Beginning My Journey With Roehl.

Alright, I'm on my off day and drove the 2 hours back home yesterday to see my fiancée and family, so here's my second half of week one recap.

Day 4 Thursday July 30th, 2015 Only two of us agin today, but the opposite two. Our classmate threw his back out the other day and looks likes he's dropping out.

We worked for two hours on the pre-trip inspection and brake test, I'm getting it down thanks to The High Road here and others posts that keep it simple. Made a couple of acronyms that have helped me out to, since it really is just saying the same basic information for every part.

PMS= Properly Mounted And Secured

For tires: ABC= Abrasions, Bulges, and Cuts ICD= Inflation, Condition, and Depth

Keep things simple and learn what the part looks like and I've gotten down.

Drove another 40 miles today and my downshifting has gotten better. Getting really used to the double-clutch.

Day 5: Friday July 31st, 2015

Today I completed my first "solo" pre-trip and only missed three things so I'll consider that a victory. Another 30 miles logged for driving and I'm finally getting downshifting and turning almost perfected. Not bad for my first week haha. We're still only doing back roads out by the raceway, few traffic lights but mostly stop signs. There is one intersection that people keep trying to turn in front of me as I'm making a left, but a quick pull of the air horn (as per Guillermo) makes them realize what they're doing. Freeway drive time starts sometime this coming week.

So here's a quick story about the day, because nothing really changed since yesterday. At about 4pm local time, we backed the truck up for the day, and it was starting to rain, so Guillermo told us to go put our log books in the classroom before it got worse. I dropped my log book, wallet and phone in the classroom and came back out and it just hit hard. Hard wind and thicker rain.

Got back to the trucks, and there were guys trying to get a tarp on a load, but the wind kept whipping under the tarp. Now, I've tarped loads on a pickup, but never something this big or with that large of tarp, but if someone didn't hold it down, those guys on the trailer were coming off. So I rushed over and did all I could to help, and then every driver who was in the terminal came out to help.

When we started, we were told how much help we would get from our fellow drivers, but I didn't expect something like that. I mean, these guys came running out with phones on their hip and Bluetooths around their neck, potentially ruining their equipment, just to make sure this load got covered before the storm got worse.

Now I won't make a full entry for Saturday because it was a half day and we only did our company HazMat training and worked on our J.J. Keller handbook, so there isn't much to tell.

But I will say this, I made the perfect choice in companies. They care, and not just trainer to trainee, dispatch, fleet managers, other drivers all ask about us and who we are as people. There hasn't been a day go by that I haven't met someone new who asked about who I was and why I'm doing this. These people care. I may only be in my first week, but I know I've chosen the right path.

I'll try to keep updates daily from here on out now that I'm not so nervous about the first week and how things would go.

Thanks again for reading this and following my training journey.

Thanks for keeping the journal... I will be following

Thanks for the time you've put into the update. Roehl is one of the companies that really interests me and your account so far affirms that. I look forward to engaging them regarding possible employment in the coming weeks as training progresses.

Thanks for the time you've put into the update. Roehl is one of the companies that really interests me and your account so far affirms that. I look forward to engaging them regarding possible employment in the coming weeks as training progresses.

Like I said, I'm only in my first weel here, but I absolutely love the atmosphere and environment they create here for us trainees. You start Day One as an employee and with the same respect as any of the upper management. I applied to a few different companies that pay you to go to school, and Roehl called me the next day and answered the questions I had. My recruiter was Meghan Force and not once did she blow me off or not call me or not answer even the stupid questions I asked. You'll enjoy it here. Classes are small and they cater to each individuals skill level and progression.

The training pay is $500 per week for the first four weeks, lunch and room provided. (I opted of the hotel because I have a friend I'm staying with.) Worst thing I have to say about the pay is that we won't get paid until the third week because of direct deposit and banking information, which hurts me a lot but I'm stretching every last cent.

If anyone has questions, ask and I'll answer the best I can.

I was impressed with what I have read about their training department but instead elected to get my cdl locally through an 8 week community college program. Logistically it seemed to make more sense. From what you know, would the company RATHER train you from scratch as a new hire or are they or the most part indifferent provided your initial training came from a respectable school?

Or are they for the most part..... Is what I meant. I wish this thing had an edit option.

I was impressed with what I have read about their training department but instead elected to get my cdl locally through an 8 week community college program. Logistically it seemed to make more sense. From what you know, would the company RATHER train you from scratch as a new hire or are they or the most part indifferent provided your initial training came from a respectable school?

From what I've seen, they're indifferent. There was a class with three guys who had gotten their CDL from a school here in Phoenix that went through a week just so they knew how Roehl works and does certain things, using the e-logs, and all those things that they do differently.

Thanks Donnie and hope you keep the updates coming and all is going well

Hey Donnie any updates?

I sent you a PM with a few questions as well as posted a new topic on here about them, if you have time please give us a quick update and take a look at the questions. Any help and info would be awesome! :)

Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating as consistently as I had hoped. Broke my phone a few weeks back and a new one wasn't in the budget yet.

Quick update is the biggest, I passed my CDL test and I am now a licensed driver and start my OTR training next week. I will update the diary tomorrow night when I am back at home with a computer.

Donnie AZ