Give me like 45 minutes and ill get to you!
Hello all. I just finished an 80 hr CDL refresher and am now scheduled to start with Prime on the 13th of July. They're offering me the lightweight truck only because (according to the recruiter) condo cabs are reserved for team drivers and/or are not available for drivers living in Florida. (where I live) So I have no problem giving that a shot. I've seen the cool post here on the forums where a driver put up photos of his LW and it looks like something I can deal with just fine.
So anyway, when I get there I guess I'm supposed to go thru an orientation for a few days, not sure how long its supposed to last, before I get a trainer and hit the road for my *gasp* 45k miles of driving before I get my own truck. I feel I don't need that much training as I've held my CDL since 93 and drove both local and OTR until 2000 when I got an excellent paying construction job that I quit driving for. Driving a truck came right back to me in refresher school and am very confident I can drive without white knuckling my trainer. So does anyone have some insight on what will happen when I get to Prime? How long is orientation and how long do I have to be there before I get to go on the road? I've asked the recruiter so many questions I feel I'm bothering her so I don't want to ask her for anything else. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Lastly, I'd like some insight into once you're on your own, do the dispatchers keep you moving well? Do they keep you so busy that you run out of hours and expect you to drive over hours to make your delivery times? My recruiter told me that Prime will expect me to be on the road for a minimum of 3 weeks in between home time. But said also that because I live in Florida, getting loads here can be tough and to expect to be out 4 weeks. I"m praying that this isn't the norm. Yes I know you have to be on the road to make money, but at the same time I have two young kids and a great wife I'd like to see regularly as well. Thanks in advance for any replies!!
Boom, 42 minutes. Always on time!
Lightweight trucks are just fine. You need to really stay organized for it to work though. And I'm the creator of the thread detailing the Lightweight trucks, glad it helped you and I agree on the "cool" part.
You'll spend about 5 days at Prime if everything goes well. Day 1 is all paperwork and waiting as well the DOT Physical and drug screening. The rest of the week is much more interesting. You should be on the road on Friday or Saturday of the same week.
You stated that you've had your CDL for a while now but these large OTR carriers look for previous OTR experience. They don't care too much for your local experience. If they think you need the training then you'll have to go to training. In their eyes, you don't have enough recent OTR experience so you'll have to start from scratch. Also, its been a very long time so they figure you lost all your abilities and will need to relearn. Just go with the flow.
Honestly, I wish my DM would slow down a bit. That guy runs me like an animal (just ask Ken). Yes, these DM's run their good drivers very well. I mean, if I have 20 minutes left on my 70 that man will find something for me to do. Love the guy! However, it can take a while to get on your DM's 'Top Driver List'. Your miles start off in the mid 2000's and they steadily increase. During your first months, they test you, see what you can handle. Yes, I frequently run out of hours - that's called running hard. But Prime, or any other major carrier, will never ever tell you to run illegally. Never. Don't worry about that because it won't happen.
Living in FL does suck. And it can definitely be a challenge to get home on time. That's not Primes fault, FL just sucks for trucking.
Unfortunately, with OTR you don't get home much. That's to be expected. Its also true that the minimum time out on the road is three weeks. If you cannot handle this then don't do it! It will tear your family apart and you'll also be under contract which means you'll have to pay a nice fee for contract cancellation. Seriously, talk this over with your family. If you/they cannot handle 3+ weeks then don't make this leap.
If you want to get home more frequently try a regional or local job. But with all OTR carriers you should not expect to be home very often.
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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 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.
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.
Daniel, you're a gentleman and a scholar! And yes, your thread was the main reason I made the decision to go with the LW trucks. Having that insight was critical in making that decision to do so and I thank you for taking the time to post it! I also see you're from Sacramento. I too grew up in and around Sacramento. Lived in Auburn most of my school years before moving to Citrus Heights and lived in a few other suburbs. Good to see a hometown man on the boards!
