Any Recommendations On Roehl?
Topic 24460 | Page 2
You'll start at whatever rate the company that hires you offers to pay you. You'll have a lot to do with how that translates to the amount on your paycheck. Here's another article for you to look at. I think if you hang around here long enough you're going to start getting the hang of this.
Welcome Randall.
Average pay for the first year of OTR trucking is 40-45k no matter what carrier you drive for. Due to a very steep learning curve; mastering skills such as clock management, trip planning and of course backing all take time and will improve with experience. First year is basically OJT.
Take a real good look at these links:
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road CDL Training Program
- CDL Practice Tests
In combination they serve as the Trucking Truth starter kit and will enable a realistic knowledge base and assistance in passing the CLP exams.
Good luck.
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.
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.
CLP:
Commercial Learner's Permit
Before getting their CDL, commercial drivers will receive their commercial learner's permit (CLP) upon passing the written portion of the CDL exam. They will not have to retake the written exam to get their CDL.
Man I certainly appreciate the hell out of all you fellas. The links,the advice,the time you take out of your schedules to respond etc.. Again, I'm just gonna be a rookie out there giving this the same attention that I built a business on starting at age 14. I'm gonna go at this full speed and focus on detail and try to maximize my time and make things work. I certainly plan to make this my next 20 year career. And look forward to speaking with you gentlemen very often. I will be sure to follow this site daily. Again, many thanks to all of you.
Uh hmmm... we have ladies here too!!!
just teasing. and welcome!
And heres a couple threads to help you see the pay totals the first year. Big Scott is at CFI and runs dry van. I run reefer at Prime which generally starts at a higher cpm than dry van. Each has pros and cons.
Rainys First Year at Prime Pay
Im pretty sure we both added updates to those threads for the second years. Honestly, do well and great things happen.
By my 2nd year i no longer harped on trying to get miles or loads, they were pretty much thrown at me. There were a few times I got in a rut... but nothing talking to my FM couldnt help. Over the summer I got frustrated with some issues, and even got hired at Fedex. I then told.my FM "i got hired at Fedex..but i dont want to go. I just cant keep going on with this one problem". Problem solved!
Roehl has great home time options. One thing people forget to realize is the more you are home, the less you make. Example, they have a 7 days out 7 days home option. GREAT! but that means you are only working half the time, so you need to understand you will get half the annual pay of others. I wish I could remember the name of one member who came in here a few years ago flipping out he only made $35,000 at Roehl his first year. We had to explain to him that had he chosen a different home time option, he may have made a lot.more.
smh. people do not think... as for the negative reviews..Read G Towns article
The Web of Lies and Misinformation
Almost every negative review about my company is from failed Lease Ops. I can tell as soon as they start with "I lost my house and family" or "Prime stole my money" or some other nonsense. Stupid people who didnt know how to run a business and never read their contract. And never ran as company drivers to know I have so much more freedom than they do!!!
All of us are with different companies and we all love where we are or we would leave. We could have an all out brawl on this forum is someone said "my company is the best". it is what you make it.
Fm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Welcome Randall, I started my career with Roehl 5 years ago. I left after about 7 months because of changes in my situation not theirs. They are overall a good company. Like every carrier big, medium, or small they have their day to day issues. No less or worse than anyone else. I went through their company school to get my CDL and was assigned out of Atlanta. Somewhere buried in the diaries section is a journal I did back then. I enjoyed my time there and learned alot. The people are top notch, and the facilities are getting better all the time. I still stay in touch with both my OTR trainers to this day. One is still there and still training, tbe other moved on. They mostly do dry van and flatbed. They have a small reefer division also. I always had good miles and pay was average. The equipment was good and I see alot of newer trailers on the road these days. About twice a year I still get contacted and offered a job. I love what I’m doing so going back isn’t what I’m looking for. However its always nice too know my first company is always ready for me to return. If you have any specific questions just ask, If I don’t know the answer I can get it for you. Best wishes too you in your journey
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.
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.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Heres PJs Roehl Diary
if you go to the diaries section and use the search bar you can find other Roehl diaries.
Thanks Rainy I’m not nearly hi tech of a redneck to do that link stuff, lol
I knew there were some ladies out here gonna get on to me for not saying something about y'all. I told my daughter there were ladies in this industry and she didn't even wanna believe that lol. So hope all is well Rainy D. And PJ, i do have couple extra questions. Roehl now pays for the hotel and food bit not sure about the transportation. Maybe you could find that out. Also,I'm near Dothan Alabama which is southeast Alabama,and would hope they run the southeast alot. Next question,what about U.S Express trucking ? They offered me after getting a cdl to run the southern states on a regional route strictly for Family Dollar stores at 1100 to 1200 starting pay. With 2 days home. That sounded good as well. Rainy D i looked at Prime as well but my permit wouldn't transfer to Missouri so I would have to retake that test. Not a big deal but.... in the end i prefer to have schooling while being paid something as I won't be here to work the business and damn sure can't count on anyone to run it for me. So,that being said I still have to pay bills and take care of my daughter.
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.
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.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
They offered me after getting a cdl to run the southern states on a regional route strictly for Family Dollar stores at 1100 to 1200 starting pay. With 2 days home.
Randall, we NEVER recommend rookies cutting their teeth on those "dollar store" accounts. The pay sounds decent until you realize how tough the assignment is.
I don't have a lot of time right now, but put "dollar store" in the search bar at the top of this page. We've had a lot of discussion on this subject - you'll get the idea as you look into those discussions. U.S. Express is a great company, but they just can't fill those positions as needed, so they (like all the other carriers servicing this contract) have resorted to recruiting new drivers on this account. It's worth way more than $1,200 a week (in my opinion) but I don't want you to have to figure that out on your own. It's just a brutal way to try and make a decent start at this.
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.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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That is exactly what I'm talking about. You guys are the reason I joined this forum. I find out the best info and apply it to my research and what I expect out of a company. I damn near talked myself out of joining Roehl based on reviews and some YouTube video of a guy bashing them. And I had pretty much already determined before hand I wanted to join and be trained by at least one of the best companies out there. I certainly feel better after talking with you guys. One last question if I may ask? I should start out round 1200 weekly or say 38 to 42 cent mile? My truck will roll when I get on board.