PRIME SALT LAKE CITY 3-6-2017 I'm ALIVE!!
Topic 18808 | Page 1
First HI! And good going that you didn't loose focus a d suffer real damage....including to your life.
As for customers, just kill them with kindness and you will probably get treated better and sometimes unloaded faster. They are our customer. Not the other way around, so some think because of that we need to cater to them and attitudes aren't always great. But the majority have decent people who change their tune with a smile.
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.
I will save you a spot at the rock or surfers point, lol. Congrats on PSD , TNT is right around the corner.
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.
So after our accident in Ohio we picked up another load. That was kind of dumb but not my call. We made it as far as Iowa and the weight of the Cargill meat must have added more wear and tear on the truck. As I was driving and singing along to Metallica and Duran Duran, the pitch of my voice must have caused us to lose PSI and I pulled over immediately. We were stranded in Iowa for a while till a tow truck brought us 5 hours away to SPRIMO. Been here for the last couple of days. The air bags blew, The shock absorbers shot, the frame bent, the torque arm bent, and more. Mechanic at Freightliner said I'm lucky to be alive. Great. I only been driving for a week and twice I'm lucky to be alive. I don't need a trifecta in life. I'm beyond that I think. I did see Rainy D. at SPRIMO though. She didn't see me. I'm kind of invisible even though I'm the only one not wearing Duck Dynasty outfits. I just want to get back to Salt Lake City and do the test. I'm ready. I do wish all the new Primates the best of luck on their careers. #ifIcandoTHISanybodyCAN I had the chance to check out Campus Inn in Springfield and I'm really glad I started in Salt Lake City. Although the facilities at the main Prime building in Springfield are pretty amazing. I suggest if you ever get bored there is always the chance to see the Worlds Largest Fork in Springfield, Missouri. My only advice to anybody including myself, don't get too comfortable, always stay alert, always expect the unexpected, and adapt, improvise, and overcome any problem situation. Stay Safe!!
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
I will save you a spot at the rock or surfers point, lol. Congrats on PSD , TNT is right around the corner.
My Day as an UBER driver started at Surfer's Point daily. Now I'm just somebody I used to know.
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.
As for customers, just kill them with kindness and you will probably get treated better and sometimes unloaded faster. They are our customer. Not the other way around, so some think because of that we need to cater to them and attitudes aren't always great. But the majority have decent people who change their tune with a smile.
Gurl.... I concur. I'm EAST COAST born and raised and spent 20 years in the USPS and was an UBER/LYFT guy. I specialize in making even angry people smile. I just find it amusing how some places you stop at it's quite apparent they hate their job. Hershey, PA. the Sweetest Place on earth. I was amused that greeter at "WELCOME CENTER" at the plant wasn't so sweet. Must have been a bad day. #snowstormfromhell
But....if you are the one driver all day who smiled and was nice....I guarantee you'll be in a door.
And about campus...I stay at the ramada next door. Suites are awesome there ;). Much better than the Jacuzzi suite in SLC. That one was like 40 years old and scary. Lol
A proper inspection after the incident would have caught several of the problems prior picking up a new load and requiring a 5hr tow. PTSD?
Thats awesome transporter :)
I'm glad your doing well all things considered. Keep on keeping on.
Transporter reads like Hammie from 'Over the Hedge'. Be safe out there bro.
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I would just first off like to say ....... WOW. Just WOW!!
Three weeks ago I got my permit to drive a Semi and on the 5th of March I was on an 18 hour bus ride from Ventura, CA. to Prime Salt Lake City where I stayed at the Ramada. I was sick as a dog too but I would not give up. I heard SPRIMO had 88 students that week so I felt pretty lucky. We had 5 students in our class. Tuesday we spent the day getting another D.O.T. medical card and Wed. thru Fri. we were on the simulators. I kind of shied away from them as much as I could because I was so sick. Friday I had a trainer and I was driving a standard 10 speed in a Semi, not knowing what the hell I was doing from Salt Lake City to Fort Worth Texas. Then we went to SPRIMO headquarters. Awesome place. I should be there again tomorrow, I hope. Then we joined the onslaught of trucks heading to the east coast for the big storm and ended up in Pennsylvania. But here is the real story. I had been driving for 7 days. Still not that great with shifting off the freeways and on the side roads. Here I was on the Freeway in Ohio during a small snow storm in the right lane. A car ahead of me three lanes to the left decided to spin out and aim to the right lane where I was. Luckily my New England instincts kicked in and I was able to swerve around the car instead of driving into them. Then they bounced off the wall and hit us directly in the two right rear tractor wheels damaging them, and took out the part of the APU. Meanwhile I'm sliding down a freeway sideways looking at the trailer out my right window and by handling it like I have in past snowstorms with a car, I was able to pull us out of the jam and pull over on the side off the road safely. My trainer thanked me for saving his life. We were stranded for about 6 hours and I have PTSD but overall it was a beautiful thing to say I made it to the I-80 in Iowa and say that I'm alive at the worlds largest truck stop. Just cant wait to get my license in a week or so and I'll probably never drive a standard again. I'm not really a fan of the extra work. But I'm really overwhelmed by learning so much in such little time and I'm proud to be a Primate in training. Really thankful for this website inspiring me to change my life and be successful in the Trucking world. I'm not too happy about the customer service some of these shipping and receiving offices provide but I'm really happy when I get a hot shower. They are a blessing. Spring is here and I wish you all a healthy and safe driving experience.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
APU:
Auxiliary Power Unit
On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.
Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.