Each year, Prime Inc. hosts the Top Instructor and Trainer Banquet to recognize the best of the best and celebrate their success and impact on the Prime Training Program. This year’s event was held on June 13^th at the Oasis Convention Center in Springfield, MO. The event is by invitation only, and all top instructors and trainers were invited plus one guest along with non-driving associates from the Training Program Department and Fleet Managers of the drivers.

Congratulations to this year’s overall winners!

• Instructor of the Year: Timothy Taylor
• Rookie of the Year: Julian Croft
• The Danny Gibbons Award: George Wolf
• TNT Refrigerated Trainer of the Year: Roberto Alonzo
• TNT Flatbed Trainer of the Year: Mitchell Dingus
• TNT Tanker Trainer of the Year: Brian Moses

View all of the photos from the event on our website: http://www.primeincpics.com/.

Congratulations to these drivers below who were selected as a Top CDL Instructor or TNT Trainer for Prime Inc for the year! Selection criteria includes instructor/trainer performance, drivers trained, drivers retained, and more:Top PSD Top Instructors (in alphabetical order)

• John Connell
• Daniel Cox
• Jeffery Creasy
• Julian Croft
• James Fuller
• Justin Humiston
• Orain Jones
• Sherina McConneyhead
• Allen Ross
• Timothy Taylor
• Blake Tubbs
• James Wagner
• Joseph Wells
• Timothy Wiemer
• George Wolf

Top TNT Trainers (in alphabetical order)

• Roberto Alonzo
• Jose Austell
• Jose Colon
• Michael Dickinson
• Mitchell Dingus
• Jermaine Farrell
• Rocky Hankins
• Gabriel Joshua
• Glenn Kassel
• Norman Lawrence
• James Mallas
• Stephen McCleod
• Daniel Medvec
• Luis Mendezirizarry
• Brian Moses
• Gregory Silvey
• Bennett Smith
• Howard Thompson

We would like to thank all of our trainers and instructors for their continued hard work, patience, and dedication to helping new drivers through our Prime Training Program. If you are interested in becoming an instructor or trainer for Prime, contact your Fleet Manager for more information.

Learn more about the Prime Training Program here. If you would like to speak with a Prime Inc. Recruiter, call 800-511-5663.

About Prime, Inc.
Prime, Inc. is North America’s most successful refrigerated, flatbed, tanker, logistics and intermodal transportation company. Company driver and independent contractor opportunities available in all divisions. New drivers can earn their Class A CDL through the Prime Student Driver Program with new classes starting weekly. At Prime, we have built a strong and enviable reputation for providing superior transportation services throughout North America. Our commitment to providing unsurpassed world-class customer service continues as we seek new methods, technical advances and systems which enable us to meet the ever-increasing demands of the shipping industry.

Our Prime Picnics are for our driving and non-driving associates and their families to come together to enjoy fun, food, friendly competition, and more! If you are a driver, please communicate with your Fleet Manager if you would like to be routed to one of these events, and we will do our best to get you to one of them. We really love seeing our drivers at these events, but we want you to know how much we appreciate all of our drivers who continue to haul freight during these dates so we can continue to be the best in the industry by providing unmatched service and meeting the capacity needs of our customers. If you can’t make it to one of the picnic events, we hope to see you at the next Prime event.

• Pittston, PA -Saturday, August 17th from 10 am to 4 pm
• Springfield, MO-Saturday, August 31st from 10 am to 4 pm
• Salt Lake City, UT-Saturday, September 14th from 10 am to 4 pm

Note: These events are not open to the public. Please bring your Prime ID Badge for entrance into the Prime Picnic. Immediate family of associates are welcome! 

Prime Truck Driving Championship:

• Springfield, MO: Friday, August 30^th @ 5 pm

The Truck Driving Championships (also known as the Rodeo) allow drivers to showcase their driving skills on an obstacle course at the Springfield, MO Headquarters training pad. The top finalists have an opportunity to compete on Team Prime at the 2020 Missouri Truck Driving Championships. Any Prime Driver with a CDL can enter! We will be holding this event under the Friday night lights of the training pad. All drivers will need to check in at the main training pad at 5 pm on Friday, August 30th. We will have hot dogs, burgers, brats, cold drinks etc for all who want to come out and compete or watch the event. All event competitors will get a 2019 Prime Commemorative Coin! Any questions, contact Dave White in the Safety Department. Winners will be announced on Saturday at the picnic.

