Comments By INIKITS

You can do it! Once you get it into an acceptable range I wouldn’t sweat it too hard once you get here. They let guys do their blood pressure test like three times until they got it to pass. They’re gonna do everything they can to try to get you through the program as long as they see you putting in the work.

I would suggest maybe talking to a recruiter here about the permit because some places won’t transfer to the MO location, so I’m not sure about the other one. I would just double check to be sure so you don’t spend your money prematurely.

I look forward to hearing your journey also if you decide to post a diary!

Thanks for your insight INIKITS! I appreciate any and all input I can get. I've heard the bus rides are pretty horrible especially for larger guys. I'm 6'2" 215 lbs. If prefer to just fly out provided I can afford a ticket when the time comes. I'm working on losing another 15-25 lbs if possible before I apply and making sure myg blood pressure is in the acceptable range. I'm right at the cutoff right now. Testing about 130/90 sometimes 140/85. I know extra weight makes the heart work harder and I'm taking a bunch of supplements and eating a super low sodium vegetarian diet. Hopefully in a couple weeks I'll be looking better and I can get my physical done so I can go to the DMV and get my permit. Could be another month though. I'm exercising every day doing pushups, sit ups, and riding my recumbent bike or indoor recumbent exercise bike. I've come down from 250 lbs so it is working.

I was thinking along the same lines as you regarding the reefer division. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and your journey.

Thank you, Dragon! I would almost suggest that, because I think I may have caught something from one of the other bus riders, but that’s something you could run into using any type of public transportation, I suppose.

I know your question was directed at icecold, but from what I understand if you’re new it may be a good idea to start out reefer or flatbed. Flatbed is more labor intensive and tankers are more dangerous to drive because they’re more likely to flip depending on the load. I would definitely wait for an answer from icecold, but from training that’s what I’ve come to understand as the facts.

Quick question. What division do you plan on going to? Reefer, flatbed or tanker?

New to the forum and I've really enjoyed reading these diaries. they really help give a prospective student an idea of what to expect. I too am going to go to prime. I'm just trying to make sure my blood pressure is exactly where it needs to be so I don't have any hiccups once I get to the Prime facility. I'm in California so I will be attending orientation in Utah instead of Missouri though.

My question regarding your question is: What is best in your opinion and why? I'm going after all my endorsements so I can with any of them.

To INIKITS, congrats on passing your permit tests! I too am not keen on the bus ride thing... I may opt to fly myself out there if I can afford a plane ticket.

Quick question. What division do you plan on going to? Reefer, flatbed or tanker?

I plan on going into the Reefer division! I thought about flatbed, but being a new driver I think it would be easier to start out with reefer and transfer to flatbed if I want to later on in my career. I got the news today that I’m all cleared to go and I should be getting a trainer soon. I’m hoping it’s by this weekend because I am ready to GO.

Thanks, PackRat!

Super news to read! Congratulations!

I got my CDL permit today! I nailed the test on the first try. I HIGHLY recommend using the study materials on this website. I used that along with some free testing apps to help prepare me. I only missed like 2 questions per test.

After that I had some more simulator training for a few hours. The instructor wants me to test out tomorrow, so I’m pretty excited to do that! I hope I can pass that as well. I’ve been getting really lucky so far.

If anyone has any specific questions about training at Prime feel free to ask and I’ll answer to the best of my ability!

Just a quick update because I want to get back to my computer lessons;

The first day has been pretty crazy. Mostly a lot of paperwork and doing physicals and things of that nature. Prime also assigns computer modules that have to be completed by Wednesday evening. I would highly suggest knocking them out as soon as you can. I’ve been doing them since probably around 3:45 with intermittent smoke breaks and I’m about halfway done (it’s 5:30 now). I have a simulator class at 9:15 so I’m pretty excited to see what that’s all about.

Advice for new people coming in would be to pay attention to what you’re being told and try to keep smoke breaks to a minimum if you smoke. Just try to get everything done as quickly as possible or you’ll probably stress trying to do it last minute. I’ve noticed a lot of people giving up on these computer modules pretty quickly, despite warnings of them being time consuming. Also there’s a no smoking sign in one of the courtyard type areas so I’d be mindful of that. I saw someone smoking there earlier, but I’m not sure anything was said to them. I wouldn’t doubt that the instructors are looking out for that kind of thing though.

Thanks to everyone who has written diaries about Prime before me, because had I not read them I would’ve been blindsided by how quickly everything went today.

I’ll update more as the week progresses.

Hi, Retired Army! As far as I know, the advances are completely optional, so as long as you don’t use it, you don’t have to pay it back. I did the same just as you are now! I read tons and tons of these diaries and watched countless YouTube videos, so it’s a little surreal being here now.

Hello,

I enjoy reading these as I prepare for school. Quick question, can you decline the advance for food and such?

Thank you

I made it into Prime today! The facilities here are pretty nice. Bus rides definitely aren’t my thing, so I’m glad that part is over. My roommate is really nice. He came from a different trucking company and has given me a couple of tips over dinner that he bought for me.

Orientation is tomorrow and I’m pretty excited to see what that holds for me! I’ll keep everyone updated.

Thank you, Ice. This Sunday is coming up really fast and I’m really excited to get started. I finally finished studying the things I need to get started and once I get my permit I want to work on getting endorsements, just trying to keep it simple for now until I get that CDL in my hands.

I kind of figured that would be the case with vaping. I had a shop tell me today that they would ship to me but that sounds like a nightmare, so i’ll Just have to stock up when I’m home.

Congratulations and welcome to Prime. It is a really good company as I have been here a year and half now. I am sure you will like it here so do keep us updated. As far as vaping what I do is I buy everything that I will need for each trip out during my hometime then just restock what I need each time I am at home. It seems to be a lot cheaper that way as you will see things get kind of pricey on the road. Best of luck to you,

Thank you, Rob! I’ve definitely seen a lot of good things and people come out of Prime, so I feel like I’ve made a step in the right direction with the beginning to my career.

I look forward to following along in your journey. There are quite a few successful drivers here that work for Prime. Definitely can't go wrong with them. Just remember you get what you put in. Regarding vaping I can't help much with that. I was fortunate to quit cold turkey 3 years ago. Not sure how you currently buy the juice but I believe Wal-Mart sells them. Most Wal-Mart's are truck accessible. In a pinch you could likely buy at a truckstops but they're likely going to be more expensive. You may have more luck asking about the vaping over in the "general categories"section of the forum as there's ALOT more activity over there.

Hey guys! I'm relatively new to this website, but since I've started reading I haven't been able to stop. There is so much good information here and its helped me out a ton, even assisting in my decision to go with Prime. So first off, just a quick thank you to everyone that posts or moderates this website and super thanks to Brett for starting up this whole thing.

All of that being said, Im slated to head out to Springfield, MO this upcoming Sunday to start my training with Prime and I couldn't be any more excited. I've been studying up with The High Road training program and it seems to be a really great learning tool. I've noticed a lot of people saying they have aced their test after only using that as a study guide, so I have high hopes.

The only question I can think of is for those of you that vape. I recently quit smoking (about three weeks now) and I'd like to keep it that way if at all possible. What are your suggestions on keeping stocked with juice and coils? Should I just buy in bulk and keep them with me or is there a way to buy them when I'm on the road?

I'll keep this updated as my journey continues, but as of right now I'll just keep studying!