Roehl Transport, Inc. - Marshfield, Wi.

Whatcha wanna know my man? Yeah, had a real bad time with your boys and girls and Roehl. If you want you can do a search on me and find all posts by homey and read what you care to. The short of it is this: miles weren't there, sit and wait for dispatch unmercifully, not home on time, (least of the probs though). Basically, it all boiled down to pitiful pay (translate no miles). If you don't need much money they do have nice trucks. Just don't idle your truck this summer while you sit at the Pilot waiting 6 to 8 hours for your dispatch: you 'll get the dreaded phone call about wasting fuel.
Why is everyone so worried about where I work now? Looking for something bad to say about my current employer? I really like where I am and you can't persuade me to leave and come back to the Big Red Machine. Go ahead, work for them. I really don't care at all. I am trying to give you a heads up as to what to expect. I fell for the lies on the brochure and am really still pezzed off about being that stupid. I was new to the industry and didn't know the ropes. But if you just must find out for yourself, go for it. Post me and tell me how great it is and I will congratulate you! But I have made that offer to others over that past year and a half and for some reason no one has sent me such a message. Sure, you'll have good days and bad, good weeks and bad. But after twelve months let me know how you did.
I eagerly await your good report.

 

Just for the record, I had at least 10 months with Roehl before I had any problem with sitting around. In fact, it was mostly the opposite for me, where if I stopped to take a leak, I'd be worried about being late for the ridiculous ETA my dispatchers put on me, though there was no real reason for the tight schedule. Perhaps it is different for the van/reefer/curtainside, but they usually had more loads than they could handle on the flatbed side, and I was more than happy with how much money I was taking home every week.

Then November came and the huge decline in the freight. I switched over to the 7/7, and started working another job on my week off. The other job was a major paycut, but I could still make ends meet assuming Roehl kept me moving on my 7 days out. But the freight decline isn't just Roehl. I was sitting at a Flying J by Houston and at least 70% of the trucks there were empty flatbeds waiting for a load, and when I finally did get a load it sure wasn't anything I wanted to haul. They also stuck me on a load hauling scrap steel bales out of a junk yard where I literally left over 100 pounds of what fell of on their parking lot. Lately things are bad, but they do what they can to keep me moving. I'll probably be sticking around another 4-5 months, then saying farewell, but overall I'm going to say it's not a bad deal.

I just wish they'd quit hiring new drivers. They say it's to replace the drivers that are leaving, but the drivers are leaving because they're hiring the new drivers and there just aren't enough loads to keep everyone moving. I chose Roehl in part because of their emphasis on safety and knowing I could pull the truck over and say it's too bad to drive with no problems. While we all know the "Safety is our cornerstone value" is simply a policy to make them look better and they'll turn the other way when it's in their favor, it generally works to the driver's advantage if he's willing to stick up for himself. I'm tired of seeing the safety rating going downhill, as I really enjoy the little green light on the PrePass.

 

Van is alot different than the flatbed with Roehl. When i was sitting up there in Gary the 3rd week of October on a friday waiting on a load after the "no freight" message and looking around at all the other drivers just sitting there and watching all the orientation guys getting picked up by trainers disheartened me with the company.

I was parked in the front row directly across from the fuel island (got there thurs. morning and dropped my relay to gary load) and any of you Roehl drivers know from there you can see the orientation building from there. Watching the orientation guys running around with their bags all gung ho to get trained and run up the miles with the "pay more, be home more" company. It was pathetic. I think that was the day I truly had it with them and started filling out every online app I could for local work in my hometown.

Every one was sitting there waiting on another 300 mile load while they kept pumping the new guys in, I couldn't believe it. It's just ridiculous to keep filling seats like you said CMoore rather than keeping the people you ALREADY HAVE IN THE TRUCKS running.

At least Schneider was decent enough to their drivers to quit hiring anyone and everyone and let the drivers they currently have run the freight they had left. I commend them for that.

 

Here is my simplistic theory why Roehl keeps hiring people. They aren't really hiring that many anyway. Anyways, say you have two empty trucks. You have 4000 miles of freight that week for those trucks. Do you hire one guy and let him run 4000 miles and let the other truck sit? Not when safety is your cornerstone value. Its a better business decision to let have two trucks run 2000 each and sit some. This freight thing is a crazy deal right now. In some areas of the country there is plenty of freight on a given day. The next day there might be very little in that area but there is plenty in another area. Last week I ran my butt off but most of it was short loads and multi-stop stuff. The previous week I had a load out west and after I delivered I sat for two days before they could find a load back east. It is amazing how an hour before you are due for layover pay a load magically appears. I have worked at Roehl for over ten years, these last four months have been the worst I have seen for freight in that whole time. It is pretty much industry wide though. Now if only Homeboy would tell me who he works for, maybe I could join him and start making the big bucks.

 

Its more along the line of 3 trucks to run that 4000 miles. I would still be there if I could have run 2000 miles a week. The only time that happened was my first week to make roehl look good and the last week when I was going home to unpack my truck.

 

Yeah, right. Whatever. You wouldn't like it down south. We have four seasons and only a few months of winter. Keep looking though. You'll find something up there.
If Roehl had 2 empty trucks and 4000 miles of freight, you'd think they would divvy it up with the drivers sitting at the Pilot.
Good luck, be safe.

 

Hey guys, just a note to say that since Feb 1st, I have been to Canada twice and I am still in EVO 3. I went to Brampton Ontario my first trip and then Toronto on my second trip. I am starting to know my way around up there now. I am looking forward to seeing Ontario in the spring and summer. The paperwork getting into Canada is not as bad as the paperwork getting out of there to the states with a load. Fun! It isn't as bad as some guys say it is. Just follow the directions in the handbook and all will be fine.

 

Curious minds want to know, location and what division (van, reefer or flat) ??? So far so good for you my man?

 

Roehl Transport just did the best thing by firing me on the 16th. I just got the best OTR job by another company, my offer .42c/m by ?????? im not telling. but its a company that has there own freight and GREAT miles. and yes they do hire out of Florida so thank you Roehl 4 a great 10 mths of svs. Maybe Roehl should start firing the ones who crash there trucks and cause them thousands of $$$ instead of firing the ones who breaks one dam rule. I just don't get it, and if anyone knows why please let me know why Roehl does stupid things like this.

 

if Roehl stops hiring they will loose there training grounds in Marshfield thats why roehl keeps hiring, and firing there drivers for breaking just one rule. So becareful on what you do out there.