Prime CDL Training - Springfield, MO

Thought I'd share my experience so far, as I'm sure it will aid in at least one person's decision.

I was initially on the fence between Prime and Schneider in hopes of landing an OTR tanker position starting out. After some research, I decided a more extended than average training program would be in my best interest so, I went with Prime.

Called the recruiter and was asked some general questions about why I wanted to get into trucking, what kind of work I was currently in, etc. I was then given what seemed like a standard sell about starting pay being one of the highest in the industry, etc, but all in all he was a pretty genuine guy. He was also very specific about my fully understanding the nature of over-the-road trucking, making sure I knew what kind of commitment it required. With that said, communication was timely for a man appearing to be fairly busy, but I'm sure he doesn't get paid for taking his time or being unavailable. Once he realized I'd made my decision and that he didn't have to sell me, things moved along rather quickly.

I was guided to fill out the application online which started a pretty thorough background investigation. You'll be asked to disclose recent work history and any incidents going back 10 yrs, if I remember correctly. Mine came up with an old traffic violation I had to provide proof of payment for in order to continue. Other than that, he was very pleased with my application as my license was clean as a whistle. I was asked about my ability to pass a drug test, no problem.

A word of advice: if you use drugs or have an alcohol problem, you need to get your priorities straight before making the call. Don't waste your or their time and resources only to get sent home on your own dime.

Another word of advice, hide nothing.

From phone call to receiving my orientation welcome packet, this stage of the process took around a couple of weeks. The orientation packet was just a few pages describing what to expect, a recommendation of what to pack, and procedures for acquiring your Greyhound bus ticket. Once I read through it, I signed, scanned, and emailed it back to seal the deal. I then received a call from my recruiter for some final pointed questions, the most notable being:
1) Have you been involved in any illegal substance use in the past year?... which he made very clear would be cause for automatic disqualification.

My most notable question was about reimbursement for alternatives to travelling by bus. I don't know if it applies across the board, but from my location I was told I'd be reimbursed up to $186.00 regardless of how I decided to get there. For what it's worth, I decided to fly, so if you can afford it I recommend the same... Heard plenty of horror stories about that bus ride in.

All good to go. Next up, 1st week at orientation. But for now, that's all folks! Thanks for reading.

 

I wasn't scheduled to check into the hotel until that Sunday but landed in Springfield-Branson airport late Saturday night. I figured it would be best to show up a little early in case of flight delays, etc.

Waiting at baggage claims, I tried calling the after-hours number for the shuttle pickup, but got no answer. Hung up and tried another number on my paperwork only to be told the shuttles don't run after 10pm, and that I got no answer because the security on night shift was probably already out doing after-hours pickups for Greyhound arrivals. So instead of waiting, I hitched the lone taxi on duty from the airport to the hotel. The ride was about 15 minutes and just under 20 bucks.

On another note, the cabbie was a little depressing... acting like I made a mistake choosing Prime, shaking his head, lol. Telling me sad stories about his days of trucking and even sadder ones about his Army days once he found out I was a vet. Just one of those guys you could tell had been really knocked around by life in general. I tried to assure him that the trials he'd been through may very well have been part of the reason he's still above ground today. He seemed to take that well and agreed with me.

We pulled up at the lovely Campus Inn, and I tipped him a fiver. Grabbed my bags and said our goodbyes, but not before he slipped me the card with a guaranteed discounted rate for whenever I got my CDL. Cool, take care man.

As I walked up to the hotel entrance, I noticed the parking lot behind it was gated, and was already seeing truckers bobtailing in and out. Nice. Rang the buzzer and a young lady let me in. Told her I was there for orientation, was asked for my license and filled out a form or two. Got the standard advice of making sure to be on time that Monday morning, and my room key.

Unfortunately, it was about midnight and I had to wake up my soon to be roommate. I was met at the door with a pretty big dude who made me check my key was for that room. Lol, yeah this is the right one buddy.

Introduced myself, set my bags down and just got ready for bed right away but not before I quickly asked if he recently got there. He said he'd be leaving around 3am for his "TnT" phase(team driving with his trainer for 30000 miles.)

Great, I thought, maybe I'll have this room all to myself. And it turns out I did have it all to myself for the entire week of orientation. Lucky I guess. Something to keep in mind for those of you that can show up a little early as you may have the same luck. Just make sure to let your recruiter know before making your travel arrangements.

Next up, 1st week of orientation. No really, this time I'll write about the 1st week. But for now, that's all folks! Thanks for reading.

 

Prepare for the Wall 'O Text.

Ok, so I should've mentioned there was a possibility of a bagged lunch for late arrivals but it was so late it must have slipped the front desk girl's mind. I wasn't hungry anyway.

Sunday morning I make a run over to the local Walmart about a block away to get some last minute items. Also got some food and just camped out in my room studying for the permit test. Needless to say, you should not have a home state CDL permit prior to arriving at Prime.

Woke up and got dressed, casual. No need to get fancy but I saw some guys dressed for success. Nothing wrong with that I guess, as it's an interview process. Now I understand some people may have gotten on that bus with a ticket and a prayer, but if you can help it at all I suggest you don't show up on Day 1 looking like you just rolled out of bed. No second chances for first impressions and all that. I checked my mini-map of the layout and my schedule to find the room for roll call, and was in my seat 10 minutes prior. Don't be late.

