My Training Experiance (as a Trainer)

As far as I know, yes we are hiring out of NE... however (hate that word) I understand it's getting harder to hire on as a third-party CDL school graduate. U2 said something about they're backing off from that again the other day, so I suggest that you get ahold of a recruiter today. They won't take you beyond 6-weeks from graduation I think.

 

Not quite... getting your permit before you go helps out in not having to cram for the written test in the course of a a couple of days. Puts you ahead of the paperwork game for a bit. There are classes and the rest of the orientation stuff you get to do along with a ream of paperwork...

You aren't an employee until you pass the CDL driving test and are granted a temporary license. To defray your costs, Prime pays your room and board - you get a basic food allowance while you are in Springfield or wherever you train at. They advance you up to $240 a week that is taken out in $25 weekly chunks after you get hired.

Yes. $600 per week is guaranteed if you are available for dispatch - if you take some home time, you're not available for dispatch - you don't get paid. The wheels have to be turning. So, you and your trainer have a good week, and rack up 5000 miles... that's $600, so every mile after the first 5000 adds 12-cents to your gross for that week. Remember, that's for all trips that are sent to payroll before the Tuesday 1600 central cutoff. Don't forget the taxman gets his cut off of the top...

Instructors are what you get out of the gate when you have your permit. Trainers are assigned after you pass your CDL test. Getting assigned to one or the other is hit or miss - depends on how many are available on a given day. Some folks luck out and step right into a trainer; others have to wait.

You won't see a paycheck until after your first week on the road with a trainer. You don't get paid unless you are available for dispatch, and have some miles to be paid for. Cutoff is 1600 central on Tuesdays... you're paid on the next Friday. So lets say you get your trainer on a Tuesday night (day 1) - first road day is Wednesday (day 2); all miles that week will be sent to payroll the following Tuesday (day 1 +7)... and those trips have to be final with trip reports sent in by cutoff. You won't see money until either Thursday (day 1 +9) or Friday (day1 +10) depending on how you want to be paid.

Clear as mud??

 

Yes you are right. I am getting my CDL there so I will be with an instructor first.

 

You also need to remember that Missouri only accepts CDL permits from certain states. If your state isn't one that MO accepts the permit from, you will have to take the test and get a MO CDL permit regardless of if you hold one from your home state. Recruiting should know what states are good, and what aren't. I know that MO will accept permits from VA and IL.

 

?????

Hmmm... I thought part and parcel of the federal sledge hammer giving us the wonderfulness of the CDL was a blanket of sameness across the several - well at least 48 - states when it came to the testing and requirements of said wonderful CDL...

That's an interesting question... 8)

 

I just applied to Prime and talked to a recruiter today. Got turned down due to my screwups from last year. Oh well, I'm gonna keep plugging away. Somebody will get tired of me calling all the time and hire me eventually.

 

Just wanted to say thanks to U2exit and Ironpony for all the posts! The information you have posted has been extremely helpful and invaluable in helping me decide if this career change will be a good fit for me and what to expect at Prime.

I start driving school tomorrow and am in the process of my recruiter running all the "reports" to make sure I'm good to hire. Can't wait to head out to Springfield and get started. Hope to run into you guys in the future.

 

I know a guy that had a paper permit and they accepted it. They may have changed the way they do it. When I started 3 years ago there were certain states that MO would not take a permit from. I remember at the DMV that had a list that they checked against. I had my permit from Virginia and they took it, and my last student had an IL permit and they took it, so I know for sure on those 2.