How Many Miles Do Rookie Drivers Get?

Topic 12510 | Page 2

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Susan D. 's Comment
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Ill be headed up their either this weekend or next. Still waiting on some paperwork from my current employer so I can quit and head to WST (has to do with my school scholarship and a payout when I quit). A former coworker and classmate of mine went up week before last.

Scott O.'s Comment
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Ill be headed up their either this weekend or next. Still waiting on some paperwork from my current employer so I can quit and head to WST (has to do with my school scholarship and a payout when I quit). A former coworker and classmate of mine went up week before last.

Their terminal is right next to crst in cedar rapids... Pack a lot of warm clothes its cold out this way

Terminal:

A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.

The Persian Conversion's Comment
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I'm guessing that the reason the short hauls pay so much more per mile is because there will be a lot more sitting around wasting time at shippers and receivers. Just be aware of that. Still, that's a pretty nice weekly guarantee!

Shipper:

The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.

Susan D. 's Comment
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I'm sure that is true, Mr PC ☺ More loads and unloads (shorter haul miles) would absolutely have to mean more time waiting at shippersand receivers. But as a brand new driver, that pay guarantee makes me a little less apprehensive about my first year.

Shipper:

The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.

murderspolywog's Comment
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The students I upgrade with swift get about 4 to 5k for The first month. Then second month seams to average about 7k by the 3rd month there getting 9 to 11k a month. Really depends on the students as well some guys are people that, just go with the flow. Just take the eta, and go with that ever the eta is even if it's 2 days on the load and others will ask for an early eta, or a tcall. Something else to thing about is how are you getting paid. House hould good miles or hub miles. Lots of campany s that do house should good miles will pay more per mile. Company's that pay hub miles often pay less per mile. There is a lot of stuff to think about beside just your cpm , when looking at a company.

CPM:

Cents Per Mile

Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.

Decanuck's Comment
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The other thing to factor in here is your ability to turn the miles...... even when things are going well there are things out of your control that will test you ..... if you are still learning as a rookie ( im doing this myself) there are many things that will prevent you from turning the miles... Ive spent the day waiting for a load to be ready in Wilmington De that was confirmed last week..... when I showed up today it was surprise all around... so tomorrow morning when its ready Ive spent a day not turning miles..... I'll get paid my layover but this week was looking like a 3000+ week ( sunday to friday) but now that is not as likely..... look for the others perks and determine all that is important its a big ol new ball of fun out here in the winter as well ( 3 hours to go what normally takes 1 eats your clock fast)

Truckin Along With Kearse's Comment
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Well I've considered prime of course. How's all that contract stuff work if I already have my cdl? 2500 to 3000 would be easy on the wallet but maybe not the old lady.

I believe you sign the contract but they credit you a certain amount of money since you don't need the psd portion. A tnt I met just upgraded but he got his license and did 15k miles with Swift. He left there and came to prime. Told me they credited him but he didn't know if it is a flat rate or based on the milage he had at swift. For examole...he had 15k miles otr...so he got x amount... but you might not have any so you might get Z amount. Call a recruiter and ask

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.

OTR:

Over The Road

OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.

PSD:

Prime Student Driver

Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.

The following is from Prime's website:

Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.

Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days

  • Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
  • Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
  • Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).

On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles

  • Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
  • Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
  • Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.

TNT:

Trainer-N-Trainee

Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.

The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.

The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.

Sasquatch's Comment
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I don't know where you're from, but the company I'm going to guarantees a minimum of $ 900 / week for those home every weekend and $1100/week for those going home every other weekend. In other words, if you don't gross at least that they'll make up the difference but you can make more. They've recently changed this guarantee to the term of your employment with them.. it was just the first 3 months solo.

My personal offer was 47 cpm for short haul (their niche) and 36 cpm for longer runs to start.

Where are you headed if I may ask?

CPM:

Cents Per Mile

Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Susan D. 's Comment
member avatar

I'm going to West Side Transport based in Cedar Rapids, IA. They are a smaller (500 or so trucks) family owned company with excellent equipment. You'll find very little information online about them other than their very informative website.

One of my favorite instructors was familiar with them and knew a former employee, who has since retired. I was also impressed that my recruiter was more than happy to answer my list of 30+ questions. . In writing. That in itself spoke volumes to me. I discovered this company right here in the job listings on TT.

A former coworker and classmate of mine started a couple weeks ago and says they're great. I start Feb. 1.

RebelliousVamp 's Comment
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House miles? Hub miles?

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Advice For New Truck Drivers First Solo Months On The Road Life On The Road Truck Driver Salary
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