me not to worry about the tuition payments, because the Companies would cover most, if not all, directly. Most of these big companies say, right on the job post, that they will pay the loan directly. To be clear, I'm not attempting to bash Roadmasters as a School. I was enjoying the training there and thought the instructors were doing well. I just feel they should handle finance way sooner in the process, I filled out an application, for the school, in my first meeting with the recruiter. Why not file a credit application at that time instead of blindsiding people in the second week when the school is only three weeks long. I'm not attempting to get anything for free and I understand the commitment I will be making to Prime. I was actually planning on going there originally, but thought getting my CDL first would help with job options. Now, I'm back to my original plan and I'm fine with that. I'm just ready to get rolling.

Thanks Ernie and Rainy, Call it a lesson learned, but that's in the side mirror. I feel really good about going to Prime and hope to have a long career there. I know they have a great training program and a variety of driving opportunities.

After much debate and flip-flopping between company CDL or driving school, I decided to do Roadmasters. I met with one of their recruiters and everything seemed good. I was told that there would be no problems for me to get approved. No mention was made of credit checks or income requirements. At the time of the meeting, I had a full time job and if I was given the full details of the process, I could have made my schedule work and be able to show income on my application. Since I was told everything was "good to go", by the recruiter, I put in my two weeks. Now Roadmasters waits until the 2nd week to process the credit application. I don't know too many people that can put in 50 hours a week at Roadmasters and hold a full time job. I thought I had a good plan for bridging my transition into my driving career. I had all my bills covered for a couple months, some tucked away for emergencies, and a safety net coming in September, but they're wanting $1500.00 as a down payment, there's no telling what the overall payoff is going to be. I had planned on doing tuition reimbursement, but I'm not sure Werner's $7500.00 would even cover the cost of school.

I feel like Roadmasters took me for a ride a bit. They didn't blatantly lie, but they were not forthcoming, with vital information, until way too late in the game. Unfortunately, I was enjoying school and thought the instructors were good. Also, I did find that I enjoy driving these trucks, but I feel compelled to explore another option for my training. I'm reverting back to my original plan and I will be in Springfield,MO on Monday, for Orientation at Prime. I know that won't be perfect either, but I'm excited about potential opportunities there.