New to Prime INC - What to expect (Springfield edition)

@bcountry
Sorry been a crazy week.. Had to post-pone it... The wife is getting ready to go into a custody battle and she needs me at home.. But did find something local that I hope will work out. Good luck to you and hopefully I can join Prime sometime in the future..

 

Best means of contacting your recruiter is e-mail. They are extremely busy. Get you permit if needed with endorsements before you leave too. You get some to do it when you show up but, is a reason that you see people getting back on the dog. Plus instead of it costing 32.50 at the dmv it cost you 7.50. Also bring a extra helping of patience with the physical and interview. Lots of waiting involved. Good luck.

 

With the medical card will I still be able to transfer a permit if it doesn't have excepted interstate on it? IL wouldn't let me have excepted interstate without the med card.

 

Whew ALOT to read in here, BUT alot of good info, Hats off to silenteagle, IP and the many others that have taken the time to put this together. That said i have a question for anyone, as I'm sure at the time I had my recruiter confused as to who i was between the phone and online app lol Any rate, I used to drive for about 11 years BUT i haven't driven for about the last 13, switched to dispatching for a few different companies over the years, and as the old saying goes once the diesel is in your veins you can't get it out SO I'm on the trail of coming back to driving something other then a desk. In all that time i have kept my CDL though knowing in the back of my mind that one day I'd probably want to use it again, only thing i did was drop haz mat since i wasnt driving anyway. Now i've told the recruiter id like to see about getting started first or second week of May for several reasons but the main ones is, its that time of year ago to renew my license by the end of May. So since I've been told i need Tanker endorsement for one since i intend on going refer side and hazmat, should i worry about getting them done before I show up OR just wait til i get to Springfield (as that was where i was told id be going). Thanks for any input........

OH and i forgot to ask, given the fact i already have a CDL, just havent driven in many years i'm kind of confused since i havent had a chance to talk to my recruiter yet, would i be going to springfield or from what i think i've been seeing, possibly pittston?

 

I think you'll need to start earlier or get your CDL done before going, and here's why. The insurance carriers require a refresher course for returning drivers with a long break in service. They're reasoning for this is their statistics show a high probability of folks in your situation getting into a serious accident, plus a lot of things have changed. At Prime, they run you through the full training course which is PSD and TnT, about 3 months give or take for somewhere between 30k to 40k miles.

 

Yea i gathered that and thats fine, sides alot probably changed anyway lol but as far as endorsements, ie hazmat and tanker, i mean i have CDL already, should i get the endorsements before i go or, can they just be done in MO once i get there?

 

Hazmat won't transfer back to your home state, so you'll need to get that one there. Tanker can be done anywhere, as most states only require a "written" test.

 

Well guys I wanna say thanks, i been keeping up with multiple threads from Prime as i was considering it as my first choice ad you guys have provided me with a bunch of useful information. I'll be applying soon and going company ( Like IronPony, constantly reccommended for newbs ). Anything recent that Prime has change at ? Sorry if i you guys mentioned it and i missed it.

 

Just want to introduce myself. I am Michael and will be headed to the PSD on April 13. I look forward to the chance to learn this new career path since the oilfield has went to ****! A lot of good information on here!
I have an uncle that drove for many years for several different companies. I talked to him about my plans and he advised me to go flatbed. His reasoning was the amount of wait time on the reefer side. My biggest concern is I have seen that most reefer drivers have the LW tractors. I fully intend on getting the wife to ride along on some trips after I have a good grip on my skills and feel comfortable enough to allow it. I said all that to ask: is the chance of getting a full size truck greater in flatbed and is the wait times on the reefer side really that bad??

Also would the wait time for a trainer be less for one vs the other???

Also wanted to mention that there are several groups on Facebook that I have joined that have some great Prime drivers/trainers that will answer any questions asked of them.

 

Yep, flatbedders routinely get condos because of all of the extra equipment they have to lug around. Its storage, not extra space. Not that a condo is exactly a palace compared to a LW... its an extra 18 inches.

At many carriers, wait time is proportionate to a lack of business or piss poor planning. Each drivers perception of this varies, and my perception is we don't wait around a lot at Prime on the reefer side... at least not outside of the training world. You might want to read some of the flatbed threads... someone was grousing about waiting while he was being loaded the other day. Poor baby! The fact is, we sell a service, and part of this service is being ready to get loaded when the freight is ready. Its not the other way around, and we can't control problems at the shippers and receivers business.

Of course, when my receiver took all morning to get me unloaded the other day, I might not have agreed with myself!