leaving roehl

I believe it's 120,000 miles to satisfy the tutition. I know what you mean about how Roehl counts hometime. Just to let you know for your consideration, Schneider counts home time like this.....say you are due in on the 17th for home time....if you worked any part of that day it is not counted in. So your first day off would be the 18th. In other words if you are due 4 days and you worked the 17th...you would not be due back to work until the 22nd. Good luck to you.

 

Yeah, then Roehl doesn't get you back home the exact amount of days to the specific hour. That's one of the main reasons I left.

 

Neighbor down the road drives for pumpkin.

Gets home every other saturday morning.

Leaves out sunday afternoon.

34 hours, you could set your clock by it,

screw that !!!!

 

Unfortunately it is an industry standard to count a day as 24 hours after you get home. That is why when I joined Roehl I went to a hometime fleet. Slip seating is a pain, but I knew they would try to get me home because another driver was waiting on the truck and I wouldn't have to leave early since the truck wouldn't be back until it was time for me to leave. Even in the hometime they recruited me claiming my time at home would be measured in "real" days and the day I got home would not count as hometime. That was true if I got home when I was supposed to, but there were times I wouldn't get home until the day the next driver was supposed to leave. We were still expected to leave on our scheduled "launch" day, so we got screwed out of a day off. There is a reason that about 90% of those who get a cdl are out of driving within two years and the way trucking companies lie to drivers is a major contributor.

I knew that if I was going to stay in trucking, simply switching companies wouldn't be the answer. Every company is just a variation on the same theme. I would have to make a fundamental change. I could go ltl and be paid hourly, but still have my schedule controlled by a dispatcher. Another option was what works for me, I went owner operator. I decide what my schedule will be and it is based on a balance between to make a living and a need to be with my family.

Before some kool aid drinker accuses me of sour grapes. I am doing a lease/purchase through Roehl, because the truck seems to be a decent truck and the deal is a straight forward lease with buyout at the end. Right now I get home less than I did in the hometime fleet. I am also clearing less per week. What I am doing is building equity in my future. The day will come that I will have the title on my truck and at that point I will make $480 a week more even if I stay with Roehl.

I have always given Roehl a "C." As my dad always said "If you are average, you are either the best of the worst, or the worst of the best." I have thought of leaving Roehl many times, but when I looked at other companies there wasn't enough of an improvement to make the hassle of switching worth it.

 

I don't like to double post, put this fits better standing on its' own.

I wish it would be possible to find a way to warn potential drivers of how brutal this life is on families. You could have the perfect dispatcher and the nature of the job would still kill families. I like to try to get home every other weekend for about three days. Yet so often I need to be home for something special on a week that I am planning on staying out. Since as an owner/operator I have a responsibility to make a profit it means staying out an extra week rather than taking an extra weekend at home. I get to make my own schedule and still face that problem.

When you combine all the issues of freight movement with dispatchers who are usually young and have no idea how difficult, how tough this career is, it makes it even harder. I had one dispatcher who tried to compare growing up and going two hours away to college with what we do as truck drivers. I'm sorry, but moving out of mommy and daddy's house is a bit different than being three states away waiting on a load when your wife calls to tell you her dad just died. It takes a special person to be married to a truck driver. My wife and I just celebrated our 21st anniversary on 2/17 and we're still going. I have one of those special people, she doesn't like it when I leave, but she and my daughter know where I am, where I'm going and when I plan to get home. It's still a killer on our family.

 

I believe half of the tuition is paid for 60K miles. I don't remember how the last portion is taken off or if the rest stays on until 120K. I guess I have been pretty fortunate as I have never had a problem with home time thus far. A couple of times a day late getting there but I always get all of my off days credited to the full. Glad you found a local job as that will sure make things easier on the woman. Best of luck.

 

1000 off at 60k miles. 120k knocks the rest off. according to a payroll person.

 

I was told by one of the FM's that this is one of those things that is at the giscression of the FM. The one I spoke to said he runs his drivers much like schneider. I've been leaving the morning after my 3rd day lately. I usually am out 11days.

My bottom line is "I'm not leaving the house early!" Have not been asked to since I masde that statement. I also have not had issue getting home yet, but I'm sure it will happen sometime and I will not let it go by quietly. I won't quit till my 120000 is over with and then I may still stay, but the leaving option will not be available till my 120 is satisfied.