At this point, we were introduced to the training director who explained what to expect in the coming weeks, and how if we've made it that far that Prime was interested in hiring us... But that it wasn't over.

We were assigned meal cards for the cafeteria. Then the paperwork begins, which is basically a repeat of everything you fill out online which they use to perform an even more thorough background investigation. I think the idea is to catch people who slip up and provide different information not matching their original application, and they basically said as much. We were introduced to the security manager who warned us of the consequences of withholding information he would find out about Anyway. They've seen it all. Nobody's perfect, and many of us have a less than stellar past. The point here is integrity, and no employer wants someone working for them who can't be trusted.

Between medical disqualifications, drug test shenanigans and background checks we were told about 10% of the initial group is sent home packing every week. Sure enough, a few came up missing at roll call a few days in. Now I've never been one to spread gossip, but word is one drug test came back as cat piss, and another guy's came back as... pregnant. Go figure.

Anyway, we were split up into 4 groups assigned according to a daily simulator class schedule. Aside from the physical, agility test, drug test and other mandatory briefings(like pre-trip inspection) you're required to complete a number of computer based training videos with quizzes before that Thursday. These are self-paced. You must also pass the permit exam as early as possible, but the examiners came to us and tested on site on Wednesday which is when I passed first time go. I believe they will give you until that Friday to pass the permit test, and Tanker endorsement is mandatory.

Since the shuttles ran too late to make my simulator training(Plan around your simulator), I managed
to catch a bus to the local DMV and pay for my permit which was around $52. You will need permit test results, valid physical, and temporary residence forms that will be filled out by you beforehand. You will need either birth certificate or passport, and while you do not need a SS card, you will need to know your SS#. Your home state driver's license will be punched through with the word "void". Everything is well explained, but if you have any doubts, ask questions and they will be more than happy to help. You will be briefed on all I'm sharing here.

Besides a few hiccups some may have with getting medical stuff faxed over etc, the idea is to stay ahead of the schedule so come Friday, you are ready to "upgrade" to Student Driver and become eligible to be assigned a trainer. That Friday, those eligible are shuttled to the Prime Millennium building/terminal and given a tour of the facilities. The terminal was very nice: gym, basketball court, pool tables, and cafeteria. We met some of the dispatchers and other departments, etc. We sat in for breakfast and a safety meeting where the main terminals were all video linked and recent safety issues/accidents were addressed. It's all about safety here. And the last deal was about nutrition and a program they have here to help truckers stay fit.

I'm new to this industry, so take what I say with a grain a salt but it seems very organized and efficient here. I'm confident I'm being given all that I need to succeed.

Supposedly, I was lucky enough to be assigned one of the two available tanker trainers in the area early on and met with him that morning. I believe it had a lot to do with my being a non-smoker. He wasted no time and as soon as the tour was over, I met him at his truck in the lot and headed back to the hotel to pick up my things.

Here I am a week into Student Driver training doing 10000 miles with my trainer while learning the ropes... only allowed to drive bobtail or deadhead though.
2 weeks to go before taking(and passing)the CDL exam, upon which I'll become a "B" seat driver with him running teams for another 30000 miles. I would say 2-1/2 to 3 months is good training before going solo.

Next up, I'll share how this 1st week has been with my trainer. But for now, that's all folks! Thanks for reading.

 

Ok, early on I was taken to some random areas around Springfield, MO where my trainer just had me bobtailing. The beginning was a lot of ironing out the kinks uphifting and downshifting in this 10-speed Freightliner. I caught on pretty fast, but it helped that he's a very observant and patient trainer. He had me taking the same loop for hours, correcting me here and there. Once he was somewhat confident with my shifting skills, we hit the road.

So the 1st week I did a lot of deadheading... Chicago, Minnesota, Wisconsin, down to Georgia and Tennessee, Louisiana and out to Pennsylvania. I'm not allowed to mess around with the tanker pump or anything but I've been soaking it up like a sponge so I'm ahead of the game. Learning a lot about the Qualcomm and logs, communication with dispatch, and the paperwork side of the job.

2nd week was more of the same but with tough inner city driving. The four-wheelers are oblivious for the most part.

At this point, the trainer says I'm a natural and is not worried at all about my road test. He still constantly quizzes me on overpass clearances and bridge weight requirements when I'm driving though. I'm also always being tested on the pre-trip inspection. And I'm being allowed to back up into parking spots on my own now when swapping tanks, and he checks the coupling once I hook up.

At this point he thinks I'm ready for the CDL test and we'll be heading back to Springfield after a couple of more loads. We'll go two days early to practice backing on the training pad before the test.

Best job I ever had. Can't believe they're gonna pay me to do this. Lol. Next up, I'll post an update with how the exam goes. If all goes well, it should include my first experience of trying to sleep while the truck's moving! Wish me luck.

 

Yeah I hear ya. If I was a trainer, I'd only do the Student driver part where I'm awake while the rookies drive. I'm sure I'll barely sleep while my trainer drives and he's been driving for years.

It'll take some getting used to that's for sure, but it's not forever. Can't wait to get into my own truck.

In the meantime, some rookie trucker sunset love from Minnesota and Illinois.