Profile For Honey B.

10 - 4 Brett Thank you for the run down of my experiences. I took time and went back over them and thought about things I could have done differently. Hindsight being 20/20 and all. I am definitely changing my outlook and expectations as I start for a new company. I am silently chanting "patience, patience, patience" as I prepare for orientation.

Damon L Hi, I am no longer at Roehl. I left about a month ago.

Hey Gentlemen,

Thank you all for the honest replies. I definitely appreciate the feedback. I will chalk this up to lessons learned as I navigate my way through this career. Now I see that I need to exercise a bit more patience in dealing with the next company and take things as they come. One lesson learned of many. Thank you all!

Brett please advise am I expecting too much from this industry?! I see a lot of people on here have great experiences starting out. I feel like I'm getting the short end of the stick. I am by no means giving up, I just want to drive. I even wondered if I was just expecting too much so I asked a few drivers before I made my decision to leave, some have been driving for about 3 to 5 years. Others were coming out of training like myself. the reviews I got were mixed. So asking someone with a lot more experience in the industry am I making a big deal out of small things and this is essentially to be expected no matter where I go? Or am I right to expect something as getting my tractor fixed in a timely manner and to be dispatched timely when I'm told the assignment is there?

Can't say that I hate everything and everyone as I never said I hated anything. What I do dislike is being told one thing than have something completely different happen. As a recruiter or enrollment specialist, you are speaking on behalf of that company and the information you give about that company should all be uniform. So if I'm speak to John, Abby, Michael, or Sara, what I'm being told should be all the same. I understand recruiters using tactics to get people in the door but everyone should be on the same page with the information being given. Don't make promises to people that can not be kept in any shape way form or fashion when speaking from one person to the next.

I won't go into any further detail as to my displeasure with each situation as I've already stated my issues with each. As far as my experience with Roehl, it is simple. During my training I was told we would not run as teams with a trainer. That is not what "they" do. The trainer is suppose to be on duty while you drive and offer assistance. I get in the truck with my trainer and it was completely opposite. When he wasn't sleep while I was driving, he had no patience while doing customer check ins. Sometimes he would start out pleasant and then snap and start screaming and hollering over things that I was essentially picking up on my own. Calls to my fleet training manager went unanswered. And when she did call back, I would be driving and she would then speak with my trainer. Didn't help me at all. However, I persisted through the issues with him and finished my trainer. personally he was a good guy, trainer wise not so much.

Then when I got into my own truck, I don't appreciate having my life put on the line for the sake of delivering a load on time. First load assignment and my tractor had bad brakes. Numerous calls to safety and maintenance that basically went keep driving for 1100 miles to another terminal to have them fixed instead of going back the 300 miles to the terminal I came from. My first week solo and I spent 5 out of 7 days down while having my tractor brakes repaired. From two over the road fixes to 2 different terminals. Among other issues with the tractor. Then when I went to my fleet training manager about issues, she would never answer the phone, return a call, or would just simply be out of office. I just want to drive and make some money. Not sit around with a down tractor for most of my Phase 3 training. So after 3 weeks of the back and forth, even after moving up my chain of command as advised, I still got no where. So here I am moving forward because after numerous conversations with management nothing has been resolved and I sat around for another week not being paid, yet again, through no fault of my own. Was told I had a load assignment, never got it. Spoke with the manager of my fleet training manager, 4 days back and forth and was never dispatched. Was given feedback that my complaints about my ftm were not the first. Not my fault the ftm doesn't like to answer the phone or messages. Not my fault the tractor has numerous problems but yet I'm being punished by not being dispatched?!

So no I don't hate everyone and everything. While most people may have pleasant experiences to report on here starting into the trucking industry, mine has not been thus far. I just want to drive and be paid. And I expect if you say your going to do something as a company than it be done.

So I started on 2/13 and had a good experience up until I got into Phase 2 of training. Got paired with a trainer that was like a sweet and sour patch gummy. That was the longest 19 days of my life thus far. Made it through that and passed my DSE. Got into my own truck and had nothing but problem after problem. Not only issues with my truck, but also with my fleet training manager. I decided to sever my ties and move forward with another company.

So I will be starting at Roehl on Monday. I am praying I have a better experience there than previously with CDL of GA. I am nervous about the physical test. The lady told me over the phone that they actually test to see if you can squat, push, and pull and then they take your blood pressure. If you fail they send you home. Yikes!

