Questions About Prime
Topic 21620 | Page 1
Hi.
1) submit proof you were in school. companies are looking for commitment and showing you attended and completed schooling looks good
2) Lightweights lack cabinet space and upper bunks, and the bunks are rihht behind the seats (full size have cabiners there). room.differs from make to make. Kanelin and Miss Myoshi here have Internationals which are roomier than Diver Drivers Freightliner. Many driber take out the passenger seat to put shelves or refrigerators.
3) You do not have to go lease to get the full size. I have one, Christian here does, and Im sure a few others. They say you need approval which sounds complicated. Its a matter of asking a boss "can i get a condo" and him writing an email. They also tell you that you will habe yo oay your own hotel bill if you want to wait for one. Both of my trucks I got the day after i signed up for new ones, so i didnt have to pay the hotel bill.
4) Trainers are good and bad, same as anywhere. Turtle and I had the same PSD trainer, but my TnT not so great (as a matter of fact, Miss Myoshi and I had the same TnT trainer lol).
Prime addresses problems that you bring to their attention. Prime drivers love heloing each other too, so meet a few at the terminal so you can call others for help when going solo.
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.
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
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.
Thank you for the information! I'm thinking I really want to go with Pime and get a condo truck.
I had a lightweight for a year. There's no real issue with getting into a condo, but trainers have first dibs. The new body style 18's are pretty sweet. They opened up the fridge area, so you can actually put in a nice sized fridge.
I had a lightweight for a year. There's no real issue with getting into a condo, but trainers have first dibs. The new body style 18's are pretty sweet. They opened up the fridge area, so you can actually put in a nice sized fridge.
On the condos or the lightweight? and on the lightweights do you have room for a fridge, microwave, and tv?
On the condos or the lightweight? and on the lightweights do you have room for a fridge, microwave, and tv?
I only saw the condo 18'. No room for any of that in a lightweight, without some major engineering.
I kept a standard ice chest in the front for drinks. They will remove the front passenger seat for you if you ask, (No charge) so you can bring a fridge or cooler.
I'm in an old body style condo now, and have a Coleman 12v. Cooler for a fridge. So far so good, and a lot cheaper than the small fridge that will fit in that compartment
Bran009, I am the infamous Christian, Rainy refers to. I am also a driver here at Prime, and yea me and Rainy have the same Fleet manager. Needless to say we talk alot and compare notes on everything lol. Anyways to the questions, be upfront and honest with your recruiter and you should be fine with the job history. Schooling is important and shows intelligence, Prime definitely just wants to verify who they throw into these trucks and make sure they are a good fit for all the responsibility. This isnt gonna be like a interrogation with the CIA lol. Its alot of money and risk for everyone involved these trucks are expensive, the loads are expensive, and people can get hurt out here if you arent careful. Enough with the seriousness, doom and gloom. The truck vocabulary you are looking for in Primes world is Condos (full size) and Lightweights ( smaller) and I cannot speak for diver driver but I asked for a condo and I received a condo with no ifs and or buts. I am company same as Rainy just in case it wasnt obvious. Lastly its alot of information being thrown at you from the recruiter, just make sure your honest with yourself on what to expect from this company and from this lifestyle/job. Its not for everyone and there are alot of different facets to trucking that could fit your lifestyle better. One thing I learned is trucking is in huge demand, play your cards right keep your eyes and ears open and listen, you will be in high demand staring at some great pay with a clean dac , great experience, and a new lease on life. Good luck to you be safe out there and shiny side up!
Fleet 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.DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
Wouldn't worry too much about the school thing, they might want some kind of verification that you were doing that. My wife had a large period where she was unemployed and Prime just asked for a reference to verify (I thought that was funny myself).
I wouldn't worry too much about the lightweight vs condo thing until you get up to Springfield and look at some of them. It's easy enough to get into a condo, and lightweights aren't too bad.
I'm 6'4 and 200 lbs and had no trouble in the freightliner lightweight, and my wife traveled with me for a few months in that truck. If you take out the passenger seat you can bolt a fridge to the floor in it's place, lots of guys strap a microwave to the top of it as well. You can bolt a tv to the window frame of the sleeper, I'm guessing 32 inch or smaller would fit.
Also, the lightweight pays $100 - $150 more per week, that's easily an extra five grand a year. I team with the wife now so we run a condo, but if I went back solo I would go back to a lightweight truck.
Finally, I believe Prime has some of the best training in the business, but it is largely dependant on who you get as a trainer. Its very much a hands on style of training, so its really the two of you in a truck getting it done. They have set up some kind of match-making for trainers and students, but I haven't trained since that went into place so I'm not sure how effective it is.
Any truth Prime is getting Auto's?? I heard that from a friend and I was curious if that is accurate?
All 2017 trucks coming into prime and newer will be automatics. Lease ops have the option of ordering a manual, but it adds i think $2000 to their bill.
Once 65% of the fleet is automatic, they will stop testing in autos. I have a 2016 which will probably be taken from me i the spring and ill be given an auto. We have a newer fleet, when the trucjs get 350-400k miles prime then sells then through Pedigree used truck sales
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Hello!
As stated in some of my other post I am seriously looking into Prime as refrigerated, but I had some questions once again. First, on the work history at the beginning of my 3 years I have a non work period due to me going to school for my CNA and was wondering if that would cause issues with being hired? I am a bigger guy and wanted to know how much room the lightweight trucks really had? Can I get the bigger without going lease? How do folks feel about their training practices? I have watched some videos and just want some further opinions. Lastly for this post anyway, is there anything I need to double check with the recruiter when I talk to them? Just a last note I'm having to wait till April/ May due to home issues and current job.
Thank You