Prime CDL Training
Topic 22982 | Page 20
My trainer has an automatic and I’m ok with that.
I'm out on the pad testing out (hopefully) to go into TNT training...I think Kim T and myself have probably passed each other like ships in the night. I kept hearing your name being called during orientation- I was looking around like "where, where?" but we had so many people in orientation I couldn't pick you out.. Myself & three other cdl holders have been in the 7 day night classes. Basically they told us this is our job interview for prime because we already have our cdls. For our pre trip we only have to know engine and in cab. We do the straight back, one of the offsets and a choice of parallel, alley dock, etc. Then the road test.. Wish me luck...I might need it..
Robert, it’s going pretty well. I got a text from a possible trainer earlier and I will be meeting her tonight. There really hasn’t been a lot to report, pre-trip inspections, a little backing, class time. I will be sure to let everyone know if it goes well with the trainer tonight.
Tell your friend’s daughter to go for it. Also tell her come to TruckingTruth and read everything she can. This site and the people have really helped me a lot. Good luck to her!
Donna is out with her tnt trainer and probably doesn’t have a lot of time to post. Stephanie is doing great, excelling. I haven’t talked to the other Kim, she came in with her CDL so she’s on different schedules.
We will all get there. 😁
Have a great evening!
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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.
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.
Kim H., I wasn’t sure if you wanted to talk and the first week was a bit crazy, then you went to night classes. I hope you do great on your test and get your trainer a trifecta.
I’ll be meeting my trainer on the pad this morning, meeting the log people and her weekend dispatcher. Then we will be doing some driving and backing on the pad and some driving around town. And then we are heading out on the road tomorrow morning. I’m so excited!
Dispatcher:
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.
KIm T.-Congrats on getting your trainer. Good luck and keep all you have already been taught and then listen carefully to your trainer. You'll do fine.
Robert D. (Raptor)
Kim can’t wait to hear how it goes. We are finally loaded here in Atlanta waiting on my clock to start and we are headed back to California. It’s been an interesting week saw a lot of sun rises drove through Los Angeles and Las Vegas and Atlanta however Arizona wasn’t for me the wind would just slap us around like we weren’t nonething. It’s sunday and off on a new adventure.
Today was amazing! Long day, short story: we met at the pad at 10:00 and met the log person, got me set up for the Qualcomm , went out to her truck and did a few laps around the pad. Wecthen found a trailer, hooked up to it, I did a full pre-trip and then she walked me through the in-cab and brake test. Then it was around the pad a few times with the trailer and then out on the road for four hours. I drove interstate , four lane divided highway, two-lane undivided road, very narrow roads. We got back to the pad after the four hours, then she asked me if I wanted to alley dock the trailer. She said she didn’t expect me to be able to do it with as little time I had in a truck since I’ve been here. But guess what...I did it!! Yes, she talked me through it but I did it. OMG! That feeling!
Now I have to go get all my stuff together and try to get some sleep. I will be back at the pad to get our load assignment at 7:00 a.m.
Have a great night all!
Qualcomm:
Omnitracs (a.k.a. Qualcomm) is a satellite-based messaging system with built-in GPS capabilities built by Qualcomm. It has a small computer screen and keyboard and is tied into the truck’s computer. It allows trucking companies to track where the driver is at, monitor the truck, and send and receive messages with the driver – similar to email.Interstate:
Commercial trade, business, movement of goods or money, or transportation from one state to another, regulated by the Federal Department Of Transportation (DOT).
Haha, look at you!
A couple of weeks ago you were studying like crazy, just so you could figure out how many wheels were on an 18 wheeler. Now you're backing one up like you know what you're doing!
Keep it up, there's a lot of exciting times ahead. There will be good and bad excitement, but as long as it's all safe excitement you're good. Hang in there and don't lose sight of the goal.
LOL Thank you Old School. You said it right...like I knew what I was doing (don’t tell anyone that I don’t). I hope this wasn’t a fluke and that good karma continues.
My trainer told me she thought I will do well because I have common sense and know how to use it.
Keep those fingers crossed! 
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Feels good when you're able to hit a 90 with minimal pull ups or none at all!
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There are really no tips to get a stick. if your trainer has a manual, you train and test on the manual. There no longer are "pad trucks" to test on.They did this once 65% of the fleet was auto. You test on the truck you trained on as of Jun 1st 2018. the majority of trainers are now or will be in automatics by Jan. The last manuals of the fleet will be what few lease ops or owner ops who choose to pay extra for the manual, and honestly, i have yet to meet more than 2. The last model year on the fleet with manuals is 2016. And Prime is already making me turn in my 2016 manual for a new truck. (sniff sniff).
Keep in mind, company sponsored training in concept is to train you to drive for the company in their equipment. it is not really to have you learn what it takes to move on.
with the said, many people who trained in an auto told me that once they mastered lane control, turns, and backing, it was much easier to learn the manual later and test. by that time, they only needed to concentrate on the shifting.
i hope this helps.
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.
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.