The decision to go OTR is "kind of" forced and isn't my first choice HOWEVER: I've checked into all the major local trucking companies around Central Florida and they also want recent driving experience. Anywhere from 3 months OTR to a year. Thus my decision to go OTR and Prime is my first choice because they pay the best. Recently my wife lost her job of over 20 years which is forcing me to take a high paying job so we can keep our house in Florida. So I thank you for the advice of not taking OTR because of the strain it puts on families. I appreciate concern from a veteran driver!
I'm very relieved to hear Prime will not overrun you. When I drove OTR in 97-98, I drove for a company that would give you 5 days to run produce from CA to Atlanta. The first day I'd have between 3 to 6 pick ups which pretty much wiped out my first day of driving. So I'd have to run 2 log books and run as much drive time as my mind and body could take to get to my appointment on time and not have my pay docked, or sit for a couple of days to get another load since I'd probably miss my next load pick up time. I ran my butt off for weeks and they kept me very busy because I would run so hard. I was younger then and could do it. But now that I"m in my forties I'd rather not tax my body and mind. I truly loved my time on the road seeing the country and have missed driving ever since.
One last question: Do the trucks have CD players in them? Thanks so much for your reply. Be safe out there!
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.
Most, if not all of prime trucks come with a sirrius cd/radio player. The subscription is on you to pay for, and it has a jack for you smartphone, which i prefer over sirrius. Seriously, they are worse than commercial radio with all there talking after every song and playing the same bumpers over and over and over... But anyway, yes to your question. (:-)
Haha! Awesome! But I'm not even close to being a veteran trucker. But thanks for the compliment.
I love Auburn, especially love Foresthill right by Auburn. Go fishing there all the time. I actually live in the Antelope area, its very close to Citrus Heights.
And about running with multiple logbooks.. Those days are long gone now. Every decent sized company runs E-Logs and those are impossible to cheat. Expect no more than 3400 miles in a week.
I can't believe I'm already a gentlemen and a scholar at the age of 22. By the time I get as old as you old men who knows what I'll be! PhD of Trucking!!!
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.
Most, if not all of prime trucks come with a sirrius cd/radio player. The subscription is on you to pay for, and it has a jack for you smartphone, which i prefer over sirrius. Seriously, they are worse than commercial radio with all there talking after every song and playing the same bumpers over and over and over... But anyway, yes to your question. (:-)
Oh that is great news! Mainstream radio stations day after day gets old quick. Thank God for spotify and smart phone hookups!
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Hello all. I just finished an 80 hr CDL refresher and am now scheduled to start with Prime on the 13th of July. They're offering me the lightweight truck only because (according to the recruiter) condo cabs are reserved for team drivers and/or are not available for drivers living in Florida. (where I live) So I have no problem giving that a shot. I've seen the cool post here on the forums where a driver put up photos of his LW and it looks like something I can deal with just fine.
So anyway, when I get there I guess I'm supposed to go thru an orientation for a few days, not sure how long its supposed to last, before I get a trainer and hit the road for my *gasp* 45k miles of driving before I get my own truck. I feel I don't need that much training as I've held my CDL since 93 and drove both local and OTR until 2000 when I got an excellent paying construction job that I quit driving for. Driving a truck came right back to me in refresher school and am very confident I can drive without white knuckling my trainer. So does anyone have some insight on what will happen when I get to Prime? How long is orientation and how long do I have to be there before I get to go on the road? I've asked the recruiter so many questions I feel I'm bothering her so I don't want to ask her for anything else. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Lastly, I'd like some insight into once you're on your own, do the dispatchers keep you moving well? Do they keep you so busy that you run out of hours and expect you to drive over hours to make your delivery times? My recruiter told me that Prime will expect me to be on the road for a minimum of 3 weeks in between home time. But said also that because I live in Florida, getting loads here can be tough and to expect to be out 4 weeks. I"m praying that this isn't the norm. Yes I know you have to be on the road to make money, but at the same time I have two young kids and a great wife I'd like to see regularly as well. Thanks in advance for any replies!!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
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.