Pride and Polish Competition:

• Pittston, PA: Saturday, August 17^th @ 10 am (Check in at 9:30 am)
• Springfield, MO: Friday, August 30^th @ 5 pm (Check in at 5 pm on training pad)
• Salt Lake City, UT: Saturday, September 14^th @ 10 am (Check in at 9:30 am)

The Pride and Polish competition allows drivers to showcase their truck as well as be recognized for their attention to detail and cleanliness inside and outside of the truck. All event participants will get a 2019 Prime Commemorative Coin! A driver can only compete for prizes at one of the locations. If you have any questions, contact Pam Linhart in Safety.

We hope to see you this year at the Prime Picnic. Thank you to all of our associates for your hard work day and night to make Prime the best in the industry!

Interested in starting your career as a truck driver for Prime? We’re one of the largest trucking companies in North America and are proud to say that we train and employ the best drivers in the industry. Apply now online or call our Recruiting Team at 888-664-9121.

Prime Picnics will be held in the following locations:

• Pittston, PA -Saturday, August 18th from 10 am to 4 pm
• Springfield, MO-Saturday, September 1st from 10 am to 4 pm
• Salt Lake City, UT-Saturday, September 8th from 10 am to 4 pm

Note: These events are not open to the public. Please bring your Prime ID Badge for entrance into the Prime Picnic. Immediate family of associates are welcome! 

Drivers are invited to compete in some friendly competition at the following events:

Prime Truck Driving Championship (Springfield, MO): The Truck Driving Championships (also known as the Rodeo) allow drivers to showcase their driving skills on an obstacle course at the Springfield, MO Headquarters training pad. The top finalists have an opportunity to compete on Team Prime at the 2018 Missouri Truck Driving Championships. Any Prime Driver with a CDL can enter! We will be holding this event under the Friday night lights of the training pad. All drivers will need to check-in at the main training pad at 5 pm on Friday, August 31st. We will have hot dogs, burgers, brats, cold drinks, etc for all who want to come out and compete or watch the event. All event competitors will get a 2018 Prime Commemorative Coin! Any questions, contact Dave White in the Safety Department at 417-521-3830. Winners will be announced on Saturday, Sept 1st at the picnic.

Click here to register for Truck Driving Championships! 

• 1st Place-Trophy & $100 Prime Bucks
• 2nd Place-Trophy & $75 Prime Bucks
• 3rd Place-Trophy & $50 Prime Bucks

Pride and Polish (Springfield, MO and Pittston, PA): The Pride and Polish competition allows drivers to showcase their truck as well as be recognized for their attention to detail and cleanliness inside and outside of the truck. The competition will take place in Springfield, MO on Friday, August 31st this year alongside the Truck Driving Championships. The competition will take place in Pittston, PA at the annual Prime Picnic on Saturday, August 18th. All event participants will get a 2018 Prime Commemorative Coin! If you have any questions, contact Pam Linhart in Safety at 417-521-3916.

Click here to register for Pride and Polish!

• Best in Show-Owner Operators
  • Winner gets trophy & $500 cash
• Best in Show-Lease Drivers
  • Winner gets trophy & $500 cash
• Best in Show-Company Drivers
  • Winner gets trophy & $500 cash
• Peoples Choice
  • Winner gets trophy & $500 cash

We hope to see you this year at the Prime Picnic. Thank you to all of our associates for your hard work day and night to make Prime the best in the industry! If you have any questions,  please contact us at primeinc@primeinc.com.

Interested in starting your career as a truck driver for Prime? We’re one of the largest trucking companies in North America and are proud to say that we train and employ the best drivers in the industry. Apply now online or call our Recruiting Team at 888-664-9121.

The two-day event, sponsored by the Association’s Council of Safety Supervisors, evaluated 166 drivers on a written test of their knowledge of the industry; safety and security; first aid; and fire safety. Another segment of testing included hands-on required pre-trip vehicle inspections. The participants then competed on a point-value-assessed driving skills course of six obstacles completed under actual everyday conditions. In their respective classes, drivers tested their expertise in the driving skills they use daily. The skills course tested drivers’ ability to judge distances, maneuver tight spaces, park and position their vehicle exactly over scales, before barriers or around curves.

Over 675 on-lookers at the Awards Banquet Saturday evening saw Bruce Brewen of Valles Mines, MO, receive the prestigious “Grand Champion” title as Missouri’s best of the best. Bruce, a driver for Hogan Transports, Inc. of Earth City, MO achieved this recognition by achieving the highest point differential above the average within his class in all three elements of skill and knowledge.

