For The Newbies Out There That Want To Know What Roehl Offers; This Is What I Have Experienced.

Hello TT forum,

I just wanted to check in with you and I want to put some information out there about what I've experienced with my company. I've been getting caught up with all of your posts, and I keep seeing a lot of questions or comments about what companies have to offer. I don't know what the other companies have to offer, but I can tell you what I have experienced with Roehl so far...

There have been a few questions asked about employment history.

For me, I had earned a degree and went to work as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist for a consistent 10 years before relocating to PA; at which time, I decided to stay home and give my family time to adjust to the big move. I did not work and had no work history for a period of 4 years after the move. Then I went back to work for about an 8 month period in a customer service job not related to my degree, when I decided to go to school for my CDL.

Roehl did verify my employment with the most recent company, and my last employer before the move, and I had to submit a statement and give references that could verify what I was doing for the 4 years I was home; but I simply stated that I was home taking care of my family during that time. They did not have a problem with my lack of employment, as long as I could verify what I was doing during that time off.

Because I have a family: a husband of 19 years, and three children ages 17, 15, and 11; I went with Roehl for the following reasons:

1. No up front costs for school, except transportation and living expenses while at school for 3 weeks. The company sponsored school was financed entirely through them, and once I have completed 120,000 miles will not have to pay back. The drawback is that it was only a 3 week course, was very fast paced and really didn't cover all that it should have, but it did allow me to get my CDL A, PDQ which was what I needed for the family.

2. Only two weeks of being with a trainer. For me, it ended up being three weeks. The reason mine was a week longer is because I had taken a curve too short and got my rear tandems stuck in the snow, and had to have a tow truck pull me out. Not an accident, but enough to warrant a few extra days with a trainer for "close quarter maneuvers" training. I was happy to have the extra days training, but the norm is two weeks with a trainer. Again, the perk is less time away from home, the downside is that I didn't really feel like I was ready to be on my own after such a relatively short amount of time.

3. The final phase of training is only 6 weeks of OTR driving with your "training dispatcher" after which, you can transfer to the fleet of your choice. Most other companies require 6 months of OTR experience before they will let you go to the fleet of your choice. This didn't really have any drawbacks to it. The way they work it, is: you are out for 11-14 days and you get 2-3 days off. The longer you are out the more hometime you earn. So when I was out for 3 weeks with my trainer, I got 5 days hometime before I had to start my 6 weeks of national. I did 3 cycles of this to get my 6 weeks of OTR experience and was then transferred to the fleet of my choice.

4. They have several different hometime programs. The one I chose is a 7/7, where I am out for 7 days, then home for 7 days. This worked out for me, because I have a husband with a steady income, and can afford to work "part-time"; and because it is allowing me to get reacquainted with my family again. Even though I was out the least amount of time possible in this industry, it has still been a big transition for my family. They also have a 14/7 and a 7/4 & 7/3 plan and of course the national plan, and some dedicated/regional routes. I'm telling you all this because I have had a lot of people asking me what I thought of Roehl? Would I recommend them? Are they a good company? These are the reasons I went with Roehl, and if asked, I would tell you that, yes I recommend them; but only if what they have to offer is what works best for you!

Please take Brett's advice and pick a company because it is the best fit for you; and understand that it is your attitude that determines how happy you are with a company, not how "good" the company is.

In my case, I have been very happy with my experience thus far.

Brett, I still love trucking!

Thanks for sharing this info! I'm also looking to get into Roehl here shortly. I'm just waiting to hear back on getting into their school, which should be in a few days. I have a buddy that drove for them and he liked it. Sounds like a solid starter company, and good training from what I've read online. Feel free to share any other experiences about them you'd like! I can't wait to get started! What division did you choose? I'm thinking van regional.

Thanks for the awesome info Julia!

Thanks for sharing that info with us! I'm trying to get on with Prime but I'm still looking at other companies too in case Prime doesn't work out. :)

What are the answers to the "Roehl Survey"?

Dave

What are the answers to the "Roehl Survey"?

Dave

I took that survey last week. Strange! I wanted to select several answers for all the questions. I think they were looking for the 1st thing we'd choose I guess. Anyway, talked with my recruiter today and I'm good to go! As soon as my physical is done and back, I start school! I decided to do the van/national route to start out with. Starts at .32/mile and will be at .36/mile after 4 months. SNI was around .28/mile.

Dave, We've had a lot of discussions about the survey, and as you know, it is a personality test. There are no right answers, it is just a tool that some pencil pusher in the office thinks will help them to determine who will be a good candidate to be an employee for their company. It is useless, and will eventually be replaced with something that makes more sense; but until then, unfortunately, some very qualified people, like you, will be turned down, and of course, some really undeserving people will be accepted. It's really a shame, and is truly the only thing that I would like to see changed across the entire industry.

Please take Brett's advice and pick a company because it is the best fit for you; and understand that it is your attitude that determines how happy you are with a company, not how "good" the company is.

In my case, I have been very happy with my experience thus far.

Thanks so much for the awesome update!!!! I love when people come back here to report how things are going and verify for others coming into the industry soon that what we're saying is true - stop wasting your time trying to decide if companies are "good companies" or "bad companies". Instead, understand that every company is looking for the same thing - drivers that work hard, have a great attitude, and are safe and reliable. Those are the drivers that companies count on to get the job done. Those are the drivers that get great miles and get treated fairly. Those are the drivers that will be happy at pretty much any company that suits them well, and that's what you should be looking for...a company that suits you well. Look at the type of freight they haul, their equipment, their home time policies, and their pay & benefits. A "good company" is a company that seems to offer what you're looking for in those areas. If you find a company that suits you well and you go in there and show them you're going to conduct yourself like a true professional in every way, you're going to do just fine there.

It is most definitely your work ethic, attitude, safety, and reliability that will determine whether or not you get good miles and fair treatment, not the company itself. All companies have great miles available. All companies are able to get their drivers home on time most of the time. And all companies are willing to do some special favors for their best drivers from time to time. You have to prove you're one of the true professionals that deserves that kind of treatment.

Brett, I still love trucking!

That's awesome to hear!!! Trucking is such a tough way to make a living but can also be incredibly rewarding and fun at the same time. If you're the right person for the job, it's an amazing experience!!!

4. They have several different hometime programs. The one I chose is a 7/7, where I am out for 7 days, then home for 7 days. This worked out for me, because I have a husband with a steady income, and can afford to work "part-time"; and because it is allowing me to get reacquainted with my family again. Even though I was out the least amount of time possible in this industry, it has still been a big transition for my family. They also have a 14/7 and a 7/4 & 7/3 plan and of course the national plan

Nice update Julia but I have a question...doing the 7 on 7 off thing I would guess you are slip seating? and if so do you drop the truck at a terminal? or how does that work. and wat about the 7/3 and 7/4 plans do you take the truck home with those or not? tanks in advance chuck.

I just an offer of employment with them, they sent me for my physical on friday. They let me pick what fleet i wanted already. i picked refrig fleet. I also am curious about the 7/7 do they slip seat. The person i have dealt with has been very nice. I retired from fire department a year ago, divorced and ready for new adventure. They are waiting on me to tell them when i want to report for orientation.