New to Prime INC - What to expect (Springfield edition)

TnT – Trainer n Trainee – This is Prime’s mentoring program (other carriers call it mentoring) or training program that pairs a new hire up with a trainer that will take them out for up to 60,000 miles to show them the ropes of OTR driving, interacting with customers and dealing with the perils and pitfalls of driving the lower 48 states.
At this point you will be assigned a TnT Trainer and a new Fleet Manager (whoever the Trainer’s FM is, that’s your FM) You will be living with the trainer for up to 3 months, so there will be an interview sort of meeting where you and the trainer will talk. Be sure that at this point if there is some animosity or bad vibes with this person you talk about it now. It’s better to address this now and ask for a different Trainer than half way through your training. A good TnT Trainer will be sure to ask you pointed questions about your preferences to ensure a good personality/social fit takes place. He doesn’t want to have to deal with drama on the road either.

Once you get situated with your Trainer, be sure that you find out what the rules of his/her truck are. Each driver has their own idea of rules on the truck. It’s better to understand these rules up front than to find out the hard way by ticking him/her off.

During this phase you will be driving with your trainer as a team. This means that you will be driving unsupervised most of the time, with your trainer behind you trying to sleep to support you. It is very hard to sleep behind a brand new greenhorn, so don’t ##### about the money he/she is making. They are taking a HUGE risk having you drive their truck and deserve the reward of a better paycheck. Don’t become a lazy steering wheel holder either. So many newbies just want to drive, and often refuse to learn the other tasks associated with driving OTR. When you upgrade, you will be clueless if you don’t learn those other tasks. You will be required to do just about every task a driver does on the truck. Some major tasks you will learn will be:
Driving (continued from PSD)
Hooking/Unhooking trailers (if you didn’t during PSD)
Using the Qualcomm for load information & HOS management.
Fueling procedures and best fueling practices
Interacting with shippers & receivers
Bill of Lading paperwork and trip sheet submission
The real way to back, park, maneuver in a truck stop / shipper / receiver / city / highway
Trip Planning, Yea, using that map/atlas thingy to figure out where to go.
How to drive in all weather.

As for the pay. You are guaranteed $600 per week minimum, or $0.12 per mile over 5000 miles dispatched for that week. The miles are not split between you and your trainer, but are cumulative. You get paid for the dispatched miles for the truck, not just the miles you drive. (you get to count the miles your trainer drives as well.) Remember, this is your pay BEFORE TAXES and other deductions such as the $25 per week for your $200 loans during PSD, $55 per week for CPAP, and other deductions such as child support/alimony.

 

Hometime during training - Prime usually tries to pair you up with someone with similar personailities, backgrounds, and home location. For Example, I would be looking for a non-smoker who lives near Springfield, Missouri (my home) who likes country music, hunting, fishing, and keeps clean. PRIME INC WILL NOT ALLOW MALE TRAINERS TRAIN FEMALE TRAINEES (unless you are family members) Prime INC will also pair smokers with smokers, and non-smokers with non-smokers. If you are a non-smoker and say you will train with a smoker, don't whine later about his smoking habit. I will not take a smoker on my truck unless he is willing to give it up and chew the gum or something like that. (Remember, the truck is my home away from home)

Now about that hometime... When the trainer goes home, you have a couple choices. You can go home if it is close to his home, or you can stay on the truck or in a hotel at the trainers (or company) expense. If you stay on the truck, you should have access to showers & restaurants and stuff. If you go home, you might be waiting a bit longer to get back on the road, as the trainer has to get a load past your house.

Your pay during hometime will stop. The $600 guarantee is only if you stay on the truck or are available for dispatch for the seven consecutive days of the week. Your pay for the days available will be paid at $0.12 per mile that you drive for that week. Example: If I went home to SpriMo for hometime, I would put the student in the hotel at the Campus Inn and go home. (I park at the terminal) There the student would still be available for dispatch and receive the $600 guarantee.

 

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO FINISH TRAINING?

Your PSD training should take no more than 4 weeks. PSD Instructors are discouraged from taking hometime during the PSD process, and with exception should be disclosed before you are paired with that Instructor. It should take about 3 weeks to get 75 hours of driving time (the MINIMUM) but it is up to the instructor to decide whether you are progressing and are ready to test.

TnT Training has 3 levels:

D seat - This is where the students that have participated in the PSD program start. They get the $600 guarantee and have to do a minimum of 30,000 miles. This can be increased up to 60,000 miles if you have dificulties or safety incidents during training.

C seat - This is where you start if you got your CDL from somewhere else, but have no OTR experience. You get $500 per week for the first 10,000 miles and are moved up to $600 per week for the remainder of your 40,000 miles. This can be increased up to 60,000 miles if you have dificulties or safety incidents during training.

B2 seat - This is where you start if you have OTR experience, but not enough to start driving your own truck. Often this is a short stint to learn the Prime process, or if you never hauled the freight you are hauling at Prime. IE You were a dry van hauler coming to prime to pull reefers or flatbeds. (more at the end)

B1 seat - This is where you are considered when you come from the C Seat and have your 10,000 miles. You are now a B1 seat and need to finish your 30,000 miles.

Upgrading... You are ready to upgrade when you meet the minimum mileage for your situation, as well as the trainers and fleet managers endorsements. In other words, the trainer and the fleet manager have to both agree that you are ready to upgrade. Safety incidents will be considered and the Safety dept might require a set number of miles additional to your minimum requirements.

Experienced CDL holders might have to go through some training if they are crossing from one type of freight to one of prime's divisions. If you have never hauled reefer, you might have to go out for a couple weeks. If you never hauled flatbed you might be required to go out on a flatbed for a while and you are required to have the securement class.

The tanker division usually requires 1 year OTR experience before pulling tankers for Prime. There is a class that you must attend before pulling tankers, as well as having your tanker endorsement. We pull food grade tanks that are smooth bore, which are generally more dangerous to haul.