Starting At Prime The 21st Of May
Topic 22485 | Page 1
Hi Michael. Welcome to TT, and welcome to Prime.
1- You can do either. I just brought a thin sleeping bag.
2- That's up to you. Personally I wouldn't bring it, because you won't have much time to use it unless you get laid over or something. Any time not spent driving would best be spent sleeping, or trying to sleep. But really, having it with you wouldn't be a big deal either.
Keep in mind that whatever you bring will have to live with you on the top bunk. Clothes, gear, jackets, everything. If you and your trainer get laid up somewhere for a day or so, you gotta sleep with that stuff up there. Minimize where you can.
Welcome Mike. I’d say sleeping bag over blanket. You can put it over your trainer’s bedding since you’ll be teaming through PSD & TNT. Easy to clean too.
Laptop is a matter of personal choice. I rarely used mine since I have this phone & an IPad. There weee 2 occasions where my laptop was necessary due to certain sites having issues with safari OS. If it can wait until you upgrade, that’s one less thing to lug around.
Pack conservatively but with the knowledge that you’ll be in multiple time zones, day in & day out. I’ve crisscrossed this country 3 times in one month. From just above freezing in Northeast to sweltering southwest.
Good luck going forward! Any other questions come up, don’t hesitate to ask!!
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.
Thanks for the info Turltle. Figured I’d be driving and sleeping during training. Wasn’t sure if I needed laptop. Sleeping bag sounds good. I figured I’d pack for about a week or so. Plan on bringing a backpack and duffle bag. I plan on packing clothes, pens, notebook, bathroom necessities. Anything you think I might need besides? Thank again Mike
Hi Michael. Welcome to TT, and welcome to Prime.
1- You can do either. I just brought a thin sleeping bag.
2- That's up to you. Personally I wouldn't bring it, because you won't have much time to use it unless you get laid over or something. Any time not spent driving would best be spent sleeping, or trying to sleep. But really, having it with you wouldn't be a big deal either.
Keep in mind that whatever you bring will have to live with you on the top bunk. Clothes, gear, jackets, everything. If you and your trainer get laid up somewhere for a day or so, you gotta sleep with that stuff up there. Minimize where you can.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
You pretty much have it covered. Good pair of gloves, work boots, and a jacket. Extra socks and underwear for those days when you can't make it to a shower (it will happen).
At some point you'll want some kind of folder or case to hold all the paperwork you will gather. I waited until I got to sprimo to buy one at Walmart.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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Hi everyone. I’m starting my orientation and training at Prime in less then 2 weeks. I had a few questions, hoping someone can help me be better prepared. 1. Sleeping bag or Blanket 2. Laptop? I figure I can wait till after training before I bring my laptop.
Thanks in advance Mike