Just Wanted To Introduce Myself

Topic 20397 | Page 1

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Cato's Comment
member avatar

Hello, I just wanted to take a sec and introduce myself and say thank you to Brett and all of the moderators for keeping such a fantastic site. I have been lurking in the background drinking in all of the info that is available. I am 29 married with a one kiddo. I already have my CDL and have driven school busses as well as trucks before, but I have very little OTR experience so I will be starting over basically. Prime said they would let me go through their PSD program, however the other companies I have contacted said I have to have more experience or no CDL to start. So I'll go with Prime, they seem to have pretty good reviews and people on here seem to be pretty happy with them. I do want to try and go regional at some point next year so I can be home more often with the family, I am lucky enough that the wife understands that I have to gain some experience before I am going to be able to find a job that pays that will get me home more than once a month. I am hoping that what I have planned is not out of reach or wrongly thought out. I will be going to Sprimo at the end of the month for training and I am realistic enough to understand that I probably wont see the house until closer to the holidays.

Well thanks again for having such a variety of amazing information available. Yall have a good day and stay safe.

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.

Regional:

Regional Route

Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.

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.
Dennis B.'s Comment
member avatar

Once you gain around 6 months experience there's a lot of companies out there that can get you home often

Hello, I just wanted to take a sec and introduce myself and say thank you to Brett and all of the moderators for keeping such a fantastic site. I have been lurking in the background drinking in all of the info that is available. I am 29 married with a one kiddo. I already have my CDL and have driven school busses as well as trucks before, but I have very little OTR experience so I will be starting over basically. Prime said they would let me go through their PSD program, however the other companies I have contacted said I have to have more experience or no CDL to start. So I'll go with Prime, they seem to have pretty good reviews and people on here seem to be pretty happy with them. I do want to try and go regional at some point next year so I can be home more often with the family, I am lucky enough that the wife understands that I have to gain some experience before I am going to be able to find a job that pays that will get me home more than once a month. I am hoping that what I have planned is not out of reach or wrongly thought out. I will be going to Sprimo at the end of the month for training and I am realistic enough to understand that I probably wont see the house until closer to the holidays.

Well thanks again for having such a variety of amazing information available. Yall have a good day and stay safe.

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.

Regional:

Regional Route

Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.

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.
Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

Welcome Cato!

By chance, did you try filling out our application here on our website? You can apply one time to and it goes to a bunch of different companies, and some of them do have options for getting you home on weekends. There's no obligation, of course. Their recruiters will contact you and answer any questions you may have.

You can find the application here:

Apply For Company-Sponsored Training

I would try like crazy to find a company that can get you home when you'd like to get home. You may not find one right away, but there's a good chance you will.

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.

Cato's Comment
member avatar

Welcome Cato!

By chance, did you try filling out our application here on our website? You can apply one time to and it goes to a bunch of different companies, and some of them do have options for getting you home on weekends. There's no obligation, of course. Their recruiters will contact you and answer any questions you may have.

You can find the application here:

Apply For Company-Sponsored Training

I would try like crazy to find a company that can get you home when you'd like to get home. You may not find one right away, but there's a good chance you will.

I'll fill out the application, thanks Brett!!

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.

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