Profile For Thorpester

Tested out today and passed my Missouri CDL. 2 Points on pre trip. 0 on backing skills and 3 on driving. Thanks for the support!

It just gets easier and easier pal. Keep at it!

Wanted to update to my current situation. Backing is no longer the bane of my existence! I haven't had any alley dock work yet and that will come tomorrow. Straight, offsets, parallels are down well enough that they aren't stressful any longerand I actually look forward to doing those skills.

Whooo hooo!!!! Glad my articles make you laugh... wait until you read the one where I knocked my trailer axle off by hitting the fuel pump barrier!

Keep up the great work!

Thanks Rainy! I'm not ashamed to say that your article made me tear up and also laugh. I appreciate you sharing it.

My day went solidly. I met Naomi this AM and did a full pre-trip and missed one thing. Next we went out on the pad. He told me to just keep doing straight backs. I did around 15 of them and only got 2 points total in 15 trys.

Finally we drove around Springfield for 90 minutes. I did commentary driving and as we came back into Prime she asked me how I felt about how today went. My reply was I felt like it went decently. She said, "Dude you did really, really well. Excellent throttle control, spatial awareness was wonderful. Braking was on point. Pre trip is mastered. She you at 830 on the pad. We start offset backing tomorrow."

A huge part of this is getting past the frustration and looking at it as a puzzle. I wrote this article awhile ago to encourage people. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy but if we can concentrate on only what we are doing and not everyone else, you can calm down and get it done. Problem solve the puzzle. And to this day, i sometimes say in my head "Which way do i want the back of trailer to go? Turn the opposite. Which way do i want the front of the trailer to go? Turn the same way."

Failed tge CDL Exam, Dont Sweat It!

I failed the backing once and the drive test twice. Yet here I am... nominated for trainer of the year...nominated for female driver of the year 2017, almost 4 years of on time delivery and safe driving.

It was a criminal misdemeanor. That's all I know.

What did the trainer get a citation for?

So good news! Meeting with an in house trainer tomorrow morning to get evaluated for what we need to do to get me ready for my MO CDL Testing. Whatever they decide I'm ready for the task.

And we look forward to reading your posts, Thorpester!

Thanks very much for the encouragement. I know this will work out and I look forward to updating here.

Many PSD instructors avoid backing OTR because when you get to the pad you use reference points. Some students try to replicate what they did OTR but the pad has set boundaries you wouldnt have had in large distribution centers. This causes them to fail.

Learn the reference points. I went from failing the backing....to getting no points. Once my 2nd PSD instructor taught me Primes references, I passed backing with zero points. And it only took 2 hours for me to learn all of rhe manuevers after hours of frustration without the reference points.

In general, most learn driving OTR then come back to test. Worst case scenario, they have pad instructors that will teach you with extra help to pass. This was true for me as well as forum member Splitter. Get the nervousness out of your head, that will cause distractions. Think of the backing as a puzzle.

The way I'm Iooking at it is that I'm going to learn from 3 people and make the most of it. I have my pre-trip inspection down cold. It's not memorized. It's known. I continue to improve my driving abilities. I have had the chance to drive a Peterbilt and Freightliner. All of that is positive. My main concern now is that my backing skills are sorely lacking. Very, very limited padtime and very little real-time opportunities either. When I get back to Springfield I need much more time.

This may be some of the trainer purge in effect. That sucks man I am sorry. Hate to hear Prime represented that way. Just try to brush those two off, you can't possibly get three bad in a row.

Im just waiting to find out whats going on!

DON’T GIVE UP! Prime is a great company, but some of the people are nuts, just like every other company has people that are completely nuts. Stick with it and the reward will be well worth it. I know it sucks now, but it’s only a temporary setback, and a tiny fraction of time in the great scheme of things.

Look at it like your third time will (hopefully) be the charm.

Well this has been an interesting month to say the least. I got through Prime Inc Orientation and within 48 hours of hitting the road with my PSD Trainer he announced he was going to resign as soon as we got through PSD and TNT. From that point, he was disengaged and three days later, I was in SLC UT, trainerless as he quit. I waited a week and was matched up with another PSD Trainer. After being on the road, 72 hours, he told me he was going to get us routed through Springfield so I could test out on 6/23. Now he's trying to get his freight repowered. And I'm in limbo. He got a citation in ID and basically lost his mind. I'm really questioning Prime as my choice and am concerned for my future. All I can do now is realize that everything happens for a reason.

Today was memorable as all get out. It was the first Instruction with my Prime Student Driver (PSD) Trainer. We first talked late last week and he and I got acquainted a bit during that call. He clearly communicated his "rules for the truck, " as well as the expectations he has for me over the next few weeks. Safety is the first and main consideration. Everything that we do will bear that in mind. Secondarily, we will prepare me for the Missouri CDL examination, consisting of pre inspection, backing and road test.

