ask your questions about prime inc here

And that would be............

 

sum folks call it............

the watermelon 500

 

hmmmmm......

 

Never heard that...

Well, location makes sense. There's an awful lot of terminals and drop yards in the area. I can make the lower half of the race track in 30 minutes.

Does Prime move a fair amount of freight in and out of this area? I know that it will help when planning hometime.

 

Shouldn't be a problem... there's a lot of freight that moves up n' down I95.

 

I just put in my application with Prime. Wanted to before but I was unemployed until March. Gotta call a recruiter soon to see what's next. I have a few questions - I'm working on reading this whole thread so if I ask something that's already been asked - my apologies.

1) I live in North Georgia right between I-75 & I-85 so getting miles and home time shouldn't be a problem, right?

2) I like the way Prime trains. Makes me feel confident going in as a newbie. Does the $500/week start when you arrive at Prime headquarters?

3) Does Prime pay for a bus ticket to get to orientation? I know some companies do & some don't. I applied for reefer division but I will take anything I can get. My long term goal is $700/week but I know I gotta earn my stripes first.

Thanks & be safe,

Jasper

 

Take your pick... Sunny delight, Wrigley, Kraft, Publix and Bud are just some of the places I have delt with delivering and picking up. A few more names I can't recall.

Drop Yard is about a mile or two off the interstate at the exit were the pilot is... I seem to recall passing a prison/jail facility.

 

I've read a lot on here and I don't think it should be an issue.

You don't get paid at all when you first arrive to Orientation unless you already have your CDL. If not, you go through 3-4 weeks of training to obtain your CDL. If you train through Prime you are considered a Class "D" driver. You are then on the road w/ an instructor getting your first 10k miles in. They will advance you $200 to help you on the road, however, you will pay back at $25 per week after you obtain your CDL. Once you obtain your CDL you are bumped up to a Class "B" driver, then you are paid training pay of $600 per week or .12 cents per mile whichever is greater. That lasts till you reach 60k miles. Of course you have to be available for dispatch to get paid. After the 60K miles you become a class "A" transition driver. You can stay team for an additional 20k miles getting paid the same or you can go solo for the remaining 20k and get paid I believe .30 cents a mile. After those 20k you then become a Class "A" driver and get your truck and drive company. Hope this helps.

Prime does supply you with a greyhound bus ticket to Orientaion. Or you can pay for your own flight and they reimburse you up to $200 for that ticket I believe. Of course if you lie on your application and they find out about it... you will be gone and have to find your own transportation back home. Not to scare you, just be open/honest about everything and you'll be OK. Oh, your BMI needs to be below 39 and your blood pressure needs to be less than 140/90. Thats due to DOT Physical Requirements. Sorry to ramble.

Good luck Jasper, ask U2, IP, Sazook and/or TruckerMike. They are full of good information. There are some other thread writers here that are going through Orientation now and can help. I know of TreyDavid and JMWaller to name a couple. And read all the threads on here. Lots of information.
BTW,

Sorry to step on your toes there U2, IP and TruckerMike. I know I am not with Prime yet, just have been reading these posts for awhile and I am headed to SPRIMO in October now.

 

I'm very interested in being a company driver for Prime. Not really interested in being a L/O (IP don't take that personally). Too much goes along with being your own boss. I've been that for the last 7 years.

I've been working with the GA on sponsorship for training, but the process is long and drawn out (6+ weeks and counting). While I've been waiting and watching the grass grow, I studied and successfully passed the test for my CDL permit, and passed my D.O.T. physical.

I just received word from the CDL training school that I have pre-hires form Swift, Werner, PAM, and Covenant. This means the wait is over and I may have to go with one these companies. Is it possible to get a pre-hire from Prime?

If I was to apply to Prime immediately,(and were to pass on the state sponsored training) how fast will I be processed into the program? I won't hold you to the estimate. From what I've read over the passed few days, it seems it would be to my advantage to let you guys train me instead of a local driving school. Already having my CDL permit won't hurt, will it? It should save a step some place.

 

My trainee is a CDL school grad. Things work a little different, but not too much.

You will still have to pass a Prime administered DOT physical. A basic skills test in the truck (or simulator).

You will do 60k training miles (you don't get the 10k mile credit that a Prime CDL student gets)

You get the $600 min or .12/mile however the first 4 weeks on the road it's $500 min or .10/mile. (the Prime CDL goes straight to $600 as they've already had 4 plus weeks getting familiar with Prime operations and procedures while out with an instructor)

I do believe you are only credited with the Price of the bus ticket (Prime's corporate rate deal with greyhound) from your home towards an alternate transportation to your training terminal. Be it plane, rental car, or personal vehicle.