My Roehl Experience!

Well I just posted a big ole long rant about the company I worked for before coming to Roehl Transportation, Its on here if you want to read it its called My US Xpress Experience! Imagine that.....lol Ok so lets get on with it.

First the reasons I chose Roehl. I filled out 2 applications after I left US Xpress they were Crete Carriers, and Roehl Transportation. They seem to be very similar companies both seem good. I chose Roehl for 1 simple reason over Crete, Crete requires a hazmat endorsment on your license and Roehl doesnt. Its not a big deal but thats the reason and honestley if it wasnt for that I probably wouldve been a Crete driver. And Roehl promised me a brand new truck!

Ok Roehl finally decided to hire me after some questioning about my DAC report, see my other rant for what and why it was a problem. I was set to go to oreintation in Ellenwood, GA. They offered to get me a rental car, I declined because there simply a pain in the butt I hate doing all that plus I live in Cleveland, TN which aint that far from Ellenwood. So I told them I'd just drive myself, they paid me like 32 buxs for that cost me a tad more prolly to drive it but wasnt a big deal. First thing we did was a road test/backing exercise, wasnt a big deal cause I drove for US Xpress for about 4months although it was a bit weird driving a 10 speed again AUTOMATICS ROCK!!! There were no students in our class we were rehires and OJT's which basically means people that worked there before or drivers with 3months or more experience had to go out with a trainer for a week to make sure we could do the job before we got our own trucks. There were only 5 in my orentation class, one failed the driving test he backed over a cone! Another failed the physical, high blood pressure, after all the tests and rules and junk blah blah blah we were off. I told them I needed to go home before I left with a trainer to take my vehicle home and they said it was not a problem so I left and went home and they said my trainer would call and schedule a pickup place in a day or so. Sure enough he did I had to be driven about 40 miles to get on his truck not a big deal. The only gripes I have about the whole oreintation/training thing with Roehl is this. It dont pay crap......you go through oreintation 3 days for free.......they do buy you 2 meals a day, well buy one and give you a coupon for 8 buxs good at 2 local resturants and provide a decent hotel though. And well the training part leaves alot to be desired I was not a rookie by no means I'd been routing, backing, etc etc for US XPress for a while the whole purpose for my week out with a trainer was to show I knew what I was doing and to learn the Roehl way of doing things, I have no problem with this whatsoever. What I did have a problem with is for the life of me I dont not and will not ever trust someone elses driving I'd drive my 11hrs and then the trainer would expect me to sleep and him drive 11 then me get up and go again......this is bullcrap PERIOD! They run you as a team if your OJT now I have no idea how students in training are done but I will says this......how can you be getting trained if your trainer is in the bunk asleep while your driving and vise versa@@! Now I told my trainer soon as he explained to me how it was gonna work I said now wait a sec here I DID NOT SIGN ON AS A TEAM DRIVER@@! He said well thats how its done here at Roehl and I said well I am not gonna do it simple as that and I said I'd call and talk to someone in the morning and make arangements to get off his truck.......He said well ok then I drove all night, and when I stopped in the morning I said ok who should I call, he said ahh man dont call we just wont do it that way.....So I think maybe it wasnt supposed to be that way to begin with and he was just wanting to use me to make some killer money running as a team.....I only got 100 bux a day during this week......he made his regualr pay for every mile the truck rolls plus 20bux extra each day I was on the truck......so anyways I think 90% of trainers sucker there trainees into making them gobs of money at the expense of newbies.....pisses me off to no end@@! Ok so where was I ohh yeah week is over and I end up at the Gary, IN terminal to get my truck. Trainer hangs with me till its over not really sure if he was being nice or affriad I might say something about the way he wanted us to run the truck@@! But anyways they get me all set to get my truck and then someone comes in and says that truck is not ready....so my trainer said he had to get going and they was gonna have to get me a hotel....well that new truck I was promised wasnt new.....the truck they was going to give me was an 04 international....i looked it over and it was in good shape....I never said a word about getting a new truck.....but they was just about to ok my hotel room and a woman came up to me and said heres what we are gonna do.....we are gonna give you this truck instead.....checked it out and it was an 06 freightliner columbia with 24,000 miles on it.....YES! got my new truck after all, but I wonder was it because they was just too cheap to buy me a hotel while the other truck was beging finished, or was it that someone saw something where I was promised a new truck, or was it just shear luck.....Matters not to me I GOT A NEW RIDE@@!!

Ok that covers that now onto where I am at with this company now....well overall I have to admit that most of the things I hated with US Xpress do not exist in this company. But there are a few things about this company that have not been talked about in other posts I will try my best to be as informative as I can so hold on for some major ranting. Well I'll talk about the things I like first then ramble into the things I dont like. I am a SE regional driver just what I was looking for everyone is nice and friendly and they do call you by name when you call in to talk to a manager. Well forget it lets get to the bad stuff everyone know there is alot of good things about this company as opposed to others there are a zillion threads about how good Roehl is I've read most of them thats one of the reasons I picked them. So I'm gonna just ramble about things I dont like about them.