Mr. Brewen was also awarded the top driver in the Four Axle Van Class during the annual safe driving competition. He will be joined by eight other class winners as the Missouri Championships Team travels to Columbus, OH to compete against other state teams in the American Trucking Association’s National Truck Driving Championships August 15 – August 18, 2018. During the competition the Missouri Team will compete against 450 other professionals vying for selection as the nation’s top professional truck drivers.

First, second and third place winners in all nine classes of competition as well as the top “Rookie”, the driver with the best Pre-Trip Inspection, the driver with the highest score on the Written Examination and the driver awarded for Professional Excellence were honored at the Awards Banquet Saturday evening.

Winners and runners-up in the classes of competition are listed below with the driver name and employer company.

Straight Truck Class

1st – James Houghton, Gower, MO- FedEx Express, Kansas City, MO.
2nd – Alisha Slaughter, El Paso, TX – CFI, Joplin, MO
3rd – Paul Tyler, Arnold, MO- XPOLogistics, St. Louis, MO

Three Axle Class

1st – Robert Roth, Blackwater, MO- FedEx Freight, Columbia, MO
2nd – Kelley Asher, Republic, MO- FedEx Freight, Springfield, MO
3rd – William Tibbles, Eureka, MO- FedEx Express, Berkeley, MO

Four Axle Class

1st – Bruce Brewen, Valles Mines, MO- Hogan Transports Inc. Bridgeton, MO
2nd – Michel Boyce, Independence, MO- Holland, Holland, MI
3rd -David Wiechers, Lee’s Summit, MO- ABF Freight, Kansas City, MO

Five Axle Van Class

1st – Glen Horack, Elkland, MO- Prime Inc. Springfield, MO
2nd -Wayne Pierce, Old Monroe, MO- UPS, St. Louis, MO
3rd – Ben Walker, Carriere, MS- Prime Inc. Springfield, MO

Flatbed Class

1st – Scott Fischer, Medford, OR- Prime Inc. Springfield, MO
2nd – Robert Bramwell, Centerview, MO- ABF Freight, Sedalia, MO
3rd – Remy Braun, Carthage, MO- D & D Sexton, Carthage, MO

Tank Truck Class

1st – Thomas Miller, Bunkee Hill, IL- Prime Inc. Springfield, MO
2nd – Jon Hume, Saint Peters, MO- FedEx Freight, St Charles, MO
3rd – Andrew Hunt, Willard, MO- FedEx Freight, Springfield, MO

Sleeper Berth Class

1st – Roy Romo, Shelton, WA- Prime Inc. Springfield, MO
2nd -Bobby Chilcoat, Moore, OK- CFI, Joplin, MO
3rd – William Chuch, Deland, FL- CFI, Joplin, MO

 Twin Trailers Class

1st – Michael Chatterton, Rogersville, MO- FedEx Freight, Springfield, MO
2nd – Steve Fields, Independence, MO- YRC Freight, Kansas City, MO
3rd – Scott Davis, Kearney, MO- ABF Freight, Kansas City, MO

Step Van Class

1st – Grant Garwood, Joplin, MO- FedEx Ground, Joplin, MO
2nd – Donald Alpers, Ava, MO- FedEx Ground, Stafford, MO
3rd – Trisha Cordero, Kansas City, MO- FedEx Express, Kansas City, MO

Roy Romo, of Shelton, WA a driver for Prime Inc. Springfield, MO was named “Rookie of the Year” for his outstanding well-rounded performance as a first-time contestant.

The “Pre-Trip Inspection” award for the highest score in assuring that a vehicle is in safe and efficient operating condition before leaving on a trip went to Trisha Cordero, of Kansas City, MOFedEx Express, Kansas City, MO.

Shane Duncan, of Seneca, MO a driver for Certified Express Inc., Neosho, MOreceived the Award for Highest Written Examination Score.

The Recipient of the Professional Excellence Award, the driver who most exemplifies the best attributes of a professional truck driver, was Richard O’Brian, of Maryland Heights, MO a driver for FedEx Freight, Harrison, AR.

The “Team Championship” went to FedEx Freight, Inc. based in Harrison, AR for having the highest average team score in the competition.

Interested in starting your career as a truck driver for Prime? We’re one of the largest trucking companies in North America and are proud to say that we train and employ the best drivers in the industry. Apply now online or call our Recruiting Team at 888-664-9121.