Prime??

Check out the posts in the Prime forum, starting with the one docked at the top of the folder...

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/prime/

 

TWIC= Transportation Worker Identification Card. To obtain one you go through the same FBI background check as getting a hazmat. The cards have a little micro chip on it with some info on you and your picture. They allow easier access to ship yards and rail yards. At yards that require these if you don't have one it can be as high as $85 to gain entry.

 

I started to mention the TWIC, but I wasn't sure if he had to have his CDL already or not.

Also on the passport you have to have a birth certificate with the seal on it, like the ones you order from vital statistics in your state. They keep it and mail it back under separate cover, it takes a few weeks to get the passport and the certificate back.

Also takes a few to get the TWIC back. They all are mailed back to your home address.

You don't have to usually have them right away. Husband went to his 1st port of entry in about 9mo.

Now the hazmat and other might be good to go ahead and have ahead of time.

 

It's fine to get your fingers printed for the background check, but don't get your endorsement UNTIL you xfer your license back to your home state. That is the ONE endorsement that will not transfer. You will have to take the test again. (Assuming you are going to PSD. If you have your CDL, go for it.) There are some states that make you take the CDL tests in that state. Prime *should* send you there in your trainer's truck (I think, someone w/ more recent experience with this should chime in) to take your exam.

"Any and all" is......not particularly specific. Can't help you if I don't know what info you are looking for. Overall, we were happy with Prime. There were a few glitches, some Prime, some customer. All were resolved in a timely-ish fashion, and in one case a very generous driver who was on his break anyway. The money is pretty much tops for folks entering the industry. Pictures of lightweight truck in my profile.

As the wife of a driver, it's no picnic. The hot water heater exploded. The goats knocked out the water main to the house. The timing belt on the car snapped. But we made it through. Just make sure your family is ready to make the adjustments necessary for having a member gone for long periods of time. My recommendation to you: your family will get into a routine while you are gone. Try not to muck that up when you get home. It's their survival tactic for when you are gone. Some families can drop everything and just stay home. Some can't. Life goes on. And it's full of compromises. It's rough, especially the first 6 months or so, but it does get easier.

 

on the old hos rules...., I would need two 34hr restarts per week.... I ran hard an used every avail min at prime... not sure how it is with elog there.

 

Hubby's average weekly miles: 2200ish. Prime says around 2400-2600. Average length of haul, I don't remember, and that file is archived. Sitting waiting for loads, that time varies, depending on where you are and how many folks are in front of you in line. But not *generally* longer than a few hours. Of course if you empty out at 8pm, you aren't getting anything till 8am. Equipment: if it's broke, they fix it. Pretty quick. You CAN get PMs done on Company trucks out on the road (faster than getting to a terminal, IMO). They pay for 2? truck washes/month unless you have been up North in winter, then RA will approve them more often.

My particular "Oh ####" emergencies: (listed above) water heater blew up 2 days before hometime. I can't lift that kind of bulky weight, but I turned off the water to the appliance and waited. Goats blowing out the water main: fixed it (with some help from a friend.). Timing belt -- borrowed Mom's pick up (8mpg vs the 35mpg MY car gets--ouch) because the part is like $23, hubs can fix it since he was a mechanic before he started trucking, and spending $400-$500 in labor is stupid. He was home a week later.

On $$$. Everyone's situation is different. What *I* need to break even at home is less than what some folks need, and probably *more* than others. For us, our average paycheck (money TO THE BANK) was about $200/wk higher than mechanic pay, and that included benefits, etc -- which he didn't get as a mechanic.

 

IIRC, you & hubby had more home time than many would take in that period, and your FM kept you down your way frequently?

Waiting for a load depends on the area, time of year, how many other empty trucks are in your area, etc. I'll get preplans in the middle of the night... it just depends on all of the variables.