Profile For Dave D.

Hey gang, sorry I've been incommunicado, my data plan on my phone wasn't all its cracked up to be and well Truck stop Wifi is spotty at best and downright junk almost all the rest of the time. Enough wining, i've been running since I left for Roehl Transport Phase 1 orientation on Nov 4th, made it through their phases 2 and 3 got issued a 2011 Volvo 630 series I believe not too beat up but the most magical thing about it was its Tri-pac APU, I was the envy of the fleet, nearly the entire fleet is Int'l ProStar +'s with the battery bank apu with an auto start feature. And now I am in one as well 2013, its like the only Pewter Colored Roehl Truck that is not Lease Op. Averaging 2700/ wk up til the weather recently so I'm liking it. Roehls not bad, its not easy, but they give you all the tools and its up to you how to use them in the most efficient manner for yourself. I said i have been out since Nov, I have and it was my choice, they have an awesome array of hometime fleets but be careful, if its a dedicated account and its also a hometime fleet servicing it your mileage isn't going to be very much, so make sure there are other ways to make money on the account. I need more self discipline and need to work out more, the weather here in the midwest this winter hasn't been too conducive to inspiring my participation.

Hey Scooby sounds like your doing great. You get to Marshfield let me know. Tammy, David and I are all 3 here. If time and schedules permit would be nice to meet you in person. Be safe

Well I am deep into Phase 2 of ROEHL Training here in Gary, Indiana and I get to spend 2 days driving local loads in and out of Chicago to polish skills for testing out and getting assigned a truck, its been tough no doubt, with the emphasis on how much responsibility we as truck drivers we have. Roehl promotes the "driven to protect others" mantra and my instructor has beat it into my skull to the point I sometimes felt I was trying too hard to be "protective" and not being "productive" Anyways, as an aside and a nugget for thought, I have come to discover Roehl is becomming way more involved with Intermodal and I'm not sure just how I feel about it being that putting trailers on a train takes trucks off the road. I'm not complaining just wondering about those dominos.....

Their training program is intense, isn't it??? That's something that everyone seems to agree on for sure. But that will surely make it challenging.

Not only is it a matter of economics to get the drivers out on the road making money as soon as possible, but they're trying to see who is really dedicated to learning this stuff and becoming a great driver. They'll throw everything at you as quickly as they can and either you get it or you get knocked on your *ss by it.

Have you guys had many students get sent home or drop out of the program?

Tomorrow morning first thing is another pretrip, hookup, review of right turns, and then if our drug test results come in tomorrow afternoon we hit the streets.

On to the streets!!!

I am in their Phase 1 orientation same time as PJ is going thru school and we lost 2 guys to sleep apnea Issues.

LOL Driver Dot ... hey High 5 on the creative name I like it. Oh yeah and Brett I'll wave in your general direction as I pass Attica about 5:30-6:00pm tomorrow on the NY Thruway on my way to Roehl.

Just be careful you don't just up and try to set up residency in another state without doing research first, for example.. I moved from Colorado to New Hampshire, BEFORE I could test for my CDL permit I first needed to have my Plastic New Hampshire License(which can take up to 60 days here as they only have 1 place in the whole state that makes them) which I applied for AFTER I started going thru a 160hr course @ a CDL school. I needed my permit before I could move from classroom to the yard and practice backing and shifting. I begged and got the state to grant me a waiver but I don't think they will always do that. It took 53 days to get my plastic license I had it for 2 weeks and just turned it in Monday to get my Paper temporary CDL-A license oh and I cannot even test for my endorsements until I have that Plastic License in hand so another 50+ days and I start ROEHL Orientation Monday 7am sharp in Marshfield, Wisconsin. I guess the moral of the story is don't just think its as easy as filling out a piece of paper and changing states. If your going to change residency I'd call the state Licensing division and get all the info before your standing at the DMV counter wondering why they make things so difficult like I did.

I drove team with my husband for from 1-97 to last 6-2012, and 1-2013 we sold our truck. It was a great experience, and I wouldn't trade those years...as hard as they were being an O/ O..for anything. Looking back, I wish we had opted for driving team for a company..we would still have all our savings !! But thats life...Why have I stepped out of trucks ?? After a new hip, and a new knee, crawling in and out of a truck, up and down off of flatbed loads, and sitting for 11 hours a day has gotten painful. So I have chosen to take my hard won experience and bestow it on the new breed of truckers who come here. I hope I can help to bring about a group of truckers who take pride in their job, their truck, and their lifestyle.

Thank you for being there Starcar, its very comforting to know we have a rock like you and ALL the other Moderators here to ask for help when needed.

Well ya'll it's official now. I'm on the road to school. 1100 miles from home, but I took a detour adding an additional 500 miles so I could visit with my big sis in Hot Springs Ar. She had a CDL for years and drove just about everything with 10 wheels or more. I'll spend the night here, mostly cause she's an awesome cook and continue in the morning to Marshfield.

Keep it between the lines, be safe.

So I've been been out driving a couple of times and as I'm only taking weekend classes I have alot of time to criticize what I do wrong. Mostly according to my teachers. I go "too deep" on the clutch when shifting and I coast to long. AGH! I feel like whenever I'm coming to a stop I'm about to stall the truck.

It's easy enough to stop going to deep on the clutch by just shifting my seat back a bit more but, I suppose my question is how can you come to a complete stop while in gear without excessive coasting?

For example I'll be in 8th gear coming up to a red light. I take my foot off the fuel pedal ( leaving the truck in gear ) and slowly depress the brake pedal. But, before I can get to the red light the truck is down to about 500 rpm and feels like it's lugging and wants to stall so I push the clutch in and coast the rest of the way up... Is it just suppose to feel that way?

you can get around most of the "lugging" by down shifting to 5th gear you should be able to get it down to about 5mph of less before it'll stall on you, you just need to get to the light in a lower gear, that should fix it for you.

Hey PJ I guess I'll be seeing you in Marshfield, I just got the official word today get on a bus Sat@6:30am and be there in Marshfield sometime around noon on Sunday to start Phase 1 Orientation on Monday. I'm still waiting for my official Itinerary so I can make arrangements as far as packing and stuff. Love to meet ya and put a face to the name. and dont worry I'll pass along all the info I can about orientations demands. See ya soon Dave D.

I am in CR England's school right now and am very worried. I'm being held in motel when I should be finishing up my last 1,000 miles of what they call "phase one" but I can't go home because that's considered abandonment and I would be disqualified . I'm broke and searching for employment. The closest I've come is 3mo's or completion of course. If they never let me out of here, which is what some are saying has happened to them, no one will hire me if they say I haven't completed my program or I need more training. >

Being held in a motel? are they wanting you to wait for a slot in their training? Have you gotten any of your 1000 hrs? did you pass their course and awaiting additional training? Take a deep breath organize your thoughts. The Best way to market yourself is to be honest in your dealings with recruiters and trucking companies from your first contact. If you find yourself in an unreasonable situation which is what I believe you are trying to say then let them know the whole situation. You've been able to post your question here so you have the opportunity to apply at ALL companies that fit what YOU are looking for. Sorry if thats a vague answer but its the best I got for now.