Profile For Joe B.

How Long Was The Training Period Before You Got IntoYour OwnTruck? Were You Able To Take The TRuck Home?

Sorry My Phone IS Typing Strangely.

I am going to RDTC with Roehl also. There are 3 phases to the training.

#1 Class and Driving for 3 weeks $2,800 which you can pay or they will after 120,000 miles @ 1 year driving #2 Drive with your trainer for up to 13 days and you are paid $90 a day while doing this. #3 You will then get your own truck which you will drive OTR full time out 11-14 days home 3 and you will be paid @.32-36CPM for about 6 weeks and you will have a full time manager at all times available to you for questions etc.

After you complete all 3 phases you will then go to the fleet you picked from the beginning. Reefer, Flatbed, Curtain side, Flatbed or Dry Van at the same rate from phase 3. You then get a .02 raise at 90 days and 6 months etc.

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU!

Don't give up so easy!! There are a lot more than 3 places to apply for and you do not need to tell anyone if you smoked in the past. 90 days and its out of your system regardless what you hear about 5 years in your hair and the tests they use.

#1 Quit for good and never again if you want a career in truck driving

#2 Apply to companies as you like. There are 100's but at least 10 that hire and train from the start.

#3 cut your hair. ALL of your hair to 1/2 inch to start with. Then cut it again to no more than 1.5 inches everywhere at 90 days. Hair grows at .5 inch a month so 90 days = 1.5 inches etc.

#4 Just make sure your start date is 90 days from when you last smoked which is already in your past.

Great subject. I would also like to hear what current drivers have to say. I am going with Roehl and not sure about company policy.

The Hair test only goes back 90 days 99% of the time for new truck drivers. Hair grows at @ 1/2 inch per month. If you cut all of your hair to 1.5 inches you will be fine. That will be enough for the 90 day requirement. Hair shows positive for as long as the hair is but 90 days is the standard test because it costs a lot more to go further plus INS companies that set the requirements for trucking companies. If you quit using today and shaved your head etc you would be clean in 90 days for any test given. ETC. The test can not go further back if the hair is 1.5 inches. If you are in a hair band and smoked weed 5 years ago you could be tested positive... :-) Short hair and stop using any one of the 5 drugs they test for and you will be fine. Drugs and Driving do not mix.. I am a new driver but I am also a pilot for the past 23 years and know all about drug testing. Never used drugs and when flying the rule is 8 hours between bottle and throttle too.

Hi Jerry,

I live very close to Lodi and just joined Roehl. I have been through all the posts and talked to recruiters as well. If home time is important you should seriously look further into going with Roehl or Knight since you live right on 71 and 76. I am going with a 7on 7off fleet but they both offer several different options. Feel free to email me if you like joeoh89@yahoo.com. Do not worry about the hair test.

Best of luck to you,

Joe

I am going with Reefer to start and after reading this made me think twice but I was told we can use lumpers etc. I really wanted to go flatbed but thought that would be tough on my back etc. Time will tell and I guess each company is different.

I passed my written today and have my permit. Passed my DOT physical and will be going to RDTC with Roehl to start my driving career for at least 6 months to a year and from then we will see.

My question to you is "Should I drive REEFER, Dry Van, Curtainside or Flatbed to start? I am looking for your opinions and advice. I am 80% sure which one I will be going with but respect your advice on this site much more than some other sites.

Thanks Ian, Daniel and Brett for your reply's.

I should have been more clear in my post (what and why).

Two things.

#1. I am looking for a "close to home company" that offers training for my CDL so I can "slip seat" 7/7 or 14/7 etc. or work a regional/dedicated route home weekends. From what I have read it is a good idea to keep your car on the lot that is fairly close to home.

Some companies even have a limit of how far you can live from their facilities. Schneider has a 60 mile limit from their Seville OH location. However, this is for a dedicated route leaving Mondays home either Thursday or Friday.

Roehl offers 7 on 7 off and I was told I could also work full time home weekends for a position that runs from a facility 10 miles from my home.

I know how important it is (Thanks to Brett making it VERY CLEAR) to stay ONE FULL YEAR with the company you start with. I figured I may as well try my best to start with the one that I really would like to stay with in the first place. I am not looking for OTR long term but will if needed until the position I want is open.

#2. My goal is to find a company paid training CDL or one that is @ $3000 up front so I can train and work for them right away.

Why should I pay $5,500 - 9,000 to get my CDL local when I can pay $2,800 with no commitment to stay with that company etc?

I was hoping to get a larger list of companies offering CDL training similar to Roehl and near the price they charge. The listings here are great and very complete but several are out of date (no fault to this site) just companies change policies all the time etc. I was hoping that some here may know of more companies offering CDL training.

Thanks again for your help,

Joe

Hello All,

I'm interested in companies that offer paid CDL training.

I am a pilot for over 23 years and looking to start my next career in trucking. After researching online and reading posts here etc. I plan to train and stay at the company I start with for at least 1 year. I realize it's important to gain experience and to "pay my dues" knowing that every company has a learning curve and good/bad in them all.

I live in Ohio near Akron/Cleveland and was hoping to start with a company that offers CDL training and has terminals close to home. A few of my top choices - Knight Transportation Paid Training -100miles from home, Schneider-5miles from home and Roehl Transport CDL Training -10miles from home). In no special order.

After seeing them listed under companies that offer free or nearly free CDL training here I called each one to find out more.

Knight Transportation does not offer CDL training with their squire division and recommended that I go to a private school for training. Upon completion, I could attend orientation in Columbus and then driver training for 28 days with a trainer.

Schneider's recruiter said the same thing. They would offer a pre-hire letter and I could work from their Seville, OH location which would be ideal but no more company CDL training.

Roehl located in WI would offer the training as it is listed here and seems to be one of the lowest priced options at $2,800.

Are there any other companies that offer CDL training for OHIO?

Thanks in advance for any help or advise.

joeoh89@yahoo.com