At Prime Inc., the training program requires 4 hours of drive time with your PSD Trainer, prior to leaving to pick up at the first shipper, or to continue on with an existing load. We already have a loaded reefer so we will finish his run.

So we worked on pre trip inspection this morning. Then late afternoon he had me do some driving through a nearby Industrial park. Following that we worked on backing on the training pad. I did left offset backing and right offset as well. Finally, we went out and drive all around Springfield for quite awhile. Part interstate, some in town and some on Route 66.

I have a lot to do in order to be anywhere near proficient yet we can leave for SoCal tomorrow with me a lot less anxious than I was earlier.

Good luck to you! I'm getting ready to drive to CA from Springfield. I finished my orientation week. Today is the beginning of my 2nd week. You'll enjoy your time here if you're coachable and humble. I'm sure you will do fine! Best regards.

Friends, today at 1200 I left Houston on a greyhound bus in route to Dallas, Oklahoma City, then Springfield MO as I begin my journey to Prime Inc for trucking school / orientation.

So far it has been a peaceful ride. Thanks to Jesus !

It's about 1700 CDT here and it's been an interesting week. I think we started our training class with 43 students and about 28 made it the other end. Another 3 or so had issues that will allow re-entry in 6 months. I won't speculate on individual reasons yet generally we lost some to DOT medical issues, some to family concerns and couple more who simply weren't willing to take on the awesome responsibility that this profession asks.

Most of my peers have either left Springfield with their trainers or for heading out tonight or tomorrow morning. My instructor is waiting to drop a load of ice cream in Maryland a d has already been dispatched to pick up a load between Maryland and Missouri with a drop in California Friday. We are going to be working Monday to leave either Monday evening or early Tuesday morning.

I'll add more as the week goes by I wish you all the very best Memorial day.

Fantastic news and wish you the very best!

Hello everybody, I've been on here for the past couple of weeks studying the High Road CDL Training Program and it was fun. Went to go do my DOT Physical and my Urine/Hair follicle Drug tests on 5/16, They handed me my Medical Card after I was done and off I went to the DPS to take my CLP. I passed all 4 test the same day thanks to TT and the study guide (Texas has an extra test I had to take but was a breeze. "Texas Commercial Rules".) I Decided on ROEHL bc of their great training program I had been reading about on here and other places. I depart from my home town of Houston, TX to join them on the Flatbed Fleet!!! Got off the phone with my recruiter earlier today and everything is a GO. I booked my flight to Marshfield, WI on June 9th and start my Training on June 10th. I'm excited and nervous to start this new chapter and career in my life. I'm 33 with no wife but do have a girlfriend and I have no kids, so this should be a big learning experience for me.

Ditto. Trucking Truth really helped me get ready for this.

Thorpester, small world. I'm in the same orientation class as you. So far, you are the only other one I know of that's on Trucking Truth.

Great to hear and I wish you all the best. I started Prime Inc. Training this past Monday and I'm happy I'm here!

So I have been inching my way toward driving a truck for a year now since my bestie made the jump. Because of that I have her experiences to encourage and warn me and I am really grateful for that.

I start in the first class as Prime changes her training program - the only real change being 50k on the road with a trainer as opposed to 30k before. But with the extra 20k miles comes a little bump from $700 to $800 a week gauranteed as long as I am available for dispatch. This includes waiting for a truck.

My recruiter said there was a lot of mixed responses to this but I am happy for the extra training. I have dipped my toes in the manual but it's time to dive in. I even got a little nudge note from Brett (thanks, I appreciate it!)

Wish me luck!

First off, I'd like to thank Trucking Truth for creating this community. I've been lurking here for a few weeks and it's been very helpful to me. Particularly the High Road Online Training. The way that it is structured is pure genius. Frankly, I can't imagine how passing isn't an option if you use it to prepare for your written permit examination. So again, Thank you!

So I started as a student driver with Prime on Monday. May 20, 2019. The hardest part was the bus trip from New Orleans to Springfield. Between Alexandria, LA and Shreveport I lost both my Android phone and my debit card.

I'm very impressed with the student driver training program here. There's a lot of self study and most of it is self-paced so you have to be organized and able to schedule yourself well. This has worked out well for me yet for some this could be challenging.

So far, I have completed all my computer based training. I passed our Simulator test as well. Also, I got my DOT card and the Missouri permit. I will leave in the next few days for the first part of my over the road training.

Finally, Prime pays for your trip here, as well as your hotel and three meals a day during orientation. I've been very happy with every aspect of my time here so far.