Well This Sucks :( Sent Home From Prime
Topic 27473 | Page 3
Awesome man, good luck!
How long is the OTR training?
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.
Super post to read, Harvest!
Don't give up, give in, or wander off from there. Stay the course because the rewards are worth the suck!
Awesome man, good luck!
How long is the OTR training?
I was surprised the training is only 150 hours. I’m kind of nervous and hope I learn everything I need in that short time. We just did a backing and road test. I was pretty nervous for this since it’s been a bit since I was behind the wheel. But I aced it both! I did the 45 degree ally dock on first try and the road test was really simple compared to the Prime test. Truly very excited to start trucking again. They offered me regional and said I would have 36 hours off a week. Think I should take that or go OTR?
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.
Harvest,
Glad to hear you're keeping the faith!
Looking forward to hearing your story of success at Western Express as it unfolds.
I am going to be right behind you, hopefully at Prime, so I may need some words of encouragement when I hit my wall in TNT.
Choosing Prime is a great choice, great people, great equipment and safety oriented. The TNT phase is definitely rough. If you got your cdl from somewhere other than prime, the TNT miles are 60,000 now 
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.
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.
Think I should take that or go OTR?
You're young, single, no ties, and you have your whole life in front of you. My vote would be OTR. Explore the country, ponder life's mysteries, experience all the wonderful things this country has to offer. Regional will always be there when you're ready to throttle down.
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.
This is true.
When you land a job, give them everything you've got for a minimum of one year. After one year your career will be on solid footing, you'll understand the industry much better, and then you can make a move if you really want tobut chances are you won't want to. Once a person gets a great reputation, builds strong relationships, and understands how their company operates, they're making excellent money and they're happy right where they are.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
Ugh, I wish I would use the quote button correctly!
This is true.
When you land a job, give them everything you've got for a minimum of one year. After one year your career will be on solid footing, you'll understand the industry much better, and then you can make a move if you really want tobut chances are you won't want to. Once a person gets a great reputation, builds strong relationships, and understands how their company operates, they're making excellent money and they're happy right where they are.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
Update: Orientation is over for me, should be getting a trainer tomorrow or sometime this weekend. Learned allot of stuff about the Qualcomm today. Honestly not a super extensive orientation process. What is nice is for flatbedders there is a extra 2 days of orientation strictly dedicated to load securement class. Orientation office is very small here in Allentown. For breakfast you get a bag that has a danish, oats bar, apple and water. For lunch a food truck comes that has very delicious food, from pasta to burgers. The burgers taste fresh off a charcoal grill, and the pasta is surprisingly delicious. And for dinner you get a 8$ subway giftcard. I honestly wouldn’t mind if the lunch truck came for dinner as well. Some of the students definitely bad mouthed about the company, saying it’s a second chance company and the pay is bad. And one of the teachers agreed it was a second chance company. But honestly from what I’ve seen the staff is very great and honest about everything so far. I think I’ve made a great choice by coming here. The only really thing I do not like is the trucks do not have APU’s. I am wondering how that works out when it is freezing cold or stupid hot outside.
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.APU:
Auxiliary Power Unit
On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.
Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.
The only really thing I do not like is the trucks do not have APU’s. I am wondering how that works out when it is freezing cold or stupid hot outside.
You'll be able to idle in the heat. Your truck has a bunk heater for the winter weather. Don't worry, they don't try to make you miserable.
Harvest, I've never had a truck with an APU. Incidentally, I've never felt the need for one either. You probably don't realize it, but there's really a very small percentage of trucks on the road with APU's. Your limited experience is with Prime. Therefore it seems that everybody should have an APU. It's not anything near to being a necessity.
APU:
Auxiliary Power Unit
On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.
Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.
APU's:
Auxiliary Power Unit
On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.
Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.
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Harvest,
Glad to hear you're keeping the faith!
Looking forward to hearing your story of success at Western Express as it unfolds.
I am going to be right behind you, hopefully at Prime, so I may need some words of encouragement when I hit my wall in TNT.
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.