Accident Free 1st Year!
Topic 13232 | Page 1
Congratulations
It really is a major accomplishment, and an important goal that we encourage new drivers to strive for. I'm very glad to hear you made it!
I don't think anyone who has never done this before realizes just how unusual it is to accomplish that. My hat is off to ya Brian, and I really appreciate you dropping in to share this announcement with us.
Congrats Brian on your accomplishment! How satisfied are you with Prime and their reefer division? I'm starting PSD next Monday and will be going into the same division. Any insights you can provide are appreciated. Thanks!
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
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.
Congrats on an awesome accomplishment! I've always felt that getting to the one year mark is pretty special. You go through so much that first year as a driver and a ton of people never come close to sticking it out for a year. In fact, many people never even get to the point that they complete all of the training and wind up driving a big rig solo. Surviving a full year out there and doing it accident free is something to be incredibly proud of, I don't care who you are. It's a big deal.
Congrats Brian on your accomplishment! How satisfied are you with Prime and their reefer division? I'm starting PSD next Monday and will be going into the same division. Any insights you can provide are appreciated. Thanks!
Robert good luck to you! There are quite a few success stories on TT along with a couple of not so successful ones. My biggest piece of advise to new people going into the PSD program would be to treat your entire training period as one long job interview. Because in essence that's what it is.
I really believe the Prime training program is one of the best company training programs in the country. Management takes pride in taking care of their drivers and it shows when you walk in the millennium building for the first time. They reinvest a considerable amount of money in the drivers,equipment and continuing education.
Most of Primes training is one on one trainer student education. You will have the opportunity to drive many miles with a qualified instructor before they turn you loose in your own truck. Most of the time this is a great opportunity for a driver to learn from a seasoned professional. Of course there are times where you may find yourself with a trainer that has a training style that doesn't fit with the student.
One thing to remember is that Prime is almost 50/50 company drivers and lease operators. Your trainer may be a lease operator and his method may be a little different than a company driver. Some people I this site have mentioned that some lease operators may only be doing it for the extra money. As a Lease Operator myself I can attest that is certainly not the case.
First in your PSD training your instructor is paid $300 a week to get you ready for your CDL license. Not only that they add it to the operators revenue so they don't even see all of that money. Since your instructor needs to be in the passenger seat their really isn't any extra miles for the truck while your still a permit holder. The only way a lease operator makes any extra money is if A) you trifecta the driving test and B) stay with that instructor through you TNT phase.
Second as a lease operator God forbid the student is in an accident the LO is responsible for the damages to the truck trailer and load. Of course all LOs have insurance but they still have to pay the deductible. If the truck needs to be towed the LOer pays that as well. My good friend had this happen to him. Student was in an accident and Prime gave him a $10000 dollar bill. Took him 3 months to pay it off.
Again the reason I say this is the training may be different with an LO. For example backing- some trainers will only practice backing when on the training pad and never let you do it at a receiver. Better to hit a cone than a person.
Although I was told I am eligible to be a trainer of my co-driver gets off my truck. I know for certain the money would be the stupidest reason for me to be a PSD trainer.
If you need any advice PM me Brisn
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.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
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.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Thanks Brett and Old School it means a lot coming from you veterans!
Brian, this is a significant accomplishment/achievement. It's a refreshing change to read a success story like the one you shared with us. Great job...never forget how you got to this point because continuously practicing those fundamentals will never let you down.
Continued success and safe travels!
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Congratulations Brian! Having a great CSA score, means you are adding to your company's CSA score, and that is always a big deal, even when they don't talk a lot about it. Your terminal manager and driver manager certainly know, and they are more likely to favor you because of it.
You are certainly correct about one of the key elements in being accident free is taking your time. As a driver, other folks on the road want to make you feel like you are in their way sometimes, but you can bet if you got in a hurry and had an accident, they would just drive around you, and never offer to get out and help you.
Knowing that, I never feel bad about making them wait, while I take my time keeping the scratches off my truck.
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.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
Driver Manager:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Awesome. Great job Brian M.
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Knock on wood my One Year Anniverary with Prime has past completing over 125,000 miles accident free! (Knock on wood).
Went to the Salt Lake Terminal and picked up my swag for being accident free for a year (jacket,hat,patch and pin). Best of all was the little over a 1000.00 I have received in weekly safety bonuses over the year.
The best two words that describe my accident free success are patience and slow. As a reefer driver, over the year I have found that 97% of the time there really is no rush to get to the shipper or receiver, the appointments are set with so much extra time on them it's hard to be late. I find myself enjoying watching cars and trucks packing together jockeying for position like its the Daytona 500 (from afar of course!).
When I get to the shipper or receiver I remind myself the pressure is off now so why rush your backing? I've already checked in and spent my 10 or 15 minutes on duty doing so. At this point I just take my time and get it right. Never worry about the impatient driver trying to dock next you as you are completing your backing, they can wait. If they are too big of a pita then just let them through.
The funny thing I've found at first is when I don't feel rushed when backing the easier it is.
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.
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.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.