Roehl Transport, Inc. - Marshfield, Wi.?

Thanks for the good report on Roehl. We need a good report once in a while.

 

I'm halfway through my training with Roehl (currently at home between Evolutions), and while the experience so far hasn't been overwhelmingly positive, it hasn't driven me away either.
The jury's still out on whether or not this career and I will be a good fit. I got a pretty good picture of some negatives (looooonnng waits at shippers and consignees for instance), but I got a good picture of some positives, too; One of which is the group of people you find yourself in when you decide to drive a truck. There's some pretty outstanding folks out there in the trucking community.
Another positive is Roehl. I'm new, obviously, but the impression I have so far is that they really do care about the drivers. They're not perfect, of course, and things don't always work out the way we'd like (my routing back home this time, for instance; a story I won't tell here), but they do their best, I believe. Considering the stuff that can go on with customers, I think Roehl does a good job of keeping their drivers moving, and considering how difficult it is to please people, I think they do a good job of keeping their drivers happy. Certainly their "Safe Seven" speak volumes about their attitude toward drivers and the general public. It's not just about Roehl's reputation, either; They really seem to want everyone to get home safely.
As it stands right now, if trucking and I manage to get along together, I'll be staying with Roehl a while.

 

Hang in there. Freight is slow especially in the southeast. It will pick up and then you can decide if Roehl is what you want in a company. My husband is with them after working for JB Hunt and NFI which I would stay away from like they are the plague. Good Luck with your career. It sounds like you have a good attitude.

 

Thanks for the good word. I went with Roehl partly because of what I read on this website, and I stayed away from those others mostly because of what I read here. Thanks to all for that.
Hopefully my attitude's good enough. I'm very impatient, but becoming more realistic as I get older, so maybe it'll work out. Again; I think Roehl's a good pick.
Good luck to you and your husband. Hopefully I'll see him on the road some day.

 

Whistler,yeah I know about the long waits,especially at grocery warehouses.Waited 8 hrs. one time to get unloaded at a warehouse in Mass.This however cannot be blamed on the trucking co.I had a good experience last week at a grocery warehouse in Southhaven,MS.Early morning appt.,4 AM.They had overnight parking,and they notified you of your door assignment about and hr.prior to appt.time on the CB.By 4 AM I was backed into a door checked in,and had lumper arrangements made.At 6:15 the lumper knocked on my door and handed me my signed bills.I was MT and ready to pick up my next load.So some days are very good and some days are bad.Ya just hope the good days outnumber the bad ones.

 

Hey Dog.
I know the carrier's not to blame. Doesn't benefit them any more than it does us if we sit like that. And I didn't realize it happened so much. I was out for ten days with my trainer, and had what I'd consider long waits at two stops. One shipper told us when we arrived at 12:45 pm that it would be "a good four or five hours". The guys inside would load two skids then go on break, load two more and so on. We finally pulled out at 8:00 the next morning. The other was a grocery warehouse (why do I already get the crawlies about these places?) where we had a 5:00 am appointment. Five and a half hours later we were gone. It was only 18000 pounds of dry cereal. I think I could have eaten it faster than that.
Reading some other posts about bad shipper/receivers, though, I'm starting to think those weren't bad or frequent delays.

 

bbqribs,I have been out on the road for the last 7 days.Roehl does seem to be driver friendly and they get you some good home time.The 7 on 7 off program works out just fine for me.I average right around 3100 to 3300 miles a week while I am out.I have been driving for about 15 yrs.so I am on a pretty good pay per mile scale.I dont know how much experience you have,but your miles should be about the same as mine.I turn in my bills weekly so this means I get a deposit in my checking acct. once a week.Naturally you will make more money if you stay out a couple of weeks at a time.,then go home for a couple days.They also have a 7 0n 3 off 7 on 4 off program.With you living close to Gary,IN. you should qualify for one of these programs.By the way I have been with them for about 6 mos.now.I have been to the Gary term.a few times and the one in Ellenwood,GA.a couple times.I have not yet been to the main term.Marshfield,WI.

 

Whistler look out for truck number 5711. That's hubby's truck for now. He is waiting to hear when he goes for orientation to become a trainer. I hope freight picks up soon for everyone no matter who they drive for.

 

Road Dog, thanks for the info. I just posted to you in another thread also. I don't have any OTR experience, drove a box truck delivery route for a year once, but not the same thing, I know. I'll be done with school in two weeks, then ready for orientation at the Gary terminal. Are you a trainer yet? It'd be cool to hook up with you if that's possible.

 

Hey Whispers.
I'll keep an eye out for that tractor number. Hopefully I'll see your hub. Good luck to him, btw, in becoming a trainer. That's some good extra income, although I don't know how anybody could do it and keep their sanity. Talk about stress. Hats off to him, for sure.