58yr old grad

Hey bpope! Great that you are enjoying Prime so far. Hope it continues to be that way. Keep posting and let us know your experiences out there.

 

I am a newbie too and Roadmaster contacted me about school here in Florida. I was going to go to Schnider but I have not heard back from them. It would be interesting to know how things are as you progress with Prime. Keep us posted and good luck.

 

Nice to know that there are other of us "BOOMERS" out there looking to make a new life. I'm also a Floridan who is taking advantage of the Florida WIA program. I start Roadmaster on the 19th and was looking for a good company. Looks like I may dig into Prime a little more for my starter. Please keep us all posted on how your doing.

 

Hey bpope49,

Please give us an update? How's Prime? I'm getting mixed messages. The Prime page hear says Prime is a good place to work for, they've change. As many miles as u want and good pay for the miles. I was at a truck stop and talked with a Prime driver who says there OK but there's better companies, and he'd probable try another outfit. He and his patner do around 8-10,000 miles A WEEK. The reason they get the miles is because they take the loads were ever there going; important info. for new guys. I won't tell u why he stays with them but it's a good reason. Anyway, give us your take. What kinda miles r u getting and can u get alot? How much a mile? Thanks.

 

Can you tell me about this WIA program? I am also trying to break into trucking. I have a class b CDL but I want over the road work. I live in FLorida and could use some good imput. Thanks in advance.

 

WIA is actually a federal program, administered by the state and counties. Just head down to the county unemployment office and ask about it.

You need to do some hoop-jumping, but if you are a little creative, it shouldn't be a problem.

The most important bit is that you have to demonstrate that it's essentially impossible for you to get a job in your current field. I spent 15 years in IT/Telecommunications - writing my job description in such a way as to make it impossible for me to get a similar job was... entertaining, but certainly not impossible.

Other hoops include taking a relative schooling test (I forget what they actually call it). Supposed to indicate how much schooling you've had. Not terribly accurate in my case.. but I read a lot of weird stuff, so that may have thrown the curve off.

Once you've jumped through the hoops, the application goes to a committee for approval/rejection.

The approval letter should be all you need to get into a school - though, before I forget, I should point out that 1) WIA covers ONLY tuition. Books, fees, and donuts are on your dime 2) WIA is limited to $4000. If your school costs more, that, too, is on your dime.

If you want more details, take a look online for Workforce Investment Act, or check out the US Dept of Labor web site.

 

Thanks for your help. I am going to look into this. It may be much better than going through company trainning. Again thanks.