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In the second week, your driving skills and knowledge will quickly advance. You'll refine your driving skills and learn how to manage your vehicle in close-quarter areas, giving you the self-confidence to handle your truck and trailer around other motorists you share the roads with. You'll work on forward motion skills and further develop your shifting by learning accelerated shifting techniques.
Using the range, they will introduce you to a variety of backing and turning maneuvers. During this week, the roads you will drive on are within the city limits and more challenging. In this environment you need to know what's happening at all times. You will need to bring all of your learning together - shifting, turning, backing and visually scanning your driving environment, paying close attention to the motorists sharing the roads with you.
By the third week, you'll know your way around a truck, so they will put more concerted focus on the other responsibilities of an over-the-road driver. They will teach you all of the regulations you're required to know in order to operate a large commercial vehicle. You will be trained by spending time learning the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and the national network of highways. You'll learn about the Hours of Service Regulations, how to effectively and legally trip plan, review permitting and required documents.
You'll learn "The Roehl Way of Protective Driving" along with the policies and procedures that lead to driver success with Roehl. Classroom lessons and homework will have you planning trips and completing various regulatory assignments. And, there's still behind the wheel time so you can refine your driving skills and validate that you are ready to take the next step in your career as a safe, prepared and confident professional driver.
The CDL program runs for 3 weeks. You'll need to be prepared to complete homework and training assignments. Some assignments, you'll be expected to do on your own time, outside of the training environment.
The majority of your course instruction is spent in the truck, on the road, or on their closed course. Of the total 160 hours of training, a full 110 hours are spent outside receiving instruction with individual help on areas drivers need extra attention on. The number of hours you spend backing up on the range varies depending on individual strengths and weaknesses.
On the closed course - "The Range" - you'll be put through a series of realistic driving exercises. In this controlled environment, they will help you understand the concepts behind trucking, shifting, and turning a truck and trailer combination. As you gain confidence, you'll drive on low-traffic roadways and city streets with truck-trailer combinations and begin performing backing maneuvers.
Classroom instruction is 50hrs. During this time, you'll learn about weight and balance, hours of service regulations, commercial vehicle laws, specialized driving tactics, basic maintenance, how to perform proper inspections on a truck, using satellite communication equipment, and many more aspects of the industry to not only ensure you pass the required CDL examinations, but train you for a successful long-term career in the trucking industry.
In addition to generalized instruction, you will receive personal attention. They will measure your daily progress and you will be tested on your understanding of concepts and content. They will provide you with personal feedback and you will need to use the feedback to make necessary adjustments.
This course seems to be very well structured. Since students already come into the program with a CDL driving permit, they are able to begin driving instruction from day one.
Students spend slightly more time in a classroom environment as compared to other programs (50hrs instead of 40hrs) but since this is more than the required number of classroom training by law, it shows that they are serious about making the schooling the best it can be instead of simply meeting mandatory minimum requirements. This program seems very thorough and reputable.
Roehl operates a three phase program which will provide you with training to be a safe, prepared and confident professional truck driver.
During Phase 1 your training will be a combination of road driving, close quarter maneuvering, and classroom curriculum including logging, trip planning and satellite communication training. This phase lasts approximately 8 days.
You'll be on the road with a Roehl certified trainer, where you'll put the principles learned in Phase 1 to work. You and your trainer will focus on refining your driving skills, maximizing fuel efficiency, trip planning, understanding how to utilize electronic on board log recording systems, learn how to handle freight and meet customer service expectations, and maintenance.
This phase of training is performance based and can last up to 13 days. You'll earn $90 per day when you are training with a trainer.
Upon completion of Phase 2, they will verify your skills. After verification, they will issue you your first truck and give you your first work assignment (dispatch) routing you in a homeward bound direction.
Now you're on full mileage pay. You're on your own in your own truck - but you're not alone. Through phone and satellite communication, you will frequently be in touch with a trained Fleet Coach who will work closely with you for the next 4-6 weeks to help your professional career development.
Upon completion of Phase 3 you'll be assigned a fleet manager and be well on your way to experiencing driver success yourself.
You will earn $90 for every day you are with a trainer (beginning at phase 2 - see above).
During phase 1 training, the student will only drive with a trainer present and sitting in the passenger seat. During phase 2 of training, the truck will be dispatched as both a solo and team operation. By the time trainees reach phase 2, they will have all the skills necessary to drive a tractor-trailer on their own.
No, during company training there is one student to one trainer.
Sleeping in the top bunk while the truck is in motion is prohibited.
Trainees are given phone numbers to call in case of any issues. If a new trainer needs to be assigned one will be provided.
Yes, either smoking or non-smoking trainers can be requested.
Trainers must have a minimum of 6 months experience and an excellent safety and service record.
Training at Roehl is slightly different than most other company training programs. Phase 1 is performed locally at the Roehl terminal. During this phase, skills are refined and there is no team driving involved. Only after you successfully complete phase 1 will you move into phase 2 with a team dispatched truck (you and a trainer).
Most training companies do not include the first phase and instead, place students on a training truck which is dispatched as a team operation almost immediately.
