Out with a trainer??

Everyone hates Prime.... Having been with them for awhile, I just dont get it.

The info is correct though, I just went through the entire program.

 

Here's JCW's experience. Arrive at for Orientation 7/20/11. Leave w/ trainer 7/27/11. Finished 40,000 miles 9/28/11. Home on 9/29 for hometime before upgrade. He goes back as soon after 8am Monday as he can get a ride back to SpringMO.

 

I know you have.
I do not hate Prime...it is on the top of my list.
I am stating something direct from Prime.
I am by no way attempting to sway the him from any company.

If he takes the time to reasearch all of them he will find out the exact time required to go solo.
Openroad...some of the numbers others posted are if you have a CDL...thats why training time is next to nothing.

 

It took him 2 months with a trainer.

 

If they have a CDL AND experience thats one thing. If they just went through a school n got it... They have hardly any experience. People need experience, not just thrown in a truck cause they have a CDL.

 

Just curious. I know Watkins/Shepherd does an intensive 10 day program then you're out on your own; no trainer involved. Don't really know of others that do it this way so how is W/S safety record? If it's good then they must have a program that works.

I'd be interested in hearing from recent W/S hires who were new to trucking about how well trained they feel they were and if they've had any semi serious issues crop up that they felt unable or ill prepared to handle.

 

Love it and haven't had any real issues I wasn't prepared for.

Sent from my EVO

 

The time you spend training at CRE is variable. They say 3 months, but that depends alot on you and the trainer. If your trainer feels you're ready to upgrade sooner, you won't be on their truck long.

I was done with Phase I and Phase II training within 3 weeks total, and in my own truck.

Phase II does pay 12 cents a mile, but that is truck mileage, not just the mileage you drive. If the truck runs 6,000 miles in a week, you get paid for those 6,000 miles. Honestly, if you expect to make more than $600 a week training, then look for a different career.

 

When I was with Prime, training was 60,000 miles and generally took about six months. That's trainee miles, not truck miles. I always thought it was a little excessive. I'm glad they shortened it.

I imagine it was partly so they could keep trainees moving through the program rather than keep them languishing, waiting around for a trainer to get freed up.

Swift's mentor program is 240 driving hours logged for the student. The first 50 hours must be run as a solo truck, with the student doing as much of the driving as possible, with the mentor picking up a little of the slack if the student got tired. Hours driven by the mentor, of course, do not count. During those first 50 hours, the mentor's log should show him/her on duty at the same time as the student.

I figure if you can't drive a truck after 50 hours of constant supervision, you shouldn't be driving. The rest of the 190 hours is for refining some of those skills and learning how to do stuff like paperwork, route planning, and the way Swift wants things done.


Most of the training time listed here are for noobs with a license so fresh the ink smears. Looks like many companies just want to throw noobs to the wolves too quickly. But that's just my opnion.