Serious Questions From A Newbie.

Topic 17802 | Page 1

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Daniel W.'s Comment
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First off I wanna say my name is Matt and I have been doing research on becoming an otr truck driver and this site seems like the best place for me to ask the questions I need answers on.I also wanna say congrats on the 10years Brett and I have read your book and the way you describe the otr lifestyle is exactly what I'm looking for.my first question I have for you guys and gals is what would be the best company to work for if I'm looking to travel the entire country and all of Canada?

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.

Isaac H.'s Comment
member avatar

Hi matt welcome.

If you want to see the country you would want to consider one of the major carriers and run a 48 state account.

As for Canada I've heard that if you tell a carrier that you have your passport and are authorized in canada, then they will stick you up there forever so be careful. Lol

Trucker Kearsey 's Comment
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It seems that prime will run TO Canada but not through it. It wouldn't be like you are hauling all over the country

I've only talked to two very experienced teams that drive to Canada with prime. But they encouraged us to get passports for Canada.

C T.'s Comment
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Maverick glass division runs all 48 and Canada, including nova Scotia. Just sayin

Daniel W.'s Comment
member avatar

Thanks for the responses. Prime is a company that is on my list of companies to check out and I've never heard of maverick but I will most definitely add them to the list.I'm a single guy no car note or house note and no kids.is there a company that will let you stay on the road and live out of your truck as long as you want.

Trucker Kearsey 's Comment
member avatar

Thanks for the responses. Prime is a company that is on my list of companies to check out and I've never heard of maverick but I will most definitely add them to the list.I'm a single guy no car note or house note and no kids.is there a company that will let you stay on the road and live out of your truck as long as you want.

I live out of my truck and take "home time" anywhere in the country I want. Wanna head to the beach? Or Vegas? Whatever. I doubt any company will say "you have to come off the road and make us stop making money". And if you read my threads i love prime ;)

Daniel W.'s Comment
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Well I think I have it narrowed down to prime,maverick,swift,or knight.but I think prime might be my winner because Im going with company sponsored training.any advice as to how much money I need to bring with me to school.

Company Sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

Turtle's Comment
member avatar

Well I think I have it narrowed down to prime,maverick,swift,or knight.but I think prime might be my winner because Im going with company sponsored training.any advice as to how much money I need to bring with me to school.

That's a tough one. The easy answer is bring as much as you can. At Prime, you only really NEED about 200 to start. But I'd suggest more if possible.

You'll pay $100 as soon as you get there for processing. They give you a meal card good for 3 meals a day through Friday at the cafeteria on site. Another weekend meal card will be given IF you need to stay the weekend. On your 2nd day you'll go to dmv for permit testing. Your permit will cost $52.50

Towards the end of your first week, if all goes smoothly you'll be issued a ID badge/Comdata card. Prime will deposit $200 a week on that card as a LOAN which will need to be paid back after you are hired. That $200 is meant for you to live/eat on during PSD phase (typically 2-3 weeks)

At the end of your PSD phase, you will take the CDL exam. When you pass that, you'll have to pay $72 for your CDL.

Once you get your CDL, Prime will officially hire you. At that point you will start earning the $700 minimum pay per week, or .14 cpm whichever is greater.

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.

Dm:

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.

DMV:

Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles

The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.

CPM:

Cents Per Mile

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

Company Sponsored Training:

A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.

The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.

If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.

Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.

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.
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