Jim Palmer Regional Company Driver - Thoughts?

Then maybe the Jim Palmer recruiter is the only one being upfront with me, haha. I’ll need to get back with the other companies and verify if they require a contract too.

I’m going to ATI in Virginia Beach.

Michael I suggest investing some time listening to this podcast:

Why It’s Advisable to Stay With Your First Company For At Least 1 Year

All of the companies offering Paid CDL Training Programs require an employment agreement of some sort. The schooling and subsequent training has value and requires commitment.

Thanks for the advice G-town and staying on for 1 year is my plan. I’ve never been at a job leas than 2 years, and I have been at my current one for 20 plus.

Just to be clear, I’m in CDL school being paid for by the GI Bill. I spoke with Jim Palmer about being hired on as a recent graduate with CDL-A in hand. They said they would require a 1 year contract.

Why would they require a one year contract, coming in with a CDL in-hand?

Dave, thanks for responding! That's a wealth of information. A few things you said differ from what the recruiter told me so I definitely have some more questions when we talk again next week. I'm actually glad to hear I could get a slightly older truck with a manual. I'd prefer to get my experience in a truck I have to really drive. How long have you been with Jim Palmer? Are you happy there?

Coffee, the recruiter I spoke with didn't say a word about a contract since I'm getting my CDL on my own, and though I do plan on staying with my first company for AT LEAST a year, I wouldn't sign a contract. The instructors at my school have actually told us never to sign a 1 year contract like that UNLESS the company is paying for your CDL training. Sounds off to me since you're paying for school with your GI Bill.

G-Town, I binged-listened to the whole Road Home podcast series in a day. Good stuff! :D

Someone posted on Trucker’s Report on Thursday stating the same thing about a 1 year contract.

https://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/threads/contract-with-jim-palmer.1363433/

Someone posted on Trucker’s Report on Thursday stating the same thing about a 1 year contract.

https://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/threads/contract-with-jim-palmer.1363433/

That will be the day when first, I'd read anything on that site of lies, and second, that I'd believe anything posted there.

It was true a couple years ago. Diver Driver is a Navy vet and went to local school. JP told him he would need a one year contract so he came to Prime instead. 2 years later, he is still with Prime.

It is about tuition reimbursement. People are getting reimbursed then leaving after a couple of months, essentially getting their schooling for free.

I wouldnt freak about the contract. If you truly feel its the right fit, go for it. I expected to do my year then go local. But i fell in love with my company and coworkers. A year flies by in this business cause you are always on the go. Plus, the "school" is nothing. The real training is when you get to the company. Thats when you truly taught the ins and outs of trucking. So really, the company training is worth a lot.more than the school.

Put the reimbursement in an AMEX high yield savings account at 3% and if you do leave, pay off the contract with it. Contracts differ from company. Mine was prorated, so stay 6 mos and only owe half. Later contracts worked differently here at Prime.

Good luck

PackRat, was posting what someone else said they were told, never said it was true or that you should accept it as fact.

I haven’t crossed Jim Palmer off the list, and if I find out anything different about the 1 year contract, I will post it here.

Rainy, maybe I should call them again and verify if the 1 year is for tuition reimbursement. Thanks for the heads up.

Yeah ask them and update us. contracts change all the time too. the contract i signed is completely different from the Prime students today, It is possible you may get a different explanation as to why they want it, but its good to know.

Jim Palmer and Wil-Trans will require a one year contract whether you went to their school or a private school. The reason is simple - they're looking for people who are ready to commit to this career and understand what it's going to take to get them from a brand new rookie fresh out of school to a safe, productive, reliable professional driver. That process takes a lot of time and a huge commitment from the company in terms of equipment, personnel, and lost productivity. So they want people who are willing to commit to working for the company the same way the company is going to commit to sending them on the road with a trainer and deal with the inefficiencies and mistakes that new drivers make.

They also want people who get what it takes to get a difficult and complex career off the ground. They want someone who understand that the learning process is a long one that takes commitment from both sides.

Essentially it comes down to looking for people who "get it". If you think as a brand new rookie driver that you're some kind of high dollar free agent who's going to jump from job to job and play the field during your rookie year in trucking then you clearly don't get it. You're not humble enough, you don't understand the difficulties you're about to face, and you're not willing to commit to the company that's willing to commit to you.

See, the key thing that sets Trucking Truth apart from the rest of the Web is that we teach people what it takes to start from scratch and work your way up to being a true professional driver the right way. It's a long and difficult process that takes a lot of patience, nerve, humility, and commitment. While others would like to believe that simply having a CDL makes you valuable, we know better. Having a CDL will get you an opportunity to learn this trade and prove you have what it takes to make it out there in a very competitive, high paced, and stressful environment.

But simply having a CDL doesn't mean you know how to be a safe, productive, efficient driver. In fact, as a brand new driver fresh out of school I can promise you that you absolutely do not know how to be a safe, productive, efficient driver. Getting that CDL simply means you've passed about an hour's worth of simple backing and driving maneuvers. Big whoop. That's like taking a ladder and climbing onto your roof and believing you're now a real mountain climber who is ready to take on Everest.

Get serious......which is exactly what companies like Jim Palmer want you to do - get serious about learning your trade and committing to becoming a safe, productive driver. Requiring a contract is a really simple test to weed out the people who have the wrong attitude and the wrong approach to getting their career off to a great start.

Personally I think all of the major carriers should require these contracts for brand new drivers and I think they should honor each other's contracts. It would eliminate a lot of turnover and lost money by preventing the wrong people from getting started in the first place. Anyone who thinks a brand new driver with a fresh CDL is a valuable free agent is probably going to leave the company quickly or drop out of trucking altogether anyhow. So why waste your time on someone like that? Find better quality candidates right from the start.

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.

Wil-Trans:

Darrel Wilson bought his first tractor in 1980 at age 20, but, being too young to meet OTR age requirements, he leased the truck out and hired a driver.

Through growth and acquisition, Wil-Trans now employs over 200 drivers, and has a long-standing partnership with Prime, Inc. to haul their refrigerated freight. The family of businesses also includes Jim Palmer Trucking and O & S Trucking.