Going with Roehl

Discussion in 'Discuss Your Favorite Trucking Company Here' started by Pedy6Pak, May 16, 2007.

  1. L.B.

    L.B. Third Generation Truck Driver

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    Exactly the reason I am so interested in this program.

    LB
     
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  3. Tag

    Tag Light Load Member

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    May 30, 2007
    Sugar Land, TX
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    Does anyone know if Roehl has terminals in Houston, or it's surroundings?
     
  4. Redlight

    Redlight Bobtail Member

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    Dec 25, 2006
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    Dallas is the closest
     
  5. geargrinder

    geargrinder Medium Load Member

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    I don't like that 2-tiered pay system. Driver A and Driver B are setting and equal distance from Load C.

    Load C has 3 stops for picking up, the run is 1500 miles, and has 4-drops all within a mile of each other. Personally, I would consider a good run - extra stop off pay and a 1500 mile run between them.

    Driver A is on the Salary Honor System. Driver B is on mileage pay and is at the top mileage rate.

    Guess who's gonna get the load.

    Also the Honor System is just another form of Corporate Welfare under the disguise of appreciation for armed services veterans.

     
  6. L.B.

    L.B. Third Generation Truck Driver

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    The Honor System is a program that lets vets use their GI Bill benefits and cash in their funds on an aprenticeship program. The salary only lasts for two years and once the GI Bill money dries up, drivers in this program are going to be paid by the mile. I would much rather use these funds and get paid salary for the two years instead of wasting these GI Bill benefits. The company may get s ome money for this program (not sure) but the money that would normally go towards college, go straight to the driver. I am not going to use this money anyway since I have earned my degree while serving.

    LB
     
  7. skipshiftslipshift

    skipshiftslipshift Bobtail Member

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    Aug 19, 2007
    Defiance, OH
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    Well I am heading to Marshfield for Orientation on September 5, 2007.

    Some thoughts going in:

    - The $3K sign on stay on is stretched out so long that the average driver won't collect much of it. The payout is $200 after your first load (this covers the uncompensated Orientation program). The next payout is $300 after 60,000 miles. Use your imagination to figure out how long you gotta stick around to get the full $3K.

    - Health insurance is very pricey. The deductibles and co-pays make it more of a catastrophic policy versus typical health insurance. Dental (like all dental insurance) is a joke. Does anyone even opt for dental insurance anymore - multiply the weekly premium by 52 and it is apparent you may as well pay your dentist cash.

    Additionally, the Health Insurance is a two tiered system. Employees with more seniority get a few more benefits and pay a few less few dollars.

    - Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Policy Add-Ons and Riders. Incredible rates - for example Term Life - at least double what you will pay on a quick GOOGLE. The other add-ons and riders are like something on a late night TV infomercial. Makes one wonder if Roehl owns the insurance company.

    - Vacation a whopping week after a year. Eight-years to get the 3rd week. I guess Wisconsonians aren't much for time off.

    - Holiday Pay - Really stinks. Wait an entire year before you get paid for a Holiday. In the overall economy, 90-days is the norm. It would seem drivers with less than a year can kiss any Holidays at home goodbye.

    - Mileage pay is middle of the road to a bit on the low side. The pay for experience is based on your tenure with the last company you worked for. If you have 15-years experience and worked 1-year with your last company, then you start at the 1-year rate.

    The ballyhooed safety and performance bonuses have more strings than a tattered pair of blue jeans. Keep in mind the Quarterly Safety Bonus is for the 1st Full Quarter after you start driving for Roehl.

    As an example, if you start at Roehl on October 1, 2007 - you WILL NOT get a Safety Bonus for the Quarter ending December 31, 2007 - because it is not a FULL QUARTER. Your first eligibilty for a Safety Bonus is the Quarter Ending March 31, 2008. Seems kind of chintzy. Driver's considering Roehl may want to time their start date to minimize "No Bonus" driving time. For example, start the last week of a quarter.

