In orientation its usually background problems (your online and written apps need to match,) undisclosed MVR problems, medical problems (you should review the medical qualifications page on the website,) being late to everything. You should know that Prime doesn't guarantee that you will make it through the "driving school" part to get a CDL. Its not like a paid driving school (aka a "CDL mill") that ensures that everyone ends up with a CDL.
I Drove truck for about 8 years and due a divorce i got out and let my cdl go. I'm planning on returning to driving and looking to lease a truck through Prime. Is it a lease purchase? Also I'm concerned about the amount of time training. Since I have experience and if i can show that I can drive will i be able to train faster? Its been about 4 years since i drove. I have no bills or comments so i want to out stay out for quite awhile. Any info on the lease would be great. I will be calling a recruiter in about a month so if someone would like a refural. let me know.. Thanks
Recruiter can really give ya the real info... I'd have to guess that at Prime you will have to start at square one. Bonus is that rumor has it that they cut the post CDL training miles in half.
A little stronger than a rumor. Talked to D and he confirmed it's in the works and should be announced fairly soon. The sooner the better. My trainee is a great guy, but he really wants his own truck, and I really want him in his own truck!
My feelings exactly. I only say this as You were my best trainee so far... but at a certain point you just want that trainee to be gone and be back in your own little solo world. I had no doubts that you'd be ok on your own. Thanks for proving me right.
In many cases, folks with previous experience don't go through the entire training regimen. I have mixed feelings about cutting the training time - but hey! I don't train so what the heck! The path into training is set by the safety department, and I don't think you get any points on that for previous experience. Leases are straightforward, do yourself the favor of taking the time to READ and UNDERSTAND it before you sign. That would eliminate a bunch of problems! All leases have a clause that allows you to purchase the truck... its something you opt for (or not.) There is also a lease-purchase deal that is that way from the git-go. Your choice as to which way you go. Its up to you on how you go about it. I ususally suggest for folks with no trucking experience to go on the company side for awhile to figure out how to drive the truck and how Prime does things, before they decide to throw running a trucking business in on top of it. Its much easier to go from the company side to leasing than to jump the other way at Prime. You've got some experience, so that puts you way ahead from where most of the newbs are.
You pretty much covered everything. Also, people get booted for failing the drug test or if things in their background don't add up. I'm unsure if they were really that strict on people being late, as some folks were late every day and made it to the end. Maybe after that they were let go, I don't know. I know that after the last day of orientation our numbers were very small.
Do they still have the rule about 5 months unemployed in the last 36? If so I'm screwed. I was filling out my online app last night and had to stop until I can get a copy of my 5 year MVR on Monday. I'm 3 yrs clean but had some stuff 4 and 5 years back that I need the dates on. Hopefully maybe its a case by case thing with the unemployment. All my periods of unemployment were spent searching for new job. I've been in this horrible cycle of working temp jobs with endless layoffs. Get another gig, then get laid off 8-12 weeks later... spend 30-60 days looking for another job. Living off savings in the meantime. I really wanna go with Prime, seems the best option among Company CDL programs. Scared to death I'll have to go Werner or something. All my options for private school are exhausted, me an the misses have spent all our savings just trying to make it between jobs. I'm stuck on the company programs.
Talk to a recruiter, and see what they say. If nothing else, a part-time burger flippin' job is employment - if you get my drift.
