Prime Inc Vs CDL School
Topic 29688 | Page 1
I know most people say don't sign a contract but I plan on staying with Prime for at least a year anyways.
Welcome to our forum Crispin!
I don't know where all you've been looking around on the web for information, but your above statement couldn't be more wrong when it comes to us. We highly recommend prople attending the Paid CDL Training Programs. In fact we have a great article on why we believe these paid training programs are the way to go. Take a look at it if you please. Prime is a great outfit and we have some of their top drivers right here in our forum.
Why I Prefer Paid CDL Training
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.
One more thing Crispin... you would probably enjoy our "Diaries" section of the forum. It is where new drivers chronicle their experiences at company sponsored training programs and private schools. You will find some good diaries in there from folks who have gone through Prime's training program. Here it is...
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.
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.
So I'm pretty sure I can get into Prime. No felonies or misdemeanor for the past 10 years. Clean Driving record. Good health. I've been with the same job as courier for 11+ years, not one accident or tickets. My question is should I just go with them or pay $4400 for one of best CDL schools in California. It's literally down the street from my house. I know most people say don't sign a contract but I plan on staying with Prime for at least a year anyways. I'm really interested in their Tanker Division. Plus I don't think Prime takes money from your checks, unlike other companies. I think it's all paid for as long as you work for a year. What do you guys think??
One thing you might want to do is reach out to a recruiter at Prime to find out if there are any issues with the school. I took a year long sabbatical after I left my last job before deciding to do this and went to a CDL school near me. Figured I didn’t want to sign a contract with a company that had training (commitment issues), and also didn’t want an auto restriction in the event I would leave. The school had a 180 hour career course that apparently a lot of companies either require or prefer. I talked to a guy that was sitting outside the building, and found that the hours were helping you study for your permit, your endorsements, some safety classes, then some road time. The issue i saw with this was there were 5 people in each class that was 2-4 hours long. So 4 people would wait while 1 person drove around for a little bit with a trainer. I found that the school offered 1 on 1 training where you just pay for hours. I went to the DMV , got my permit, and all the endorsements, then paid for 30 hours of driving with an instructor, they schedule my test, passed, got my CDL.
When I was looking for companies I was interested in TMC, but got denied due their requirements of no spinal injuries. My C4-C7 fusion is apparently and issue, for them. When i reached out to Prime, the recruiter told me “you will have to go through our training since you don’t have the 180 hours.” I told her “I have a CDL from NYS, that trumps 180 hours.” She was hesitant, but said I can come to orientation. In orientation they they called me out and said “come with us.” The cadre made me drive their video game to show them that I “know how to drive.” The thing is, they didn’t tell me that I was being tested right then and there. Since I passed the video game, they sent me right out as a “C seat” with a TNT trainer. One of the cadres told me if i so much as crashed in this video game that gives you vertigo, Prime would of made me go through their PSD , and sign a contract. SO if you do come with your CDL, get the specifics once you get to orientation.
Also, you may have a little issue with living in California and going tanker. We do have a couple receivers out there, but no many loads going there. Food grade we are east of the Mississippi, and Inedible is Midwest and some east coast. Again, a recruiter can give you more details.
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.
Dm:
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.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
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.
One thing to be aware of....if you come with a CDL , you get paid LESS and do MORE miles in training.
$600, $700, then $800 per week...instead of $700 then $800
You also do 60k miles instead of 50k
And tuition reimbursement is. $1500 only.
And no you get no deduction in your pay. Just stay the year
9 months if you are a veteran
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.
@Crispin G. The best school in California is only charging $4400? That's insane! It cost's over $5000 at the community college in Virginia.!
Prime Inc. seems like the better option for me. I am very impressed by their really nice terminal , gym etc. I mostly like the fact that they take safety very seriously! They seem to make everyone do mandatory safety simulators. But yeah, do your research on a company before deciding to work there...
@Truckin Along With Kearsey
Why would anyone pay someone with a license less? That's dumb!
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.
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So I'm pretty sure I can get into Prime. No felonies or misdemeanor for the past 10 years. Clean Driving record. Good health. I've been with the same job as courier for 11+ years, not one accident or tickets. My question is should I just go with them or pay $4400 for one of best CDL schools in California. It's literally down the street from my house. I know most people say don't sign a contract but I plan on staying with Prime for at least a year anyways. I'm really interested in their Tanker Division. Plus I don't think Prime takes money from your checks, unlike other companies. I think it's all paid for as long as you work for a year. What do you guys think??
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: