To Start With Roehl Or Prime?
Topic 12561 | Page 1
Welcome Troy. Both I believe are good companies. My answer to your question is another question;
What is most important to you for the first year plus of your career?
- Quality of training? - Home time? - Pay rate? - Newer trucks? - Cost of training? - Future opportunities?
Try to think of it in these terms; the first 6 months (or longer) of your career is a paid apprenticeship. It's similar to building the foundation of your house. Without a sturdy foundation able to withstand the test of time, it matters not what the house looks like or how many rooms it has. My suggestion is to focus on, of the two companies, which one will best prepare you for your future. Which one best aligns with what is most important to you.
This link may also provide additional data points as you ponder your decision: How To Choose A Company
Best of luck and safe travels.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Some extra info about Roehl: I am Not sure what up front costs you are referring to. You will have to pay to get your own permit before you go to the school but other than that well actually pays you during training. You also do not have to pay for room and board.
I went through their program before they started paying you during your CDL school but they did put me up in a hotel at no expenses to myself. I had to pay my transportation to get to the school but I have heard others say that they are now paying for you to go there. With me when I finished phase 1 of training they gave me gas money to cover my ex travel expenses home and the expenses to get to them in the first place. I can't say much about prime. I don't know a lot about their program with several other drivers in this forum work for them and hopefully they will chime in and help you out. As the above said they are both good company so you will most likely have to weigh your options and figure out what is most important to you right now
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Be careful....until you ask, you might not know that Roehl home time + is not offered everywhere.....I'm in a busy Nee England area and they didn't have that available for me. :(
Hi Troy...If I was in your shoes I'd look for what will fit me best and offered the best training...I drive for Prime Inc and think their Training Program and what they offer a Newbie are 2nd to none...They will feed you, house you, teach you, plus pay you while you are learning...Can't ask for much more than that in the beginning...Use the High Road Training Program get a head start on the process. Prime has Tanker, Flatbed, Intermodal and some Walmart Dedicated so there are plenty of options besides Reefer. Good Luck which ever route you choose...
Ken C.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Intermodal:
Transporting freight using two or more transportation modes. An example would be freight that is moved by truck from the shipper's dock to the rail yard, then placed on a train to the next rail yard, and finally returned to a truck for delivery to the receiving customer.
In trucking when you hear someone refer to an intermodal job they're normally talking about hauling shipping containers to and from the shipyards and railyards.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
I'd also be sure to ask if they'll hire you at 21. Many companies will require you to be 23?
Not sure where you heard Roehl has older equipment?
They put me in a 2016 right out of training.
Less than 90,000 miles and still has the new truck smell.
Hi Troy, My nephew went to Roehl training and they gave him a brand new truck right off the bat. i do not know if everyone gets a new truck but that is what his experience was. Good Luck
I came to Roehl with my cdl. There training program was great. They put me in a nice hotel with 3 meals a day. Paid for all my rental cars. It cost me nothing. They also gave me a $1500 longevity bonus. I'm in a 2015 international runs great. No complaints here. I know nothing about prime but heard they are also good.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
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To start my career off I am going with a company sponsored program, due to the fact that I am as broke as a joke, am 20 years of age (going on 21 soon), have no car, and am as good as homeless (I live on a jobcorps campus *shudder*), I really have no other option.
My main issue is which one to take. Between Roehl and Prime it's a tuff choice. Prime offers higher pay and an almost completely free training program. But their fleet is mainly refrigerated and I hear those can be annoying at times, they are also mainly OTR but that really is not an issue for me. And from what I have read their training program seems to be a bit challenging but worth it in the end. Oh and Prime's trucks seem to be more modern and better equipped than Roehl's and you are not home very often. So in essence it seems you get paid more to do more.
Roehl on the other hand might not offer as high a pay rate per mile and has a small upfront cost along with having to pay for your room and board. They do however offer a very wide variety of opportunities and it seems easy to get into a regional or dedicated route , they also offer great home time programs (great for when I actually HAVE a home). So all in all it seems you get paid a bit less for better opportunities.
My question to you is what's your take on it? Which one would you chose over the other and why? And what information am I missing (I know I am missing quite a bit "I is young and dumb") and am I completely ignoring an even better program out there?
I am already in the process of talking with the companies themselves and I think your input on the matter would be invaluable. The recruiter's advice is nice and all, but the advice truckers who actually do it give, is worth a lot to me.
Dedicated Route:
A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.