Well, if you want to drive for Prime then go through their school other wise you have to have 8+ months to go as an A seat driver other wise it really wouldn't make any sense to get your CDL through a college then go to them because you'll still have to go through the training.

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"I'm not a truck driver. I'm a non refrigerated load relocation engineer".

In response to the young man talking bout money management...yeah as a student you're in the cat birds seat, you will get a check each week and should be fine. When i was a cdl instructor there my students didn't have money worries while i had em. And being freinds with some of the trainers there i know weeks the trainer, the "owner" of the truck had weeks that he made no check but the trainee always gets paid. Oh and in case you didn't know, when you go with the trainer after you have your cdl you are being paid from that drivers profits directly. He also pays your workmans comp. The reason i mention that is you can expect he is gonna want and need you to run. I don't know how those guys are making it right now with feul over 4 bucks and truck payments over $1000 a week. I was there like 6 or 7 years ago and thought my payment of 575 a week was crazy....good luck guys. be money smart and stay out of those rent-a-trucks.

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How long from the C seat to the A seat? I am considering getting my permit this summer and hiring on with a local beer distributer till December. I would then off to Prime if they will take me. Sorry for the ?'s

King

the c to b seat comes after a set number of miles, sorry can't reall exactly how many and don't want to give bad info. The A seat status is a combo of your trainer and miles. after you get your required miles in and your trainer says you are ready then its back to springfield to test for your upgrade. A screw up on that driveing test and its back out with the trainer. overall from time you get your cdl to the a seat has alot of varibles but should avg bout 4 to 6 months depending on how quickly your miles roll in and how ready you are when you test out.

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Skunk Truck said:[QUOTE]The $240 a week is an advance, not learning pay. I know damn well I can make it on that. Those of you who say you can't make it on that should stop and think about staying out of those money hungry truck stop's. I can hit a Walmart and get enough stuff to last me through the week on $100 or less [/QUOTE]

Might want to check with your trainer (since it is his/her truck) and see if they have room for you, your crap, and a hundred dollors worth of groceries!!!!:biggri n_25513:

Bet ya a weeks worth of groceries they laugh in your face and tell you to get in the truck, "you'll eat when and where they eat".

Some of you "dream seekers" need to step back and check reality.

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Oh, boy, I hate situations like this. You go in trying to help mankind and, eh, all of a sudden you realize you're adjusting your halo in a two way mirror. Face 1983

Yeah skunk is new and young but good hearted
You are right the real word is not written in a book
Reality sets in very fast, when you run out of money!!!!!

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I'm looking to do the same thing you've talked aobut. You wrote in a post that you lived in your truck for nextr to nothing....want to share some of your tricks of the trade? I'll soon realize that money mgmt is the ticket to making and saving any money, whether a CO driver or L/O or O/O. Thanks for your insight.

How long have you been working for Prime? I’m changing careers, headed toward trucking. I’ve had my own business for some time and want to simply let someone else do the thinking for awhile! I’ve been researching a lot of trucking companies and have narrowed it down to four. I do not have a CDL, so I’m needing advice on selecting a trucking company that will provide the necessary CDL training. I’m single, the kids are long gone, so I’ll be running solo, a company driver, running long-haul, all 48-states. I have several places around the country where I can take down time.

The four trucking companies I’m leaning towards are Prime, Central Refrigeration, Swift, and CR England. I’ve read some of the posts and several of these choices are probably not the best companies out there. I know there is good and bad apples in every bag. Any other suggestions along with experiences would be appreciated.

What are your experiences with any of these companies? The training, pay, equipment, etc. What other company should I be looking at.

Thanks ahead of time for your input!

The best choice on your list is Prime. They have an excellent training program. It is long and some say the pay is low, but they really want to make sure you have a firm grasp of trucking before they turn you loose.

This sounds interesting to me. I have 10 years experience but have been away from the job for 8 years. Being able to complete "truck school/training" and not have a $4,000 bill afterward is appealing. The only thing I don't like the sound of is the 50,000 (60 - 10 from training) mile requirement. That could be friggin 5 months in some other stinky, anal retentive man's truck! Combined with roughly a month of training that's half a year of living with another man in a small, confined space....just like prison!

EDIT: I think I just read elsewhere there IS a $4000 bill afterward? There is a 1 year obligation or you get a bill for training? If so, **** that. No way I would pay them $4000 to haul paying loads for them, whether they call it training or not.