Roehl Longevity Bonus?

So as I stated this morning in another thread. I am looking at starting orientation with Roehl flatbed division on 4 Jan. Well I just got some paperwork email'ed to me to go over and sign. And the first thing I looked at was the the longevity bonus agreement.

This agreement states that for an advance payed out over 4 weeks of me solo driving (after training). I will agree to this as a "loan". And basically I will agree to owe the company DOUBLE that bonus if I fail too complete 75k miles as a solo driver. At 75k miles that debt will go away. However, it seems to say that if I dont complete 75k I owe the whole amount too them. If I work 1 week, get 1 installment I owe the whole thing. Or I do 74k and decide this is not for me I owe the whole thing. It further states that if they can not recoup this money right away. They will charge interest on the remaining debt at the maximum amount allowed by law! I will also be responsible for attorney fees if charges are brought against me.

Wow......

Ok so I called them and asked "what if I dont want the advance (loan)?" I was told they need an agreement for me to work for a certain period of time. The 75k miles. Ok I get that. But I dont want to be on the hook for even the bonus let alone double the bonus if I decide this isnt for me. But apparently there is no way around it. I said I would sign saying I agree to the miles but not the money. No! You have to take the money.

Now I'm pretty sure I understand why they do this. They are hedging their bets basically. I have 2 problems with this right now. First they arent saying they are doing this to offset training and hiring costs. They are selling it as "look what we are going to do for you!". I don't like people being disingenuous with me. And they are throwing me into debt to insure my loyalty. Second... "so what". Hiring and training costs are the cost of doing business for every company out there. And I dont mean just trucking companies. Every company endures these costs. Its why I argue with people all the time that companies arent going to just fire you for no good reason. It costs to much to train new people. This whole the thing feels like the "I sold my soul to the company store" old song. Lol yeah I know thats kinda dramatic. But it does sort of feel that way.

Anyway. What do guys think about this. Is this common? Have other guys/gals that are going too, or work for Roehl had to deal with this? And what is your opinion on it? I was getting excited about going to work there. But this is setting off alarm bells in my head.

The recruiter didn't explain it well.

The longevity bonus is $1500 you earn after completing your 75,000 miles BUT they advance it to you after completing phase 2.

You can deny taking the bonus but you can't request it at a later date. You only owe what you were given. So if after receiving the initial $300 you quit you are on the hook for that $300 only.

I signed the same paperwork today. I originally planned to opt out of the bonus but decided to take it. Why give up free money? 75,000 miles should come in less than a year.

Nice, let us know how it goes. :)

What if you tell them you don't want the bonus at all (now...or later)? You can't owe money that was/never will be given to you!

Yeah I found out that the money that you payback is actually not the bonus. Seems to say that in the contract. In legal speak. Its kinda confusing. So if you refuse the bonus it has no effect.

I didn't have an agreement like that in my paperwork. I came in through their CDL program so my deal was I work for 120,000 miles and the tuition is free. I think after 60,000 miles (I'm not completely sure the amount here), if you leave, you don't back all of the tuition just part of it. There was no hiding that it was an agreement to make sure they recoup the costs of training me. Are you coming in as an experienced driver?

Yeah, it's a strange way to "give" you a bonus! They should just state that if you quit before 75K miles, you will owe us x amount of dineros. And if you do complete the required miles they will give you such and such. Maybe they have a lawyer that likes to obfuscate things just to keep his billable hours up. You are probably not the first one that they had asking about it, so I'm surprised they don't offer a second option for people in your case.

Yeah. I was given a $250 bonus that I was given the option to get in increments of $50 once solo or get in full after 6 months of solo driving, but I was not informed on any agreement like yours that might have gone along with that either.

The recruiter didn't explain it well.

The longevity bonus is $1500 you earn after completing your 75,000 miles BUT they advance it to you after completing phase 2.

You can deny taking the bonus but you can't request it at a later date. You only owe what you were given. So if after receiving the initial $300 you quit you are on the hook for that $300 only.

I signed the same paperwork today. I originally planned to opt out of the bonus but decided to take it. Why give up free money? 75,000 miles should come in less than a year.

The recruiter didn't explain it well.

The longevity bonus is $1500 you earn after completing your 75,000 miles BUT they advance it to you after completing phase 2.

You can deny taking the bonus but you can't request it at a later date. You only owe what you were given. So if after receiving the initial $300 you quit you are on the hook for that $300 only.

I signed the same paperwork today. I originally planned to opt out of the bonus but decided to take it. Why give up free money? 75,000 miles should come in less than a year.

Thanks Nate. Yeah thats the amount. Didnt know if it was bad form or not to mention the amount. But my paperwork clearly states that I will owe them $3,130 if I fail to complete the the 75k. Did you go flatbed? Im only thinking it might be a division or regional thing? And she was telling me that I would owe the whole thing regardless. It would be totally different to me if I only owed the amount given. But be automatically put on the hook for 3k is way too much for me right now.

Big problem for me is that this is my second try at trucking. My first attempt was a horrible experience. So I might be being a bit hyper vigilant. But I dont want to get stuck into a situation like I was before. And have a 3k bill to show for it! So I appreciate everyone's feedback to help keep me grounded.

Hyrnn: No I have very limited experience. Very. But I do have my CDL already. Which cost over $4k to get. So yeah Im not interested in another $ 3k in debt. BTW is that your crow?

Hyrnn: No I have very limited experience. Very. But I do have my CDL already. Which cost over $4k to get. So yeah Im not interested in another $ 3k in debt. BTW is that your crow?

It's a fake crow Halloween decoration. I found it at my parent's house when I was visiting for Thanksgiving last year I was pecking my sister on the head through the sunroof of her car. She took off driving down the road with me on the hood pecking the windshield. This picture was taken after she finally stopped by a random field. Lol

Ah I see. I have always said if I ever had a bird I want it to be a raven. Thats why I was curious.

Big problem for me is that this is my second try at trucking. My first attempt was a horrible experience. So I might be being a bit hyper vigilant. But I dont want to get stuck into a situation like I was before. And have a 3k bill to show for it! So I appreciate everyone's feedback to help keep me grounded.

Just remember, the trainer will only be a temporary thing. Once you get through that, you will be on your own, doing your thing, and th 75k miles will come in no time at all. "Keep your eyes on the prize."

Stay safe

The $3100 you are on the hook for the WHOLE amount once you start solo. If you are let go during training you are not liable. But if you quit you are.

I am actually gonna do Reefer.

Roehl was my first choice for a company and then after I learned about the $3100 I took them off my list. But today I signed my contract with them and can't wait for orientation. I could of got a lot more money from other companies but the fact so little negative out there about Roehl and the fact they will let you jump around with different divisions and home times convinced me they were right for me.