I am 54 with a question concerning Prime

came back to trucking at 57 after 30 years owning my own buisness
lots of us old bodies out here

 

don't make the mistake i did if you go to prime stay company for quite awhile before you lease. The best money is in training if you can do it. Steven Wray is a really good company dispatcher, stay away from a guy named Chance in leasing.

 

Hello, youngsters, you & TransAm Pete. There are thousands of truckers now that started in circumstances very similar to yours.
Yes, Prime would work for you, but do not get involved in the lease program. Wait a couple of years before making a decision on that.

Can you afford a private CDL school, such as at a community college? If so, this route will give you more options as to which company to choose. Try to get all the endorsements plus passport & TWIC as soon as you can.

Schneider, Melton Truck Lines, Boyd Bros. and a few others have terminals in or near Birmingham. Just North of Birmingham is an excellent company, A&R Transport. Just depends on how much hometime you feel you need. There's still a lot of flatbed opportunities there for what's left of the steel industry.

 

Prime is a great company to drive for - whether you're here for 1 year plus training or an entire career. Can you afford private driver training? Do you want to flush $4500 to $6000 down the drain? Stay for a year after your training - which by the way, is some of the best out there - and your tuition is forgiven.

 

Good Morning! This thread, no phone number, but I think it's Viva Express in Birmingham.

 

Vivaexpress, that company had its authority revoked, again.

 

I was a contractor all my working life. The great recession hit the housing market hard in the Fall of 2008 and I lost big time as a spec builder. I was 51 at the time.

The trucking industry was the option for me. So, I received a grant and obtained my cdl through a CC. I hired on with a 48 States company and hit the road coming home only a few days month. I did some training for them and made good money.

However, I didn't like being away from home so much. With experience and a good record it was easy for me to find a regional job with a smaller company that treats me well and allows me to be home every weekend and pays me fairly with benefits.

You can do it if your expectations are realistic and you are patient.

Good luck!

 

I have been involved in training for my Army career and now am involved in training here at Prime. The program will prepare you better than any college or "school" where you take turns driving around a parking lot. You drive with an instructor, then a trainer. You deliver freight the whole time you train. You receive real world experience as you train. There are bad and even terrible instructors everywhere, but the good WAY outnumber the bad. I post here all the time, and answer questions. I do this with an ulterior motive: to inform the new drivers so they don't get taken advantage by the crappy trainers. I hope that this puts alot of pressure on those dirtbags and maybe even cleans them outta the system. An informed student is a much better prepared student to learn the right stuff.

Ultimately, it's your decision. Plenty of older folks coming through. Some are tough to train because they know it all, but most are open minded and willing to learn. The lifestyle change is the toughest part, and will challenge your health.

 

I believe their safety record reflects on their training.

and their safety record is nothing to brag about............

Is their school PTDI certified ?