Stay away from ROEHL!!

You and I agree and I dealt with the same issue when I had my portrait studio. The problem comes when you have to break a long term lease. You have penalties to pay and you have to figure out where your breakeven is. Sometimes it's a no brainer. Frankly, if I can buyout the truck it becomes an easy decision. The issue comes whith breaking the truck lease. The numbers I'm getting from Landstar drivers is that I could end up with a minimum of $.40 a mile more in my pocket. If that's the case I could recover any loss from breaking the lease within three months. Schneider has very similar numbers, I'm already approved by Schneider finance for any truck I want.

 

Preacher, doing the same thing over and over expecting differnt results is defined as INSANITY. Every time you head out in the blue lemon expecting it to be differnt.....Been on the SNI choice board 15 months since leaving Roehl's O/O program and I have zero regrets. I have followed you guys that are O/O's at Roehl and I know you could and would make it at SNI. I know that you would enjoy it and prosper. You have the work ethic and determination and that will go along way at SNI. Just my two cents.

 

Thx but no thx I like snis setup but I am sick and tired of the big company bs. I'm going on to a dedicated run as soon as I leave. Paper logs and cell phones, and I can go hang out with the owner of the company any time I want. I'm gonna do that until I get my money right to run on my authority. I can't stand e logs much longer. Lol the carrier ill be going to is reeves brothers trucking out of Lexington, TN they have bout 70 or 80 trucks.

 

I still don't understand preachers mileage issue. I've tried to figure it out cause they use my entire 70 up normally 30 hours before I get any back. Preach do you by chance have Scott now? I know 2 other guys on his board that are having trouble too. Maby there is a reason he came here from sni, everything I hear about him is negative. Like he kisses the load planners behind and will send his drivers crap loads just to see if they'll take em, and of course if they don't we all know what happens then.

 

Yes I have Scott. Not only have miles gone down, he is lousy at communication. I can't tell you how many messages I send that never even get an acknowledgement. I took one crap load and instead of a thank-you here's a good load he tried to get me to take another crappy load and then got mad when I told him no.

Etch, I have already posted a thread in Landstar seeking information about rates and procedures and will be doing the same in the Sni area as well. I have many options now that I didn't have a year ago. Just because I'm not doing a cut and run in the middle of the holidays doesn't mean I'm not following a plan. The Blue Lemon is finally up to my standard and could be even better if I held the title on it. The best option is to keep B.L. Roehl would have to give me all of my money with interest that they now hold and I would end up with lower payments. I need to pursue this option first. There is no hurry since my next company will be my last move unless I decide to get my own authority. It is far better to take my time and make a solid well informed choice than to make a quick, emotional decision that I later regret. Just remember patience doesn't mean indecision.

 

Lease programs are nothing like brick and mortar businesses.

With a store, office, or any service - you fail or succeed by the sales you generate, and prices you set.

You have no control over either of those leasing a (company sponsored) truck - the company, and specifically the person who dispatches you ... decides your income.

 

Actually there are several similarities. If you are in a lease/purchase it is the same as a franchise where you rely on the franchisor for financing of your building. In the case of a business owner who has total control over his rates and marketing you are talking about a mom & pop independent business. There are several business models in between the two extremes.

 

Nothing like a franchise either, where you pay a licensing fee to use a "brand". Some are restrictive, but you are still in control of revenue.

"Mom and pop" applies to most businesses in the US.

With a franchise, you are still the one generating the clients and sales, something you normally can't do while stuck in a truck stop waiting for a load plan on company lease purchase. You cannot decide where and when to run nor for how much. You are basically an "employee" with small business overhead.

 

You guys, can you help me out? I started a thread on a different forum, I didn't know there was an entire forum dedicated to Roehl, and all these threads. I read this entire thread, the general opinion of the company has changed if you start at the beginning and read straight through. I came to Roehl at the prospect of having a week off every third, and I had read some of the cheerleaders and didn't get a balanced view.

I was out 12 days after orientation, took a week off, and tomorrow I'm heading back to Gary after only three days out to turn in the truck, my locks and the whole shebang. I averaged 436 loaded miles per trip. Almost everyday the same lengthy and uncompensated process of unloading and loading. Is that about average?

I look up my trip sheet and see the detention I wrote down, and I sent in the macro, just, no money? What's up with that?

Odd system here at Roehl, I'm not used to it. I've become a professional and I take pride in doing a good job, I'm used to being given ample time and resources to get it there on time without damage or incidents. Here, it seems like they own you and the entire process. As an example, I began work the day before Thanksgiving and spent Thanksgiving at some ratty Indian truck stop north of Dunkirk, NY. I loaded this morning for Michigan. As always, I'm on a tight time frame, I haven't showered since Tuesday, I'm passing all these TAs that I have no time to stop at, I pick up a fountain drink and chips and get back in the truck, I fuel and grab a bratwurst and get back in the truck, I make my delivery without much time to spare. It's been like that the whole time, one day trips and everything is on a tight time frame. Literally, often there is no time to go inside someplace to sit down and eat. For what? For 1400 mile loads where I can get up and all I have to do that day is drive 600 miles? No, a loaded average of 436, unloading and loading everyday.

Is this just my experience? Is this representative of Roehl? I haven't been in dry vans forced dispatched for a number of years. Is this what's going on everywhere now? When was pride phased out? When was dignity phased out? When was any pleasure in the work phased out? Milk hauling, I'd make my run, meander back to the tank wash. Owner operator, especially with Landstar, I made my own schedule. Even dry vans dedicated, I had to be at my pick up and deliveries at the appointed times and I owned my schedule in between. Dry vans forced dispatch back in the day? It was literally the comic book, but man, I could pull in and take shower if I needed one.

Is Roehl weird like some trucking version of Flo in the Progressive commercials or is this just what trucking has come to be? It's particularly prominent with the electronic logs, I was wondering if I'd trigger Armageddon traveling from the Pilot to the Petro at the Glendale KY exit during my 10 hour break.

Counsel appreciated.

 

This makes it sound like you only gave it a shot thru orientation, 12 days of work, 7 days off and 3 more days of work. I'm hoping that isn't true.