roehl transport

tennmoto is right on the mark. I too have worked for Reohl. You did forget about the 1100 and 1200 mile weeks. Not a real profitable company to work for.

 

My first two trainers were both 7 on and 7 off. Both loved that work schedule.

 

I work the 14/7 fleet at Roehl out of the Gary Terminal. Average 2700 miles a week and the money if just fine. However, I'm also retired Navy and have a pension so I' don't rely on my Roehl paycheck but could live on it if I had to.

There is a 7/3, 7/4 fleet as well and I ran that in the beginning. A lot of short runs on that fleet because they need to keep you close to the terminal in order to change out slip seat drivers.

A lot of new trucks and new trailers purchased this year but its not a quick process to update equipment. Also keep in mind that Roehl is a debt-free company so they pay cash for new equipment and this makes it take a little longer. The plus side is they aren't saddled with millions of dollars in debt like other big carriers.

Brand new terminal in Appleton, WI. Bought a larger terminal in Phoenix that is being remodeled. Word is that Gary is getting a remodel soon too.

The Hometime Plus Fleet (14/7, 7/7, etc) drivers are usually run pretty hard and from what I'm told, make the company the most money because the trucks are moving more often.

 

When I drove for Roehl I was out 11 and home 3. Most of my miles came in the early part of my time out on the road. I would say the first 7 to 8 days. The last 3 to 4 days I was limited and I still averaged 3800 miles for 11 days. I didn't think that was to bad but I was in evolution 3 at the time.

 

Roehl is what it is, a training company. It is a decent place to get your start. If you live in an area that they run all the time, it might be a decent place to stay. The money isn't that bad. Miles can be hit and miss, and that can happen anywhere. Yes they are in middle of upgrading equipment. No everyone can't have a new truck all the time. If you run the home time fleets you can make about $25k to $30k per year, more if you train, but that might be endding with the hometime guys training. Roehl is a trucking company, a large one with lots of rules, so if you come from a background where you are used to lots of rules you will do fine. If you have never been told no in your life, or can't stand to hear that word, look for a different company, Roehl is not for you. If you are new to the bizz, they are worth a good hard look. They have a very good school that is under $3k, they have a very good training program, and a very good safty record. Compare apples to apples and then make an informed decision. Do I work for Roehl? Yes, I am a driver trainer. Do they make me happy all the time? Not always, but I manage to make a living and feed my family, and keep a roof over their head. I know I will not get rich, but I also know I won't have a dispatcher telling me I need to run 700 miles overnight either. That is my two cents, have a good day.

 

I started on the 11/3 to get my feet wet so to speak... moved to 18/4 better money and currently sitting home after a 28 days out (my choice) ... maybe i have a good (great FM) but i average 2800-3400 miles a week. My truck is an 07 its fine they did just order 434 new trucks that are arriving everyday also a whole host of new trailers, I think Roehl is a "trucking company" old school even with a new school feel (elogs etc) If you are currently thinking about a company to work for you could do alot worse than Roehl and like others have said their saftey is great.... and thats something any new driver should have as a priority.

 

Problem is while Roehl is giving a newbie who makes squat per mile high miles, they are telling another driver who has received a couple of raises that frt is slow and they are working on it.

 

I've never really bought that, that is kinda like saying that planners are going out of their way to classify and pick and choose drivers based on tenure. And I don't see that happening. Good drivers that have been here a while get treated well, for the most part... I'm sure that is not necessarily the rule as much as the exception but I've heard a lot of guys that have been here a lot longer than me and they are still happy. As always, I'm leased so I may be completely 100% wrong. Some guys still swear o/os have priority over everyone else....far from true.

 

They have enough seats to fill to require a training program.

So either they have problems training drivers or there are lots of drivers being rotated out to make room for trainees.

Payroll is a cost just like fuel and insurance. They have actuaries on those costs and you can bet they want to turn the most miles at the lowest payroll costs they can. Hence a steady stream of new drivers

 

Your not gonna convince me of that I know this company very well. They are not that diabolical. Maby the problem is the seasoned drivers know they don't need to prove themselves and Maby get too comfortable, possibly expecting more than is reasonable. I have plenty of friends here that have been here longer than me that still run hard. The turnover rate industry wide is extremely high over 100%, makes sense that a large carrier would have to look to greenhorns to fill the seats of the drivers that jump from.company to company or MAINLY the ppl that are coming into trucking because they lost their day job and get out as fast as they get in. Please understand I am not blind, and roehl does definitely have some serious flaws, fly by night maintenance, wore out equipment, lacking miles for EVERYONE. When I graduated their school 3 of us graduated we are all 3 still here. They aren't out to screw drivers over like some would like to think, in most cases the drivers are their own worst enemy. I do not expect anyone that dosnt work here to understand what I mean. Our planning is first come first serve, and inside that your hours play a roll. It's really simple, trust me I've sat in Seattle and watched 4 company drivers get a load before me because they were empty before I was.