Hey There And A Couple Of Questions.....
Topic 3840 | Page 2
I'm 52 and about 2 weeks into the TNT phase of Prime Inc and can tell you that you have nothing to worry about as far as age goes or getting hired. Prime is a Great Place to start and you'll already have a huge Trucking Truth support base once you get there.....Do yourself a favor, get your NC permit with tanker and doubles and triples endorsements before you get there so you can move ahead and not have to worry about taking the tests in Springfield. Good Luck, Ken
Doubles:
Refers to pulling two trailers at the same time, otherwise known as "pups" or "pup trailers" because they're only about 28 feet long. However there are some states that allow doubles that are each 48 feet in length.
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 14ยข 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.
Hey Craig - now's the time to jump into our High Road Training Program as Starcar mentioned and start studying for your CDL permit exam, your endorsement exams, the Logbook Rules, and Truck Weights & Measures. It's an amazing program and you're certainly going to need it.
And Ken also makes an excellent point - get your CDL permit and endorsements before you leave for Prime. That's the first training you'll be doing - studying for the permit and endorsements. If you can get all of that studying and test taking out of the way before you even show up for their schooling they'll push you ahead in your training while the others stay behind and study.
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.
Logbook:
A written or electronic record of a driver's duty status which must be maintained at all times. The driver records the amount of time spent driving, on-duty not driving, in the sleeper berth, or off duty. The enforcement of the Hours Of Service Rules (HOS) are based upon the entries put in a driver's logbook.
Well they accepted me and I will be on my way to Springfield, MO. a week from Saturday. I spoke with my recruiter concerning the notes and documentation I had to get from my doctors and will be seeing them the next few days tomorrow. I suppose if I can make it past the DOT doctors, I should be good to go. I'm really excited but a bit apprehensive at the same time. This will be a huge adjustment for my wife but she is strong and will deal with it.
I have been hitting the High Roads training material along with reading the CDL manual every day. Great stuff! I have the manual highlighted so much that is it more green than anything else. LOL!
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.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
I have another issue that maybe one of you guys have dealt with and could give me a little direction. I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and have been using a CPAP machine for several years. I tried to line up a sleep test, as I haven't had one in a while, with my doctor for the coming week but found out yesterday that I can't have one done until the 17th. I'm suppose to be in Missouri on the 16th to start orientation. I know Prime is big time on the sleep apnea but I'm concerned that they may want me to take sleep test and update my machine to a more current version when I do the DOT physical. At least that is what I can deduce from some of the other threads about this here on forum. I don't have a spare $600 to pay for the sleep test or over a thousand for a new machine once I'm there.
I can get my sleep test and updated machine, if needed, through my insurance at home for just copay's but I would have to delay my trip to orientation a week or two to accomplish that. I will give my recruiter a call on Monday and see if they have a problem with that. A. I don't have that kind of money, B. I only want to make one trip to Missouri via bus and C. I don't want to get sent home the day after I get there when this may be an issue I can resolve before I get there.
Any insight with this would be appreciated.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
Really nothing to add. The way you are going about it is exactly what I would tell you to do. Hopefully the recruiter will allow you to put off you date a week or so to get last minute issues resolved.
Really nothing to add. The way you are going about it is exactly what I would tell you to do. Hopefully the recruiter will allow you to put off you date a week or so to get last minute issues resolved.
That is what I thought was the most intelligent thing to do. I will call the recruiter in the morning and get things pushed off so I can get all my documentation and issues they will be inquiring about resolved before I show up for orientation. I don't like going into a situation without having all my ducks in a row and having to shoot from the hip. Never have, never will. I'm only taking one bus ride up to Missouri. If they aren't cool with that, I'll call back the other companies that have contacted me in the interim and have told that I have had an offer from Prime. They have all said to call them if the Prime thing doesn't work out.
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