Flatbed Division Info

2300-2600 miles per week is a good estimate for the average driver. Every driver is going to tell you that they are great drivers, and as another poster stated there are many factors that effect total miles, but in my humble opinion, any driver that averages less than 2000 miles per week over a several month period is doing something below standard themselves. One driver that recently quit after 7 months with ROEHL was making posts that he was getting 3000miles per week, for the first 6 months. Then a few weeks later he quit because he said he was not getting enough miles recently. In other words, it looks like he had 2-3 bad weeks in a row, and forgot about the 6 months of great miles he had gotten, and decided to quit.
You will have good, and bad weeks, but the average for the year should be around 2500.
For example, I average about 120k miles per year and drive about 43 weeks per year.
This time I have been out for a little over 3 weeks. The first full week was terrible, just over 1800 miles. The 2nd full week was one of my best with 3540 miles, and just yesterday I scanned in week 3 miles at 3407. That is back to back weeks of over 3400 miles. Now that is obviously well above my average and most likely the best 2 weeks I have ever gotten, but as you can see, the miles are there.
I am 100% convinced that ROEHL is the best starter company out there, and no others even come close. After you get some time with ROEHL, you may find another company that requires experience that will be better for you than ROEHL. But for a driver with no experience, there is not another company that even comes close.
As for the Bristol area, yes, lots of freight in and out of that area, so getting a load to get you started from hometime, and then back home should be easy.
Steel loads from Knoxville,Jackson Tn, Aluminum coils from Russellville Ky, power cable from SC, Steel from North Ga, lumber yards and mills all over that area as well.
Deliveries of steele loads to Portland and Murfreesboro TN, as well as many Caterpillar logging tractor/equipment loads (many of them oversize) to the many logging/pulpwood sites in that area.

 

I'm sorry, but I know myself and the other driver I went to school with are very hard workers. I knock out loads and knock them out quickly. The only reason I am at a shipper or receiver longer than an hour and a half is if the customer causes it. I drive 600+ miles a day if it's available to me, but it never is. I'm never late on loads, I have had zero accidents and zero damages (I have picked up a trailer with a flat tire once) I don't ever refuse loads, and the only reason I ask for a relay is if I'm headed home, but more often than not, I get to spend a couple hours at home before I have to finish the load before taking my hometime.

If keeping fuel economy up, delivering loads on time and safely, not complaining about the garbage loads, and communicating regularly with my fm; how am I performing below standards?

You want to say the roehl is a great new driver company, fine. If you want to say they are doing well by you and roehl can do no wrong, fine. I can't hate roehl, but I will not drink the cool aide, and you will not insult my work ethic.

 

I am sorry if you are offended, but my opinion stands. In my opinion if you are averaging less than 2000 miles a week over a several week period, then at the very least,you are a major part of the problem.
All drivers will have bad weeks, and even a bad month (including myself) but an average of 1800 miles per week over an extended period of time (say 6 weeks or so) is definitely not all the fault of ROEHL.

 

Well then perhaps you can provide some insight into what standards the new drivers should strive for so as to not be screwed with the miles they are given. It irrelevant to me. I'm gone Friday.

 

It may be your attitude, or poor judgement, bad decisions etc... Regardless, with you averaging less than 1800 miles per week, you are in the bottom 5% of national drivers. And to be that low on the totem pole, then you must be part of the problem.
I think you even mentioned having an OD load that you made some poor judgements on. Good luck at your new job.

 

Yes. I had an issue with an od load. Was only supposed to be over length. This was the 9th of many of the same/similar loads. I made the mistake of not scaling it and got caught at a scale house in Illinois 1460lbs over on the spread. I highly doubt that this was the cause of my issues considering I put in my 2 week notice the morning I picked it up.

I don't know what the problem was. Could be me. Could be where I live, could be my attitude, could be my fleet manager, but I don't think so. The mass exodus of flatbed drivers from all over with many different fms paints a different picture for me.

I've done nothing on this forum but share my experiences and relay information from others. I've told the good and bad.

Keep drinking the Kool aid viking. Hope roehl continues to do well by you and everyone else.

 

I was with Roehl for almost two years, I honestly didn't have an issue with the average miles, however it often seems that it's the fm once you rule out the driver problems. I've spent enough times talking to drivers and after a bit you can usually tell if it's the driver who's the issue. I did van, and flatbed there, was fine with miles in either division.

 

As long as I keep getting the 2800 or so miles per week average, I have no problem drinking koolaide.

 

What's your plans now? Buy a truck and lease on to Landstar or something similar?

Would be my ultimate business plan regardless of Roehl's mileage.

Like you said...great place to learn and burn!

 

Abrahams M1-A1 Tank owned by Cole (Owner of CMI) And he is federally licensed to drive both of his tanks. This rig only has 13 axles, the tag on the very end can be 1, 2 or 3 axles.

Just throwing it out there for a military Guru, there's a company called CMI (Cole Motorsports Inc) out of Atlanta that will hire with no experience. They pull a VERY large amount of Military equipment. And then some construction type equipment from Caterpillar and Kawasaki.

It is 90% secure loads, like both the driver and the rider have panic buttons, and there's one on the dash.

Everybody starts out as a Rider that monitors the loads for about a year, and if you have a CDL they'll let you drive the empty trucks sometimes.

Then once you start you drive a RGN step deck and RGN. Then as you get more experience you step up to max out at a 13 axle oversize rig.

I can't remember what the Percentage rates are, but they drive late model KW W900's with 600HP engines. They take O/O's but you have to have high powered rigs they drive for the company, and you can have your own rider hired on or the company can assign you one.