What I Heard On The Shuttle Bus Today (Use The High Road Program Properly!)
Topic 8941 | Page 1
You know I'm actually very happy to see this post. I am hoping to get on with Prime, and I've been using the high road program rigorously, although I have to say I've slacked quite a bit lately.
You've reminded me how important it is at just the right time. I think I will get my permit before going. See, I am also a young female, and if I want people to take me seriously, I need to take it seriously.
I don't plan on making this a life long career, and while it might not turn out that way, it doesn't matter. Even if I hope to do trucking only long enough to buy a house, I need to take it seriously, not only because its dangerous, but its hard and on the road I'll be responsible for not only my safety but everyone else's too.
Thank you The Dude. You've reminded me that even if I want to do it asap, I need to really apply myself.
Be safe all!!!
SAP:
Substance Abuse Professional
The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.
I actually did go on there and took the tests twice before I came and I did okay
And you know that's total BS anyhow. Yeah I'm sure he used the High Road and did fine. Yeah right. Did it twice even, eh? When he says he did it twice he certainly doesn't mean he worked his way through the whole program twice. What he really meant to say was, "I'm an idiot because I failed to prepare for the exams but I don't want to look stupid so I'll say I studied but it didn't help. Then it won't look like it's all my fault for being totally lazy and careless about my approach to a new career."
That's what he meant.
That is a shame though. Goes all that way to get to Prime just to get back on the bus right away and go back home and study.
For anyone preparing to start your career, here's how our High Road Training Program breaks down:
To Get Your CDL Permit:
- Rules & Regulations
- Driving Safely
- Transporting Cargo Safely
- Air Brakes
- Combination Vehicles
- Pre-Trip Inspection
- Driving Exam
To get your CDL endorsements which are optional but we highly recommend you get:
- Transporting Passengers
- Doubles And Triples
- Tankers
- Hazardous Materials
And two sections we've built ourselves with info you'll need for everyday life on the road but the manual doesn't really cover it:
- Logbook
- Weight & Balance
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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.
Combination Vehicle:
A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.
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.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Hey Brett (and anyone else reading) While I was at the CDL instructor training a few weeks ago...in one of the classes in which all the new PSD's and trainers must go thru (pre trip inspection) the instructor told all the new recruits to go to "truckingtruth.com" and study the pretrip there. So even Prime is well aware that the program this site offers, helps the recruits out. FYI 
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.
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.
And you know that's total BS anyhow. Yeah I'm sure he used the High Road and did fine. Yeah right. Did it twice even, eh?
Yeah he is full of it.
If you do the High Road twice I swear you will change the makeup of your brain. Besides being a horrible test taker, I crammed it in a weekend. My brain about exploded. You do it once, through everything, you will pass your permit test. The DMV gal was impressed. I passed with three endorsements.
Go ahead and tell 'em Brett. My scores on the High Road were horrific.
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.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Hey Brett (and anyone else reading) While I was at the CDL instructor training a few weeks ago...in one of the classes in which all the new PSD's and trainers must go thru (pre trip inspection) the instructor told all the new recruits to go to "truckingtruth.com" and study the pretrip there. So even Prime is well aware that the program this site offers, helps the recruits out. FYI
I wish they make that recommendation to look at the pretrip inspection on TT.
I will be very tempted to reveal my true identity as the creator of that thread and so many more!
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.
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.
Hey Brett (and anyone else reading) While I was at the CDL instructor training a few weeks ago...in one of the classes in which all the new PSD's and trainers must go thru (pre trip inspection) the instructor told all the new recruits to go to "truckingtruth.com" and study the pretrip there. So even Prime is well aware that the program this site offers, helps the recruits out. FYI
That's really cool!!
I will be very tempted to reveal my true identity as the creator of that thread and so many more!
Yes indeed! On today's menu you will find The Pre-trip inspection by Daniel B - which we're going to turn into flash cards somewhere down the line.
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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.
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.
If you do the High Road twice I swear you will change the makeup of your brain. Besides being a horrible test taker, I crammed it in a weekend. My brain about exploded. You do it once, through everything, you will pass your permit test. The DMV gal was impressed. I passed with three endorsements.
Go ahead and tell 'em Brett. My scores on the High Road were horrific.
I guess my brain is changed but in a good way I did the high road training program a year ago then reset my scores and did it again a couple of months ago I was amazed at how much I retained from a year ago.....
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.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Hey Brett (and anyone else reading) While I was at the CDL instructor training a few weeks ago...in one of the classes in which all the new PSD's and trainers must go thru (pre trip inspection) the instructor told all the new recruits to go to "truckingtruth.com" and study the pretrip there. So even Prime is well aware that the program this site offers, helps the recruits out. FYI
That's really cool!!
Yes indeed! On today's menu you will find The Pre-trip inspection by Daniel B - which we're going to turn into flash cards somewhere down the line.
Prob better to leave it as is Brett with instructions to have people make their own flash cards from it so it will be better remembered by them writing down the information, just a thought
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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.
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.
Prob better to leave it as is Brett with instructions to have people make their own flash cards from it so it will be better remembered by them writing down the information, just a thought
I would leave the original intact and build a flashcard version to go along with it.
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So I'm in Springfield by our main Prime terminal. Dropped my truck off at a dealership and called our Prime shuttle bus to come pick me up to take me to a hotel for the night. I get on the shuttle and there's two other people on it: some other driver and some kid who's talking about how he's getting a ride back to Greyhound to go back home because he couldn't get through the training program and how he's going to come back ripe and ready.
I asked him about what happened. What happened is he flunked out on the permit tests.
I started to say, "you know what you should do man is go on to..."
He cut me off and said, "truckingtruth.com? He (the other driver on the shuttle) told me the same thing. I actually did go on there and took the tests twice before I came and I did okay."
Then he got off the shuttle to get on the midnight bus out of Greyhound to ride that sucker half way across the country back to Florida.
So, the truth is there's many different things that can go wrong in your CDL training program. There are things that can be very hard to learn how to do. Getting through a training program and getting your CDL is a challenging conquest that can include some things that aren't completely in your control.
The ONE thing that IS completely in your control is passing your permit.
The proper way to use The High Road Training Program is not to use it twice. You need to take it seriously and act like a professional as it is something that is grooming you for a profession. You need to actually read the sections, all of them, and understand them. And you need to take the tests over and over again until you are getting little to no questions wrong.
It is very aggravating for me to watch some kid, who seemed like a smart and nice kid, get on the dog for 1200 miles to go back home to study for his permit some more because he didn't use High Road properly.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.