I have some questions about Prime and it don't seem any of the post on here answer them, first how long is the orientation and what if anything are you paid for it, second how long is the training period and what is the pay for that time? Also what equipment do they run and how old?
$600.00 a week while with a trainer. Choice of refrigerated, flatbed, tanker divisions. That's all I know for certain.
Thanks Chinatown I have talked with a recruiter and she was nice and also gonna work with me regaurding my past but didn't really ask a lot of ?s I still have time before I finish school so I will continue to research and look at other options also but I am moving away from the idea of covenant which is my only true prehire right now
Living in Las Vegas, check with System Transport also. Good company with good reports on here. Don't hold back on the applications. Apply with Melton Truck Lines also. You can apply online and follow up with a phone call in a couple of days. Navajo might hire you, it's a reefer outfit, but the money will be better with flatbed or tanker. Schneider has a tanker division also and hires new CDL grads. Do the applications now & see what happens. Also, always ignore the "experience required" on applications/websites, and apply anyway.
From post no. 3, I'm going to assume you are an inexperienced CDL holder when you arrive... Orientation will be 3 days for you coming in as a C-seat, but you may be here a bit longer if your assigned trainer isn't here on the Friday of that week. You aren't paid anything for orientation, but you will get a motel room at the Campus Inn, and a meal card that will cover three meals a day while you're here either in the cafeteria or at the North Star Grill in the terminal. That's a basic meal, and one can run over the allowance - it's better if you have some cash with you to cover the extras. Training for a C-seat is 40,000 miles with a trainer. You'll get one-on-one instruction for whatever your trainer feels you need it for, but quite a bit of that will be in a team operation as well in recognition that you are a CDL-holder. It goes by quickly averaging 4,000 - 5,000 miles per week or more. All miles to the truck empty or loaded are credited to this. The first month you'll be paid $500 per week before taxes, guaranteed as long as you are available for dispatch. That doesn't include time at home if you choose to take some. After the first month, you're automatically bumped to B-seat, and receive the $600 guarantee or 12-cpm (whichever is greater) before taxes. None of our trucks is much older than 3 years- sometimes it slides a little depending on availability of new equipment from the manufacturers. Prime is primarily a Freightliner shop - Cascadias, but we also use Peterbilt 587's, International Prostars and (rarely) Kenworth equipment. Full-size condos are reserved for teams and training trucks on the company side. We have a lightweight version that is a shorter sleeper for company solos. They don't have the storage behind the driver/passenger seats, but have cabinets above the single bunk. Maintenance is excellent, IMO, but requires that you bring it to the attention of our Road Assist department, or the shops at the terminals.
Slightly different from what IP wrote; this is what my recruiter told me today: 1. Arrive in Springfield, MO (SPRIMO) for 4 day orientation. (Having your permit when you report is recommended. Highly.) 2. Go out as a PSD (Prime Student Driver) with an instructor. This lasts 2-4 weeks, and you will get at least 75 hours behind the wheel. At this time, you will be able to take a $200/wk advance for food. (It will be paid back at $25/wk once you are hired.) 3. Return to SPRIMO to take the Class A CDL exam and get your CDL. 4. Go out as a TnT team, where you complete another 30,000 miles. You get 12 cpm for this, with a guaranteed minimum of $600/wk as long as you remain available for dispatch. 5. Go back to SPRIMO for the ACE upgrades to "A" Seat (solo driver), and get your own truck.
The difference is that you (MsJamie) are coming as a student driver on a CDL permit. From what kadmiel812 posted, he will have a CDL from a third party school when he arrives... it's a different process.
