Prime Inc. understands how important it is to have a certified trainer involved in every phase of new truck drivers’ training to make sure they are ready to drive solo. The Prime Student Driver (PSD) program can help you earn a Commercial Driver’s License and become a professional driver. To start the PSD program, Prime will provide transportation to travel to their headquarters in Springfield, MO where students will attend a 3 day orientation. After attending orientation with Prime, they are paired with a professional driver who has been certified to train them to drive. This allows for personal one-on-one training and experience for every driver in the student program. While some trucking companies think it’s okay to put drivers out on the road and on their own after only a couple of weeks of training, Prime has two separate phases in the PSD program that drivers go through before being allowed to drive solo. Both phases are designed to ensure that drivers have the skills and knowledge to perform their jobs successfully.
New students start out in the PSD program. After coming to orientation and passing the DOT physical and CDL permit exam, each driver is paired with a certified trainer who begins the process of teaching them how to drive a truck. They spend time on the onsite driving course and practicing on the driver simulators and then head out on the road for at least 75 hours of behind-the-wheel professional driver training. During this time, drivers learn the basics of paperwork, recordkeeping, maneuvering the rig, and conducting pre-trip inspections. Once the 75 hours are complete, students come back to the training facility where they get another couple of days with the certified trainer, learning how to back up the rig in a number of different situations. Students are then ready to take the CDL exam onsite at Prime in Springfield, MO.
Once they successfully pass their CDL Exam and obtain their Class A CDL, drivers then go back out on the road for phase two of the Prime training program, known as TNT. During the TNT phase, each truck driver and a certified trainer spend the next 30,000 miles together in a team-driving arrangement, logging about 5,000 miles a week. Drivers get to experience the lifestyle they will be living, as well as learn about route planning, team driving, dealing with customers, scheduling, and pre-trip maintenance and inspections. When the training is complete and Prime deems the driver to be ready, drivers are given the option to continue driving as a solo or team company driver or to become an independent contractor for Prime.
Josh Bevier is a certified trainer with Prime, and he says he loves teaching new drivers the ropes. Josh actually began at Prime in the PSD program himself 6 years ago. “I went through the PSD program when it was first coming out. I stayed with it. Now, I’m out here running my own truck and training other students and loving the open road, “says Josh. Josh has been a certified instructor for 5 of the 6 years he’s been with Prime, involved in both the PSD and TNT training phases. He knows that the success of his trainees is a direct reflection on his abilities, so he puts his full effort into the training programs. Trainers like Josh are sought out by Prime because the company wants to make sure its drivers are successful with the company and stay with Prime long after their training is complete. As for Josh, he says he loves the family-like atmosphere at Prime, and feels at home with the company—even when he’s on the road.
To learn more about Prime’s training programs, or sign up to train with a certified trainer like Josh, visit the Prime website.
