I am planning on accepting an offer of training from Prime. The recruiter reports that following a 4 day prehire screening (backround check, physical and other stuff.) I will be paired with a driver trainer for 21 days (or until they believe I will be able to pass the driving portion of the CDL test.) This is a non paid time out on the road. They allow a $140.00 per week "draw" to cover food and such while on the road. That money is paid back at $25.00 per week once you start earning a salary. After obtaining a CDL I am supposed to go out with another instructor (or maybe the same) for the real training session for up to 6 months. During this time it is written that pay of $0.08 for all dispatched miles will be paid for the first thirty days and then $0.10 for remaining weeks of training. They also refer to a "C" seat driver.

There were two other companies that I had considered. Schneider for one but yesterday when I attempted to get additional information about their training I was told they were not currently hiring in West Central Kansas. I am waiting on Stevens Transport to review my paper work. (Unfortunatly the application sent through CAD didn't make it and I had to fill out one on their website. )

I realize this is maybe a bit long and I thank you for taking the time to read it. Any information, suggestions or critique will be appreciated.
Direct emails at [email protected] will be answered also. Until later,

Take Care.

I have never been through a company training program, or driven for a big company. I am having a really hard time trying to figure out why you would work for someone for 6 months for next to nothing. Some questions:

Is it possible for you to move to an area where you are eligible for hire to a more driver friendly company?

Can you attend a driving school to get the CDL, then hire on to a company that doesn't require a full 6 months of training? That seems a long time to me, and especially at .08 to .10 a mile. Assuming this is miles YOU drive, not all miles the truck moves; and assuming they run your tail off, that can't be more than $11,000 (4000 mi wk*26 wks*.10). Mileage of 4000 is REALLY pushing it with absolutely no down time.

There are members on this forum that are recruiters for other carriers. I believe Crete is based in Nebraska and West Central Kansas shouldn't be that big of a stretch, even if you have to drive a couple hours from home to the terminal.

Like I mentioned above, I have no direct knowledge of being a driver for a large carrier, but I would think you could do better.

Good luck.

Deanna

You know, I'm also having a hard time trying to figure out why I have to work for next to nothing too. It would be possible to move but that costs money. When was the last time you moved? I could attend a driving school and depending on where and how long I wanted to go it would be between $2000.00 and $5000.00 just for the school not counting the time not working. The payback that I have seen offered is $100.00 a month That doesn't hardly cover the intrest if you had to finance the amount. Then there is the fact that $5000.00 divided by $100.00 equals 50 months again not counting interest.

One of the reasons I placed this post is to get your feedback and I do appreciate it. You haven't given me any solid reasons to change my mind. Now if you have an offer from Crete or another company I'd look into it. From the information on this site though I'm seeing only a few companies that offer training to a newbe and maybe I didn't mention it before. I am hoping to drive for a company that has loads in and out of South Florida so I can see my daughter more often than I see her now.

Thanks again for your reply. All information is good information. The difference is how you use it.
:wink:

The advice I would give to a driver wanting to enter the industry would be to find a company that takes care of your schooling. Schneider, for example, schools and trains you and if you work for them for a year, the costs are pretty much forgiven. I'd call Schneider and ask for certain, but I think they run along those lines. Going to school and shelling out a fortune for your CDL, before having a solid job lined up is a deathknell for a lot of newbie drivers. They get out there and right away are looking for something better because they just aren't making it that first year. So they job hop, trying to put two weeks together and before they know it, that first year is up and they've got 4 or 5 jobs and no one will hire them.

Stability is huge. Patience is huge. You aren't going to make much money that first year. Typically, you could find something in the $25K to $30K per year range for that first year. That's not much, but it's also better than nothing. After that first year, if you do things right and stay stable, you'll have a whole lot more options opening up to you. That's when you can pretty much sit back and do the numbers game and find out where you are going to make the better money. But the key is getting past that first year and maintaining your driving record and job stability.

Good luck.

Thank you Twilight Flyer and Silent Runner (sorry I forgot my manners with the first reply.)

Prime doesn't charge for school. There is a $150.00 fee that I believe is a deposit on the motel room and $50.00 in CDL costs. I will not jump in and set myself up for a loss. I also won't fall prey to the lease option. If I want to buy a truck I can make a better deal by going to the bank and truck dealer than I could ever do with a company supplied deal. At least that's my opinion right now.

Thanks again for your reply.