Ok first off the hometime thing yes I get home everyweekend, but what they fail to mention is that its only to do a 34h reset most of the time you pickup a load somewhere near home on friday and have to take it home with you not a big deal really but for people with no where to park a truck and trailer this could be a big issue. That load you take home will deliver on the following Monday, now depending on where it delivers at will determine when you have to leave.....if its a good ways away you will have to leave sometime Sunday, sometimes you dont get home till Saterday depending on how far away you load picks up on Friday, but rest assured you will be home at least 34h to do a reset. Also if your due home and they cant find you a home load they will let you dead head home from whereever your last load delivers, what they fail to mention is that dead head home you dont get paid for@@!! Like last week for example I delivered in Louisville, KY on saterday morning and dead headed home to Cleveland, TN and got home around noon saterday, that was about 400 miles, all for free but hey I got home didnt I? If your under a load its not a big deal your going that way anyway, but if your empty......it sux.

Ok now the routing/fueling locations, well the routing program is fubar big time they route you the absolte shortest distance...PERIOD@@! That program is not smart enough to know if its restricted or not they always tell you that the routing is not directions always check your atlas to see if its ok to travel the roads.....well whats the friggin point even bothering to use the routing if you always gotta double check it anyways? I'll tell you why, they pay practical miles.....they pay you what the routing says it is whether you can drive the road or not.....they pay you the shortest distance.....So I make my own route, they only gonna pay you for what that program says anyways. Also be prepared to drive alot and I mean ALOT@@! of US and state and county roads, a ton of our customers are in the middle of friggin nowhere. All the big companies get all the major frieight shippers and the small companies get the left overs....which dont matter to me, frieghts freight, what does bother me is that in going to these little rat hole middle of nowhere places is that you gotta drive them pissy lil roads, that usally contain a zillion red lights, and fluctuating speed limits, that kills your milage for the day. Not to mention the fact that there is nowhere to park, use the restroom, or eat.....which isnt a big deal unless your on one of these roads for days.......like i have been in the past......now the fuel stop program......lordy lordy lordy......this thing is plum goofy, and example is this i picked up in Bay City, MI and was going to Lima, OH followed their routing to the T and never touched the Intersate my fuel stop was on......to get to it I would of had to go 20 miles outta route to fuel, then 20 miles back to get on route.....so I only use there fuel stops if its in "MY" route. As far as them saying 20 gallons here, fill up there.......I FILL MY TRUCK EVER STOP@@! For a few reasons, one is I am already stopped, another is truck stop stupidity....example one stop it took me over a hour to get fueled and get out, everyone knows why.....######## getting on the fuel island and taking a shower, eating the buffet, or whatever the hell it is they do. Now if I have to do this 2 or 3 times a day thats about 150 miles, or 45bux @.30 a mile, kiss my grits on doing it to save 4 or 5 buxs for their fuel....its hard enough to make a living at this job anyways. Another is it takes 50 gallons of fuel to get a free shower.......thats self explanatory.

Now what are we on too.......hummmmm ok the SE Regional if you read close it says in their lil book, although I dont remembering seeing it on their site or hearing it in orentation that in the regional fleets 80% of all the freight picks up and delivers in that region, which means 20% percent dont, which means your butt will end up out of your region quiet a bit. But they do not have forced dispatch so you cant refuse it, but be aware that it blows part of your quarterly bonus. And you might piss off the wrong person and they kill your miles....I'm not griping......GRRRR@@!! And heres the real kicker.....regional fleets all except the NE regional make .30 a mile the NE regionals and nationals make .32 a mile......now if I am a SE regional driver, and I get a load going from Atlanta, GA to say Boston, MA shouldnt I get .02 cent more a mile when I get outta of my region? You would think so BUT NO@@!! you dont. So piss on that I never go out of my region guess thats why I pissed someone off and get to sit alot.....but hey fair is fair......give me those .02 and I'll do it when needed.

OK now what.......hummmmmm ok they will not pay for truck washes...you have to wash your own truck at a terminal.......but hey thats not a big deal, but still.....it would be nice!!

Ok now what...ohh the calling you by name when you call in.....when you call in the first thing it ask you for is your mail box number.....when you put it in your name comes up on there computer.....so its not like they really know you and after they say hello, and your name.....they ask for your truck number....LMFAO nice try though.....

So ok im tired of typing now I'll post things later if I think of any that is important.
Hope this helps or hurts someone@!!

 

Yes we have ezpass and prepass which they take a buck a week out of your check for, we also have an ohio turnpike credit card. Ive had to pay out of pocket for indiana, florida, and one in south carolina, but they do reimburse you for them. Only trainers and teams get condo trucks. Unless they got an old clunker sitting somewhere they want to finish off.....then you might get one.