June 2, 2009 Training

Ok, let me clarify a few things... This is for CDL STUDENTS coming to PRIME

The recruiter is going to give you a base dollar amount you have to bring for the School. Anything beyond that is your choice to bring.

150 sounds about right, but I cant remember for sure. Its an amount that offsets the costs of not only the permit, but the DOT Physical, and Drug Test etc.

Its a means of re-couping some of these costs in case you fail the Physical or Drug Test. In actuality, the Permit fee in MO is $7.50.

Now for those who cry that the company should pay for it, as a student, you are not an employee... in fact you arent considered an offical employee until you get your full CDL.

As such, you are not paid during your permit phase. You are loaned money weekly (Fri its on your card) to live off of while under instruction. Regardless of what the amount is now ($240 or $200), its there each week for you to take or not to take... Whatever you take, is deducted from your weekly paycheck in 25 dollar increments. (By my estimate, I have about 3 more payments left (13 months total)

You are expected to use this money to eat and cover necessities... It is not your instructor's responsibility to feed you if you spend that weekly amount on other things...

At the Terminal, once you get with your instructor, the meal cards and hotel room ends, and you are expected to move into his truck and pay for your own food.

Only after you get your CDL and get with a trainer do you start making a paycheck.

Its a matter of my personal opinion and quite a few instructors I have come across... but items to entertain should be left at home until you move to the training phase... maybe a book is ok. Two reasons for this...

1. there is no locked storage at the hotel and you will be sharing a room.

2. You are there to learn how to drive an 80k lbs vehicle. You and your instructor will be running solo. When he sleeps, you should be sleeping... He is going to be the best example of when you should sleep as a solo driver...

Later you will team during training... compared to solo, teaming is a more regular sleep pattern... when you are finally solo and on your own, you are going to have to recall what you learned from the instructor about sleep management and solo freight.

Your cell phone should be all you need to communicate with the world... if it doesnt get internet, then you can live a couple weeks without it.

A light jacket works in all weather...even in winter with a hooded sweatshirt underneath...

Even if you are a "shorts" guy in the coldest of winter... some shippers/recievers require pants and close toed shoes (no sandals).

 

and please for the love of god don't bring everything AND the kitchen sink. there is limited space in the truck and you are moving into someone else's space. he/she may not be nice enough to give you a cabinet to store your stuff, you may be sleeping with it. dont forget a sleeping bag too. once you get your cdl your cdl you will be teaming which means you sleep when the other drives. you will be sleeping on the bottom bunk.

 

training pay is still $ 240.00. At least, that is what they paid me on Friday...

 

Loaned you... remember that... what you take, you have to pay back at $25/week.

Training pay during training (not instruction) is .12/mile (team miles) or $600 dollars whichever is greater.

If you go home for hometime, there is no $600 garuantee for that week. (It states you must be available for dispatch all 7 days of that pay week to qualify for the minimum)

 

Yup, don't bring everything. However... IMO (and this is my opinion,) I'd go mad without something to do when not driving. Yup... you're there to learn how to drive an 80,000-pound monster. For 11 hours. Lets see... that leaves (hmm... count, count, count) 13-hours in a day. Some of that is going to be spent in a sleeper. Oh yeah... those 10-hours just have to be spent asleep, don't they? Bring something small to entertain yourself.

 

Hmmmm...

"... those 10-hours just have to be spent asleep, don't they? Bring something small to entertain yourself."

Thanks Ironpony, but I think I'll wait 'till I'm solo!:smt072

 

You're gonna be one bored trucker!

Lessee... now that I've picked my nose, dug the 5th wheel grease out from under my finger nails - what am I going to do for the rest of the 4 hours we'll be sitting here at this receiver waiting to be unloaded??

 

iron pony can u pay for your school first hand without prime taking it out paycheck or how doe s it work

 

You'd really need to ask a recruiter that question - I got my CDL through a third-party school in Colorado, then went to Prime.

 

Out of your paycheck, you pay $25 dollars a week for the amount of money you withdraw from the available $240 per week they loan you to live on the road during your CDL instruction phase. If you can hold out the 3-5 weeks of instruction without taking any of that money, you wont have any deductions. (after you get your CDL and get with a trainer you will make a paycheck)

As for school you owe the enitre 3k+ amount they consider tuition. (you sign a promissary note) If you leave before 6 months. If you leave after 6 months, you owe half, and after a year you owe nothing...

You have one week with your CDL instructor for you to decide that trucking isnt for you and they wont hold the tuition against you.