Away time during training

It's all right... your recruiter is being straight with you.

You, with your class-A CDL as an inexperienced CDL-holder, will start as a C-seat with Prime. You'll make $500 per week for the first four weeks until you're bumped to B-seat. At that time you'll start earning $600 per week or 12-cpm for all miles whichever is greater... until you've done 40,000 miles, give or take. During this time, you'll earn 1-home day every week just like everyone else at Prime on the company-side. When you're judged ready, you'll come back to Springfield for upgrade to A-seat... and you'll get your own truck if you make it. The payrate during training is guaranteed as long as you are available for dispatch... that means you're on the truck. If you go home, you're not available for dispatch. The wheels need to be turning for you to get paid... that's the way it is in trucking. If you are put up in a motel while you're trainer is on hometime, you're not available for dispatch. BTW... your trainer should cover the cost of that motel.

 

So if my trainer is on hometime can I stay in the truck and be considered available for dispatch? Thank you for all the information on Prime!

 

Negative.

If you are not an A seat, you are not considered a driver, you are a co-driver. Only an A seat can be dispatched in a truck without someone here to 'supervise.'

 

He is talking about the getting paid aspect. Unless they have changed it since I left as long as you aren't at home you get the $600 guaranteed.

 

JB... do you not have to report back to dispatch on that? I know some folks have posted that they got paid when they stayed in the truck due to the way the trainer dealt with the issue. I believe that has always been against company policy though.

@csogbk... I'd plan on not being paid for those periods. The wheels must be turning... So with that in mind, make sure you keep your communications up with your instructor/trainer. It's probably easier if you can arrange some hometime to be concurrent with your instructor/trainer.

 

Trainee gets paid his garauntee.

A lot of lease ops try to push mis-info on this topic because they still have to pay their portion of the wage if the trainee doesn't want to go home.

a lot of them have no shame in the way they omit info to their trainees in pursuit of their profits. Whether it's hometime or pay.

Many are in it for the wrong reasons. The first thing a struggling lease op is told by their FM when they find there business struggling is "have you thought about training?"

edit: I'm not saying IP is trying to mislead you. He is a lease op but only knows what he hears and isn't a trainer.

 

Unless I heard it wrong, what I said is a paraphrasing of what answer was given to the PSD kids yesterday.

 

Of course he's not going to get dispatched on a truck for a load by himself. But he is ready for dispatch on his trainers truck despite his trainer not being available because the trainer is sitting at home. He gets paid.

Every single one of my trainees got paid when I had to go home and they either didn't want to or couldn't take their own hometime. I try to schedule my home time when they take theirs... However some things have already been scheduled like weddings etc.

(as for the trainee "couldn't take their own hometime" I had a family emergency)

If a PSD graduates and then has to wait for a trainer to pick him up from Springfield he gets paid starting the first day his CDL goes on file with Personel (or TNT hires at Springfield, Pittston or SLC they start getting paid AFTER orientation). They are considered "ready for dispatch" its not their fault their trainer isn't their to pick them up. Im almost 90 percent sure that the Lease op is not responsible for his portion of the trainee's pay in this situation.

However, if a trainee is sitting at the terminal waiting for a trainer, they accumulate pay buy cannot get paid till they are attached to a truck. Its a payroll thing. All pay will be on the first week's check after the trainee is on the truck. So for example. Student gets his CDL on Friday. Trainer picks him up on Wed. Thats four days prorated from the $600/week. There is no check for the trainee that Friday. However that pay will be added to the following weeks pay.

Now, if a trainee goes home... sitting at home waiting for a trainer is not considered "ready for dispatch". There is no pay sitting at the trainee's home, no matter how long you wait.

Bottom line, if the trainee is not at home, he should be getting paid.

 

You'll get no argument from me on that... it's unfortunate that trainees are looked on as truck slaves by some.

Starting with what I hear from you...

Thank the Lord for large favors! And since we're being picky about things... try "Owner-Op."

That's what I was getting at Chuckie...

 

Be at work 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, for three weeks and then you only get three days off!?? Wow trucking stinks!