Profile For Eric A.

Not to throw anymore decisions your way but have you considered Roehl? I just started with them in November and have been driving solo for about 11 days now. I know, watch out everyone!! I have found the experience here very positive but I cannot provide feedback about Swift or Prime at this time. Here are the points that I like/dislike about Roehl.

- Recruiter I worked with was very upfront and straightforward. Very professional. - Paid training program. 4 weeks in length and you are paid $500 (gross) per week. - Training program (Phoenix terminal) was excellent. Instructors were all very good and on the same page. Equipment which were Freightliner tractors were in good condition and no issues with them. - On the road with the trainer: I found this a very good experience and was lucky as my trainer was retired Army so we both had that going for us. I spent 13 days on the road with him. I would have to say I would have liked a few more days with him but I was ready when he signed off on me. - Fleet Managers have been very positive and supportive. They are busy so I may not always be able to speak to my fleet manager. However, 90% of the others I have spoken to have helped with any concerns/issues that I have had. - Maintenance department. They have been very helpful. On one day, I had a tire go flat (bad valve stem) and a serpentine belt gave out. Mind you this is about 6 days into driving my newly assigned truck. The tire was brand new and the valve stem was just installed incorrectly. The serpentine belt on the Freightliners are a bit notorious for going out when it gets cold. Like 0 degrees cold. The maintenance department handled both issues quickly even though it took a small act of Congress to get the serpentine belt replaced due to the location I was laid up in. - My assigned truck is in good condition beyond the two strange issues that cropped up. Just about 158K on the odometer so still a young truck and the kinks seem to have been worked out. Been very happy with it and it has kept me warm. Even the evening when it was 10 below zero. - The loads are force dispatched but I believe most company drivers for the position you are looking for are usually that way. I certainly could be wrong. However, from what I have garnered most drivers here average around 2700 miles a week and that is usually pretty consistent. This week I won't get close to that due to the damn holiday but what can you do. Go drop the load at a place that is not open? - Been paid weekly with no issues and paid what I earned. No issues there and happy with my first real paycheck which I got this week.

I am a flatbed driver and I like it so far. I figured I would go reefer since that seems to be easier with the loading/unloading. However, no major complaints with the flatbed process so far. I will admit when you have to tarp/untarp a load by yourself utilizing two 100 pound tarps, it can get frustrating. If you are smart, and it is not -10 degrees, I don't find it that difficult. We do get paid for tarping/untarping even though it is not a great rate, it does add up.

I honestly don't have many dislikes at this point. I have made it a point to try and find the cracks in the system here at Roehl but nothing major yet. The pay is ok and with flatbed, you start at .39 CPM. So, with the tarping/untarping, the first real paycheck was pretty good.

If you have any questions about Roehl, feel free to hit me up. Good luck and I am sure any company you go with will be good.