Roehl Recruiter Conversation & Some General Questions

Hello everyone,

I've been lurking for quite a while and trying to learn all I can before looking in to which company to train with and work for. I had my first conversation today with a recruiter and thought I might share the basics of the call in case anyone else is curious. I also have a subjective questions that I hope someone doesn't mind helping me with. I apologize if they've been thoroughly responded to before.

I'll start with the recruiter call. I spoke with Carnation at Roehl, who was a very pleasant former owner operator. She provided factual information and didn't seem prone to the hyperbole that I hear other trucking companies employ.

I don't have A CDL so we discussed training. The class is paid as is lodging, although she did not give a rate. Transportation to the class is not paid, but they will reimburse mileage. After obtaining your CDL you spend 11-14 days with a trainer before going solo. The commitment you make to Roehl is for 120,000 miles in order for your training to be totally free. It's not reimbursed in and way, it's just free if you drive that many miles.

At every step of the way she asked probing questions to see what I might be interested in a career like this, and when I said I was interested in flatbed driving she was curious as to why as well. I also had to explain the past three years of my employment including any gaps.

The training for flatbed and, I guess, in relation to my home location of central NY, is in Gary, IN.

The pay once you are solo is surprisingly high, at least based on my research. You start at .39 cpm and receive incidental pay for lots of things. I guess the average weekly paycheck for a new flatbed driver is $925.

They have a pet policy which you can find on their website which seems quite good, but the reason I won't be going with Roehl is due to the rider policy. They do have one, and it is very fair, but it isn't the 90 days advertised on the website. It takes six months of solo driving to be allowed a rider. Again, I absolutely understand their reasoning, but I'm looking for the shortest amount of time away from wife I can find.

My questions I have are as follows:

Does anyone have any idea what company has the shortest time period from being hired to being allowed a rider, and preferably a small dog? I've heard there is no required solo time for Swift but I also know they do not allow pets.

Would any of you have any companies to recommend that might take an inexperienced driver with a CDL from the Swift school? I've read it's possible to immediately move on to a better company by leaving after training and having the new company reimburse Swift.

Thank you for any input,

Regards, Richard L.

Richard's first post:

I've read it's possible to immediately move on to a better company by leaving after training and having the new company reimburse Swift.

Better than what? I have worked for Swift for four years...trained with them and stayed with them. What do you really know about them?

Richard's first post:

I've read it's possible to immediately move on to a better company by leaving after training and having the new company reimburse Swift.

Better than what? I have worked for Swift for four years...trained with them and stayed with them. What do you really know about them?

I am bumping this because I really want you to candidly answer the questions I asked you...not because I need to know, but because many people on this forum have and are likely in the process of considering Swift. Trucking Truth is just that, about the truth and not about what you heard or read on some basher website.

Hey G-Town,

While I've tried to do a lot of research please consider me as knowing nothing. I didn't mean to offend.

I based that comment solely on how I've read that the mega carriers are generally utilized as stepping stones to other companies. I'm not sure if that's true, or if it is, if it should be true.

Honestly if Swift had a pet policy they would be my number one choice right now despite all of the negative reviews on other forums and websites like Glassdoor. I know to take those reviews with a grain of salt, but they seemed so pervasive that I there must be some truth. I also thought that people generally whine about everything and anything and therefore would be willing to give them a go anyway were it not for the pet policy.

Another reason I've considered trying them out is due to exceptional good reviews of SWIFT by a guy on Youtube called TheRightBrotha. I trust that he's being honest in every video and he has no SWIFT complaints.

Also, an update on my original question:

After further searching, I've found that Melton, May, and TransAm apparently allow riders and pets from day one of solo driving, and Melton may even allow them during orientation. Melton is also flatbed, which I'm interested in. Therefore I need to find a way to get my CDL and then see if they're interested in me, unless anyone has any other recommendations or insight.

Richard, Thank you for the honest reply. You did not offend me. I have heard all the jokes and all of the negative remarks. As a strong suggestion we advise not giving much credence to the information found on the internet about Swift, Prime, Schneider, Werner, Roehl, CR England, etc. Most of it's an embellishment of the truth, usually posted by a former/disgruntled employee taking their frustrations out on the company who fired them. It's anybody's guess what really happened. Good, dependable drivers are successful no matter who they are working for. We have many tenured drivers from Swift on this forum. Same holds true for Knight, Werner, Schneider, Prime and Roehl. Swift has always done right by me. Are they perfect? No. Do they make mistakes? Yes. They are huge, it's bound to happen. What many new drivers do not realize, you basically have two very important relationship within these huge carriers; your driver manger (DM) or dispatcher and at least in my case, because of the nature of my dedicated account, the planner. It's rare that I interact with anyone else on a regular basis. Once you prove yourself with the DM and planner, and they trust you as being safe and dependable, they usually take good care of the drivers they can count on day-in and day-out. Swift has always treated me with respect and professionalism. Never welched on a promise or commitment. So here's the thing, with many of the larger companies your life changes for the better after the first year. Without fail I have received at least one pay raise on my anniversary date for the last 4 years. Last year it was two raises. We also receive a quarterly performance bonus. My schooling and training was bought, paid for, and fully reimbursed.

My point? If the newer driver would just give these so called stepping stone companies a chance (many are listed above), they would find after a year they are getting really good/consistent miles, with higher pay and have earned the respect of their DMs and planners. It only gets better from there are long as you are a safe, and high performing driver.