    - The much touted Profit Sharing is not your Father's Profit Sharing Program. Instead it is Roehl's undefined contribution to your 401K. It takes SIX YEARS to vest. I had the misguided notion that Profit Sharing was paid for the period the profits were earned. So much for the driver sharing in the Company's profits! This is just another example of Roehl's tendency to promote their Five Star Pay Program and bury the details.

    The overall package is slickly marketed as rewarding employee longevity. However, the average in your pocket wages make it unlikely that a driver will stick around long enough to actually cash in on the rewards.

    The glossy Employee Benefits Guide could have been edited better. There are numerous references that remind drivers of their 2nd class citizenship. These are in the form of numerous "Non Driver" disclaimers that tell the Non Driving employee to refer to "their" Employee Handbook. The disclaimers are under topics like Vacation and Holidays - just subtle reminders that we drivers aren't quite up to par with the four-eyes working in the office :-(

    The Holiday Pay and "Profit Sharing" particularly gagged me:biggrin_1square1:

    Nevertheless, I am going to work for them. The 7-4/3 and yard proximity are the hook that got me. I'd like to hang with them to get over the 1.5 years of experience threshold. But, you never know, pay rates and experience requirements are changing every day;-) Schneider just announced pay increases. Barr-Nunn's NE Region $975 a week guarantee looks attractive.

    Roehl's 5-Star Program is a few years old. Probably was a good deal back then. Perhaps they'll roll out a 6th Star in the not to distant future ;-)

    On the plus side. The local driver who let me look at the guts of the program (you won't find these details on their website) said they are generally a decent, albeit cheap, company.

    On the 7-4/3 they keep you busy and get you home on time. He is usually home before 5PM on Friday/Tuesday for the start of hometime. Downtime during the 7-days is absolutlely minimal. One little trick, the fewer hours you have available on Day 7, the earlier you get home :iconbiggrin:

    He did state that the trucks in his rotation are beat up Internationals. The cab corners are bent from rookies jacking them too far, the bumpers look like something from a demolition derby, and the tranny's are sloppy as a bowl of watered down oatmeal. Finally, he said the inside and outside are filthy - when everyone is responsible for something, no one is accountable :-(

    Oh yeah, Roehl has strict speed limits that affect "bonuses" and continued employment with them. As he put it "when running through the hills I was spending more time watching the speedo than the road, it started to scare me." It is also particularly easy to drift over 67MPH on long slight grades.

    Please understand, this is my "take" on the real Roehl after glossing through their Operations Manual and Benefits Summary leaflets. Obviously, I have interjected some editorializing into this post. Obviously, Roehl can change any of it's pay and benefits structure without notice. Such changes would render all, part, or none of this post moot. It is not my intention to slam Roehl, or discourage anyone from considering employment at Roehl.

    There you have it folks, an unvarnished look at the Company. Good luck on becoming a Roehlian. Dump the Rose Colored Glasses and go to work with a clear understanding of the realities. It will save you a lot of aggravation.

     
  8. Homeboy

    Homeboy Light Load Member

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    touchin' em all
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    Absolutley accurate and very well versed. I have been with them for a year and this is right on. There are more hooks in those bonuses than a trot line has on it and I wouldn't count on getting one. But, all in all, this is a fair place to start out. Many, many more half truths here, but you will have to run with them for a while to find them. Awesome post.
     
  9. tacc

    tacc Bobtail Member

    I was enjoying Whispers developing story and then it just ended.Wonder what happened?:smt017
     
  10. L.B.

    L.B. Third Generation Truck Driver

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    Middle GA
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    I was wondering the same thing. It said banned under her name for a while but it says something like roadtrain member. Don't know what that means.
     
  11. goforce

    goforce Light Load Member

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    Apr 12, 2007
    South, Ga
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    Whispers where art thy be?????:biggrin_25514::biggrin_25514:


    Alan
     
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