I will say to anyone who reads this in GA, do not, I repeat do not attend CDL of GA. Terrible. Out of the 5 instructors, 4 of them are old and broken. By broken I mean multiple physical problems that limited their ability to walk. Spent more time ranting and raving about politics and old trucking stories than they did teaching. Let you get out of school early, so you did not get the full hours of training. When it was time to go on the road, the truck was old and raggedy. Broke down so we missed a day of training. The instructor that I had could barely walk, he used a huge wooden stick. So we had to keep taking breaks because he needed to get out and stretch and smoke a cigarette. There were over 8 ppl in my group so imagine the amount of time we got to spend learning how to drive. students. Then when we did get in the truck, the instructor sat on facebook or flipping through a truck magazine. The students pretty much helped each other. Poorly ran now and its completely obvious that its all about the money. The one good trainer they have is a young kid who received his cdl through them about 3 or so years ago. But even he is overwhelmed now. They went from having 3 to 5 students per trainer to now over 8 students. A few days we didn't even get the full amount of drive time we were told we would get because students had failed their pre trip at the dds so we had to go back into the yard. One student came to school with the flu infecting everyone else, myself included. So I ended up missing a day of school. When I returned I was told that I missed the hazmat training that the driver solutions/ pam student were required to take. I asked when I could make it up and was told they would set it up for the next day. When I came in the next day I was sent out over the road. No mention of a makeup day ever discussed. Also avoid, driver's solution. I was on a contract for $6000 and sent to a school that only charged $2700. When I asked why was my contract so much to attend a school for half the price I could never get an answer. Filled out some information for my bank account wrong and when I contacted the lady at driver's solutions numerous times, never got an answer or call back. Starting pay at Pam is terrible compared to a few other places and then you are forced to start as team. Driver's Solution has a private facebook page that only about 4 ppl post positive things on. A few times ppl posted things about how bad driver's solution was with Pam the post would be deleted. I also read a lot of ppl sitting home after getting their cdl for over a month, waiting for a Pam mentor to go over the road with. There were also a few posts where a team driver would quit and then the other driver would be stuck home for weeks waiting for another co driver. smh Stay away from Driver's Solution/ Pam Transport. I have seen very few positives about it. My experience was all bad. From most of the things I read in the facebook group, ppl who were sent to C1 school were also having a bad time.

Thanks. I will do. I figured I'd head over to General once I start or maybe post in the training diary for anyone interested in PAM training & how CDL of GA works. I feel like I'm the only one attending that training, thus far. Happy New Year!!

Wow thats great! Keep us informed. Why don't you intro yourself over in General Discussions. Lot of people with real good info. And you get alot more bananas!

So I am finally ready to start my career as an OTR driver. I applied to Wil- Trans but was turned down. Wasn't given a reason why. I didn't ask. I figured it was probably due to the two speeding tickets I had in the past 3 years. One of them was a super speeder ticket here in GA. I was going 18 miles over the speed limit So anyhoo after going over some more of the company sponsored training found here on TT, I went with Driver Solutions. I had also contacted Schneider but didn't like the experience I had in dealing with the 3 different recruiters or enrollment specialists. So anyhoo, filled out the application on Driver Solutions and the next day spoke with a recruiter. She asked a few questions and said to get back with her in an hour, she was going to run my information. I was so nervous, fearing another let down. But nope, when I called back she said I was approved!

I am so excited. I start my training with CDL of GA out in Winder on Jan. 3rd!!! whoooohoooo I do know that PAM starts out a bit low on the pay scale and that's okay with me. I do not have any children or significant other to support. I don't own a car and the lease on my apartment is nearing its end. So I will be driving and saving to dig myself out of debt for the next year.

PAM is requiring that I do team driving for the 1st 6 months or 50K miles & that isn't too bad. I am an extremely patient and even tempered person. As long as my co- driver doesn't smack while he or she chews, I'll survive I am super excited to be starting this chapter of my life. I am ready or as ready as I think I am for all of the challenges I will be facing with this career & I am ready to conquer them all!

To every driver on this forum that has provided their recount of training to experience on the road Reading about the good & the bad help solidify my decision.

Happy holidays & be safe out there!!

Congratulations on your new journey. Thanks for posting. I am very hopeful about starting my career. Was just looking at Schneider's Pre Hire form that I could use to help pay for CDL training. Best of luck to you and be safe out there!