Looking To Start And Just Have Some Questions.

Topic 516 | Page 1

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Brady L.'s Comment
member avatar

Hey this is my first post everyone. I've been on this site for a few months but just joined a few hours ago. I have been looking through the forum to find the answers to a couple of questions that I have but I figured it will be easier to just ask them. I'm looking to start driving in a few weeks. I actually just got off the phone with my recruiter and she told me that my application has been accepted. So I'm headed out to Missouri in like 10 days because I am starting with Prime. I was wondering if anyone on this site has gone through their training program recently? I am obviously a little nervous and so is my wife. We have been married for four years and we don't have any kids so after I have enough experience she will be riding with me and after she has done that for awhile, if she likes it then she will do the training and we will team drive together. Is Prime a good route to go? I have heard good things about them especially on this site but looking elsewhere, especially when it comes to their team trucks I have heard that they stink. To those who answer this, thanks. :) Brady Ladd p.s. any extra advice would be great lol

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Houkie's Comment
member avatar

Hi Brady! Congrats on getting in with Prime. I'm trying to get on with them too. I've heard a lot of really great things about their training program and about working for them in general. We have a few Prime drivers here; I'm sure they'll chime in here at some point.

I'm just a newbie myself so I can't offer you a lot of advice, but one thing I've learned from reading in these forums and around this website is this -- make sure you have the right attitude when you go into this. Stay positive and focused, and be prepared for bad days because you're gonna have a whole lot of 'em in the beginning. One of my favorite quotes says, "Life isn't about waiting for perfect weather. It's about learning to dance in the rain." I think that applies to trucking in particular, lol. :)

Check out the High Road CDL Training Program on here as well. Spend the next 10 days going through that and you'll be a step ahead of the rest of your classmates. I'm working on it now and even though I'm not through it yet, I already feel *SO* much better prepared for school.

And keep us updated while you're in school, if you have the time! You can start your own diary in the "CDL Training Diaries" section of the forum so that we can all follow your progress and give you support and advice along the way. As a hopeful future Prime employee myself, I'd love to hear how your training goes! :)

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.
Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

Welcome aboard!

Houkie had a great answer!

Now I'm quite concerned to be honest with ya. You've been following us for months and you knew you were getting into trucking but you haven't even begun the High Road Training Program yet??? You better get to work - that's my advice. You've got a lot to learn in a short amount of time. One thing we've heard time and again from people that go through the company-sponsored programs like Prime's is how fast-paced the schooling is and how fortunate everyone felt for having already completed our training program. It put them way ahead of the rest of the class.

At Prime in particular a number of people have told us that completing our training program and getting their permit before they left for Prime was a pretty big deal because it allowed them to move on to other aspects of their training while the rest of the class still had to learn the materials to pass the permit test. So you'll definitely want to get rollin with that.

As far as your plan to get into trucking, bring your wife along with you, and then decide if she wants to get into trucking with you - that will work perfectly fine. One thing you'll want to be aware of with Prime is that they are severaly limited on the number of female trainers they have. Often times there's a waiting list that is several months or possibly as long as a year. Now I expect they would let you train her yourself but you would have to become a certified trainer through them first and you would need a minimum amount of experience also. I'm not sure how long that is but I would discuss that situation with your recruiter and see what they say. If the answer isn't favorable, you might consider getting started with a different company that will allow your wife to join you a bit easier.

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.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

Brady L.'s Comment
member avatar

No I havent started the high road training program yet but I have been studying for the general knowledge, combinations and air-brakes test through materials sent to me by my recruiter. I was really happy with this site because it gace me all of the information needed to pick out the right school for me. It was harder than I thought because I live in Maine and alot of companies dont hire from here. A little update. I start in two weeks and me and my wife have decided to move to Springfield. She is going to be there for about 3-4 months before she can ride with me and I talked to my recruiter and she said that I only need to be with the company for 3 months if I want to train her. I would need to be with the company for a year to instruct her. So I think that we are going to send her to a local school for her initial training and then go to Prime for the 30,000 miles needed to get her fully certified with Prime. I hope we like it. I am probably going to start a blog on here for our adventures, not just me but my wife as well. Hopefully we can help anyone else who is looking into trucking. smile.gif

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