Roehl Transport makes it into the BAD company forum

You are right about Roehl needing to bump its mileage rate up to keep up with some other companies. They will when they lose enough guys to those companies. For the last three years I've made 48-50k working the 7/7 flatbed trainer program. What other company out there can I go to and make 50k and only work half a year?
Bottom line is if you are not happy at Roehl you probably won't be happy at any trucking company. I have my issues with Roehl's nitpicking and micromanaging. Let me now if find you can find a company with the combination of pay and hometime.

 

If you are on Evo III longer than six weeks, you suck.

For people at other companies. Roehl breaks down its training into 3 evolutions.
Evo 1. Basic driving skills for 10-14 days with a trainer
Evo 2. Driving plus paperwork and qualcomm, basically doing the job with a trainer watching. Another 10-14 days
Evo 3. You are on your own but a have a babysitter dispatcher. You are given easy loads with plenty of time to complete them. If you do well you are moved onto a normal board within 4-6 weeks. Any longer than that basically you are incompetent and Roehl will babysit for a while longer. If someone is still on Evo III after three months it no wonder why Roehl could care less when he quit. They probably breathed a sigh of relief.

 

I think the guy was saying that they never route him through Marshfield for him to do his final qualifications.

 

Skip, you're making me think that maybe I've been giving a bit of bad advice here. Well, maybe not "bad", but not "good", either.

I hope Roehl is as good as I've led people to believe it is. If it does suck at that company, I will have a long line of people to apologize to.

Somebody give me some positives on Roehl here of late.

 

Tip - As indicated I am giving them a month or so.
A lot of my disillusionment is based on all the strings attached to bonuses, their pricey "benefits", and missing benefits (holiday pay only after a years service). The bonuses are slickly worded. If you start October 1, you are not eligible for a quarterly bonus until March 2008. The profit sharing is also a joke. Any place I have ever worked profit sharing is just that - they distribute it and you get the loot. Not at Roehl. Their idea of profit sharing is to tie it to your 401K. It doesn't vest for like 5 years. It's just a lot of smoke and mirrors.

Secondly, my friend (who was instrumental in me hiring with Roehl) is totally disgusted with the pay/mileage. His 1800 mile journey on his last 7-day rotation (which included missing Labor Day Weekend) was his final straw.

In my final analysis. Roehl may be decent if you are a newbie, or looking for training. For an experienced driver there are MANY better options.

I get jobs done. If Roehl keeps me moving, I won't have any complaints. I just hate the idea of being away from home (golf, family, friends, motorcycle, and other interests) twiddling my thumbs. In life all you have is Time. I don't like to waste it.

 

There are always 2 sides to every story. It doesn't suck for everyone that works there, as there are still quite a few drivers on the payroll. If you check within the other forums on this board, or even other boards altogether, you'll see that.

What kind of positives are you looking for? A positive for us, may not be for someone else.

It's not just Roehl...van freight seems to be dropping off the last month or so all over.

Do you treat everyone that way?

Maybe pay isn't at the top of everyone's list...there are other priorities for some.

They are only going to route him there if they think he is ready, not when he thinks he's ready.

 

Skip -

After reading everything you've posted in this forum, and the others on this board, why did you even start with Roehl? Your friend should have clued you in on how everything worked and even if he didn't your first 2 days of orientation you got all the paperwork about everything. After you read them, why didn't you leave then if it's so bad?

 

Let's see, maybe I'll work for a company for a month where I'm brand new, if something doesn't go my way this company sucks so I am going to quit. I go to another company where again I am low man on the totem pole. Even though there are 100's of people that are here longer than me I want the gravy loads and everything handed to me without proving myself. Oh darn I didn't get my way. This company really sucks too. I better go find another one where I get only 2000 mile drop and hook loads and the guys that have been there 10 or 20 years get the crappy loads.
Heck, my first year at Roehl sucked. I paid my dues though and every year my job gets easier and I make more money. Grow a set and try sticking with a company for a while.

 

I totally agree. I started on the dock at my company while I learned to drive with them in my spare time, and the guys on the dock treated me like dirt. Before I got my truckers licence I was lead hand on the one shift, and now that I am on the road on my own, I have already paid the price of being a newbie.
Now, I still get some of the nastly loads, but I know its just a matter of time before things will settle down. Not being on the dock is the biggest bonus of all.
Sorry, I know this doesnt have anything to do with Roehl, but I sure hear what bucksandducks says about sticking something out.

 

Well said!