Roehl experience

I worked for Roehl for about four years (2005 - 2009). It seemed to me that the company got consistently worse as I worked for them. As a new driver I felt they were willing to work with a new driver if you made minor mistakes. I could rely on 3000 miles a week the first couple of years. They almost always got me home on time. The dispatchers out of Ellenwood were pretty good. It was when they switched me Gary that things got bad. The dispatchers out of Gary were frequently new and they barely new anything about anything ever. If you called them they would get an attitude, like you were bothering them. The miles were getting worse. This was before the economic meltdown. Finally I got accused of doing something that I did not do (I had been removed from doing Canada when I asked one dispatcher to please do so as it use to be an option). Then after about a year and half of not doing Canada some weekend dispatcher was routing me through Canada. I asked him to please change the routing. He got angry and said no. I explained that I had been removed from Canada. I didn't mind that the policy had changed, I was willing to run Canada if that was Roehl policy, however I could not run Canada that time as I did not have my passport. This led to them putting a write up in my record for not having my passport. Why would I need to have my passport with me when I had been removed from Canada for a year and a half? Even though I could produce evidence that this was not my mistake or error, they insisted on putting this bad mark in my record. (I think it was in part to cover up that they made a mistake in ever removing me from Canada in the first place.) I called Dan Roehl and explained the situation, he seemed helpful but he acted like a weasel and never got back to me. After this experience of being treated horribly by the nasty dispatchers and their dumb manager - Cavin - I gave them my two week notice. I was kind of shocked that they would treat me so badly when I always deliverd my loads on time, I drove safely and legally. I think that they just couldn't face that they made a mistake and furthermore I think maybe they like to get rid of their experienced drivers in order to make room for all the new drivers they take in week after week. I wonder if they deliberately make things miserable for their experienced drivers in order to get them to quit. I know they get a tax write-off for all the training they do of new drivers, so that is one reason they keep taking in new drivers even though they don't have enough miles for the drivers they already have. I thought that this was a good company, but they got really bad. The Gary office is particularly atrocious. For some reason the dispatchers delight in treating drivers like garbage, and I think they are even encouraged to do so by their managers. I would encourage experienced drivers to stay away from this company. For new drivers I would say get your experience from Roehl if you want, but don't expect things to improve. Find another company after your first year at Roehl. I worked long and hard for this company and I made the mistake of thinking I was a valued driver only to disover that they don't value good safe drivers. They just regard drivers as replaceable parts.

 

I haven't driven since. I went back to school. Got a B.S. degree courtesy of the GI Bill. Currently applying to grad school.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFS07SMvvDQ

This guys experience was very much like my own - the same people were involved.

 

007 - No that wasn't me in the video. I posted it because his experience was very much like my own. I quit after a false accusation was made against me (one for which I had evidence to disprove) and placed in my record. I never considered collecting unemployment because I don't think you can get it if you quit. Roehl seemed to be on the decline when I was working for them. They were pretty good in the beggining but gradually got worse over time. One big problem is that week after week they continuously bring in new drivers when they don't have enough miles for the drivers they already have. It seems like they want to get rid of their more experienced drivers to make room for the new (cheaper) drivers. They seem to be firing people for the flimsiest reasons. I wouldn't say it was all bad though. There were a number of good things about the company, but for some reason the dispatch out of Gary, IN is just incredibly lousy. They seem to just hate drivers and are perpetually grinding an axe that they can throw in their backs.