Interested in Roehl info Please

Thank you, crazyk. Maybe I'll see you in January. I know I have to pay my dues and I'm perfectly okay with that. Just looking forward to the road, and represent the company to the best of my abilities. Guess I'll see just what those abilities are. Stay safe.

 

You both should be able to make good money as a student at Roehl. The thing is, you'll get guaranteed raises at 3 and 6 months, and by the 6 month point, you should be on a real upswing with your earnings because you'll have figured out how to be successful in Roehl's system. Trainers will give you a lot of good insight.

 

FYI-be aware that lucasheart is in Roehl's office and is not a driver. The word "guaranteed" should be taken with a grain of salt as pay is based on performance now. This statement really sounds like what recruiting would say.

 

Presumed that lucasheart is part of the office but that's good to have people who work in the office on the site too. Lets them hear driver/student input in a different forum than an office. Hearing from former drivers is good as well so they can focus on retention. Also, lucasheart put trucking industry and not driver so it isn't someone being a weasel and lying about what they do.

 

I'm not just picking on Roehl, but an industry tendency is that companies tend to think the issues with the driver shortage and turnover has nothing to do with their behavior. There is an old joke in trucking, "How do you know a recruiter is lying?" "His lips are moving." That said, Roehl is a good place to start, but you may find you outgrow them after a couple of years. The 2 things I think Roehl does well is training new drivers and their selection of "hometime" fleets.

 

inexperienced drivers are given guaranteed raises at 3 and 6 months. http://www.roehl.jobs/drivers/inexperienced-truck-drivers#panel-take-home-more

I'm not a recruiter (and at Roehl, recruiters are not called recruiters, they are Driver Employment Specialists, which may seem like semantics, until you work at Roehl), but I know that none of them would intentionally mislead anyone. I know there are lots of companies out there that will do that type of thing. That's not Roehl.

I seriously encourage anyone that wants to join TeamRoehl to ask other drivers who work for the company if they want a second opinion. There is also a Facebook page and a group (the group is run by drivers and they may not let you in unless you tell them you are starting soon) - they will also be very willing to share their opinions.

 

I am no longer at Roehl and yet I would recommend them for the 2 options I listed above. I think if someone wants to know the good, bad and ugly of Roehl this forum is a better option than Roehl's Facebook page. I have been there and it's the typical company cheering section. If you like independence then Roehl's micromanaging will drive you nuts. If you are new to driving then their constantly looking over your shoulder can be reassuring, I sure could have used some help when I was new. They won't make you drive illegal, or unsafely. They are usually pretty quick to shut trucks down during bad weather. Of course that doesn't always work, this last summer there was a tornado spotted near an area I was driving through and so they sent a message telling me to shut down and get to a safe place including a ditch if necessary. The only problem was that by the time I stopped to read the message I was 50 miles south of the storm and out of danger anyway.

 

I'm no longer at Roehl either as I grew out of the micro managing. I too an not trying to pick on Roehl. Roehl is a good starter company. Good teaching company either as a company driver or as a beginner O/O. I came to Roehl as a company driver after getting my CDL. Roehl gave me good secure training that I still hold on to. The last few years as an O/O Roehl was a good place to get a firm hold on business (did not lease thru company). Like Preacher Man said if you like you independence the micro managing will drive you nuts. Hand holding is fine when you are new and learning your craft. After the training wheels are off though it can be infuriating that you can't use your knowledge and abilities to do your job as trained.

Driver shortage and turnover can also be influenced by equipment. One of the major reasons I chose to go O/O was I was tired of living in what someone thought was a good piece of equipment. Not only is the truck the way you make a living but it also is your home. It needs some creature comforts to make the job of being away from home for long periods a bit easier to manage. Strip down trucks just to keep it under 19000 pounds does not give one a nice home. People coming into the profession have a real shock learning the other side of trucking. That is how to live on the road. Can make or break if someone is going to stay with the job along with attitude and behavior of companies and shipper/receivers.

 

In defense of Roehl it was better to go step by step from hometime company driver, to lease/purchase, to Landstar independent. Frankly, I may have been at Roehl longer with better dispatchers. Once Marg came on the board things really went south in a hurry. This is a lesson for every driver, a company is only as good as your dispatcher. The board I was on went through dispatchers on a regular basis until they got to the bottom of the barrel. When I had good dispatchers they worked with me on what I was looking for and I made money. By the time I left I had dispatchers threatening me if I didn't do exactly what they said. Yet this was the same company.

 

Preacher Man and I were on the same board and went though the steady stream of Fleet Managers. I had a few that were outstanding. John got paired with Marge and that really was tough. John was great and I too did well under him. Marge was one of the reasons why I chose to leave Roehl and move to Schneider Choice. Learn what you can as a company driver. Manage you truck as you owned it. Then after a few years look to lease or full out of company finance if you can.