Prime is proud to offer the Prime Student Driver (PSD) program to help apprentice drivers earn their Class A Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and get on the road to a profitable career as a professional truck driver. In 2014, the PSD program made it possible for over 1800 drivers to obtain their CDL. A very essential part of the hands-on, real world training program is the CDL Instructor that each PSD is paired up with for their initial 3 to 4 weeks of training prior to taking the CDL Exam. The CDL Instructor at Prime is required to have at least 9 months of professional driving experience (including winter driving experience) and at least 60 days at Prime as an A Seat Lead Driver under their belt as well as completion of a week of training classes to prepare them for their important role in the program.
One Prime Driver who takes on the title of CDL Instructor is Jacob Casford. Jacob has been with Prime since July of 2013 and hauls freight for Prime in the refrigerated division. He spared a few minutes of his busy life out on the road to share his thoughts on being a CDL Instructor and answer some questions about his role.
How long have you been a CDL Instructor?
JC: “I have been a CDL Instructor since July 19, 2014.”
What made you want to become an Instructor?
JC: “I wanted to become an instructor to teach future drivers how to be safe, professional and successful drivers.”
What is your favorite part of being an Instructor?
JC: “My favorite part of being an instructor is the challenge every new student brings. My second favorite part is the smile on their faces when the examiner tells my students they just passed their tests.”
What is the training process like?
JC: “The training process for my apprentice drivers is challenging to start with. I am a dedicated driver out of Walmart at Shelbyville, TN, so my apprentices get to experience a wide variety of road conditions from highways to major cities to rural 2-lane roads. Also, they get to experience Monteagle on a regular basis. I let them drive as much as possible, and they will do all the backing. On a slow night, they will do 3 backing maneuvers, and on a busy night, they might do 8 maneuvers. I truly believe training at one of our Walmart accounts is the best experience any apprentice can hope for.”
What are the benefits of being an Instructor for Prime?
JC: “The benefits of being a Prime instructor is being able to teach someone who has never driven a semi truck and trailer before and watching them progress to being able to drive like a professional driver.”
How do you feel about Prime’s Training Program versus other companies?
JC: “I believe Prime’s training program is the best because it offers real world, one-on-one training with an instructor. You get to experience everything that there is to experience as a trucker while you are training, that way you know if you can handle this lifestyle.”
What is a quality every Prime Instructor should have?
JC: “The quality every prime instructor should have is patience. You need to understand your student is going to grind gears, miss gears, stall out the truck and have a difficult time backing. It is all part of the learning process. Also, even as an instructor, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If your student is having issues on the pad backing, ask another instructor for help. Maybe he or she has a different way of doing the maneuvers that your student can understand.”
If you’re ready to live up to your potential and earn a great career as a truck driver, visit the Prime Inc. website at for more information about the Prime Student Driver program.
If you are interested in becoming a Prime CDL Instructor, notify your Fleet Manager to let them know you are interested or email psd@primeinc.com. The Fleet Manager will be able to verify if you meet the qualifications and help schedule you for a CDL Instructor Class.
