Roehl Driver Training From Start To End.....

What is the difference between TWIC and FAST card? Thank you.

Hopefully this helps

The Free And Secure Trade Card, better known as the FAST Card, is part of a program designed to expedite handling of shipments through customs between the United States and Canada.

TWIC is a common identification credential for all personnel requiring unescorted access to secure areas of MTSA -regulated facilities and vessels, and all mariners holding Coast Guard-issued credentials. Individuals who meet TWIC eligibility requirements will be issued a tamper-resistant credential containing the worker's biometric (fingerprint template) to allow for a positive link between the card and the individual. (homeport.uscg.mil)

Basically FAST helps speed up deliveries crossing the border and TWIC grants you access to shipping ports/docks.

Signing on under my new account... I couldn't figure out how to change the log in email on my old account, so I just made a new one. (sorry Brett )

Thanks again for all the diligent logging... I see a trucking book in your future ;)

Thanks Weatherman, this is helpful. However, I have follow up question. Is it good to have both FAST and TWIC if you want to be OTR driver?

Hopefully this helps

The Free And Secure Trade Card, better known as the FAST Card, is part of a program designed to expedite handling of shipments through customs between the United States and Canada.

TWIC is a common identification credential for all personnel requiring unescorted access to secure areas of MTSA -regulated facilities and vessels, and all mariners holding Coast Guard-issued credentials. Individuals who meet TWIC eligibility requirements will be issued a tamper-resistant credential containing the worker's biometric (fingerprint template) to allow for a positive link between the card and the individual. (homeport.uscg.mil)

Basically FAST helps speed up deliveries crossing the border and TWIC grants you access to shipping ports/docks.

I would say yes. Both provide you access to more loads and therefore will help you drive more miles. I am starting orientation next week and Roehl does not require you to have a TWIC card, but my recruiter recommended that I get one. I am also required to bring a travel document which includes either a birth certificate, Passport, passport card, Enhanced Drivers Licence, or FAST card. I already have a passport so I am bringing that with me. However I am not sure if there are any advantages to having a FAST card in lieu of a passport. That would probably be a better question to ask in the general forum.

Thank you again Weatherman. I guess you can only benefit if you have more documents.

Reefer is only an option for the western fleet I think. And if you got a letter, you are good to go. Who is your recruiter?

TWIC and FAST do the exact same thing. TWIC is the better option but more expensive. There is no point to have both of them. As for Roehl, they require you to have a TWIC if you pull flatbed. I have used mine once in 4 months. It did make life a lot easier when I was delivering to a military base. The guy started asking all kinds of questions and when I should him my TWIC, he says, "Ol you got a TWIC. You know where you are going?" He gave me directions and off I went. Otherwise they were going to wait for an escort to come and get me and all kinds of extra checks and paperwork.

Thanks Weatherman, this is helpful. However, I have follow up question. Is it good to have both FAST and TWIC if you want to be OTR driver?

Hopefully this helps

The Free And Secure Trade Card, better known as the FAST Card, is part of a program designed to expedite handling of shipments through customs between the United States and Canada.

TWIC is a common identification credential for all personnel requiring unescorted access to secure areas of MTSA -regulated facilities and vessels, and all mariners holding Coast Guard-issued credentials. Individuals who meet TWIC eligibility requirements will be issued a tamper-resistant credential containing the worker's biometric (fingerprint template) to allow for a positive link between the card and the individual. (homeport.uscg.mil)

Basically FAST helps speed up deliveries crossing the border and TWIC grants you access to shipping ports/docks.

TWIC does both I think. FAST does not.

So guys and girls,

I had my first major mishap. I was at a gas station and I realized as soon as I turned that the lot was going to be too small to accommodate me. So, I stopped and looked around and came up with a plan. Apparently, the place had just opened that morning. There were some small orange cones on the left along the road way behind the place. They were spaced far apart. I thought they were left over from construction and marked the edge of the road. To the left of the cones, it appeared to be a gravel lot that had been set up for trucks. So, when I stopped and looked, I saw some tracks when others had driven through that gravel lot. I went around the landscaped median and spun into that lot just to get turned around. My truck sank. It sank bad. My trailer tires were just a foot off the pavement. The 2 tow truck arrive, a small one and a medium one. The hooked to the front of me and I asked, "Would it be better to pull me from the way I went in?" Meaning pull from the back. They guy said no and I figured they knew better than me. It got a thousand times worse when they pulled me forward. By the time they were done. The truck was buried to the fuel tanks, the drive tires were completely buried,and the trailer tires were buried and the trailer leaning. The big guns were called in and this old guy walks up and looks at it. He set the guys to work and got me out in 2 hours. In total it took 8 and half hours and 5 tow trucks to remove me. The bill was quite high. I knew I was going to be fired. I drove the load I had and delivered it and then head to our terminal. I was sure I would hand in my eyes and rent a car home.

The gravel lot turned out to be some type of seeding spray material they had spread down. It looked like gravel. My fleet manager talked with me and told me to not worry. Everything was fine. Then I got called into the office of the flatbed division managers office. I thought it was over. He was amazing nice. He said I made a mistake almost any other driver could make. He explained that Roehl was a training company and understood that mistakes would happen. He said he understood how I made the mistake after seeing the many many pictures. I was due for a reset anyway so I started that while my truck went in for repairs. The front bumper got ripped off in the process.

I asked if I could get the corporate rate that Roehl gets at the local hotel. I told him I did not want to stay at the terminal for my reset because I needed to just take a breather on my reset. He made some calls and said, "You are all set. Go and decompress. The hotel is on us." Wait? What? So, I screw up and cost the company thousands of dollars and they pay for my hotel for two nights. They don't fire me. This morning I head back out onto the road. I am humbled and amazed. This showed me my research starting out about companies was why I came to Roehl.