Wow-Roehl slammed on website

I think Roehl is suffering from what all the bigger carriers suffer from....The Bean Counter (accountants) disease....they want to maximize profit and are starting to move away from understanding that the driver is really the only one that is bringing in money to the company....everyone else is there to support the driver....its kinda like the army...there is infantry....and infantry support thats it...nothing else...
what Roehl is trying to do is crank out as many drivers and fill the seats as fast as they can.....eventually its going to bite them...and then maybe they will turn around and look at the training program again...but its going to take something major to do that...
Personally and Professionally I have no problems with Roehl...They have been an excellent company to me...I started with them yes...and I would recommend them to anyone wanting to start out with a good grasp of doing the job safely...until it is proven otherwise I will stick with Roehl on this aspect...even if I ever decide to move on from the company...

 

Most of my reasons for going with Roehl was because of how they preach safety more then most. Now I'm not saying that's the sole reason but it was a pretty big factor in me coming to Roehl.


This is what makes me mad, some of these drivers join the company thinking everything is going to be 100% everyday and when they get that reality check they think it's the company's fault.

 

So what exactly is missing in the training?

 

It's to short to fit most of the general knowledge in. my opinion atleastQ

 

Roehl shortened the on the Road training before they toss the new guys to the wolves.....but this is a sink or swim industry....
I agree with lantern...there are a lot of people that come into trucking with dollar signs in their eyes thinking its going to be what they see on tv in Ice Road Truckers....but what they don't realize is ALL of the drivers that do drive those roads are not fresh out of a CDL school......and when they realize that the industry involves lonesome nights, endless roads, and quite a bit of patience they call it quits and start bashing on the internet...but its not the company's fault that the individual could not cut it...it the individuals fault..

 

Okay, 1st off, Steven's is not "THE BEST" company to start with. I will not bash them because they are NOT bad either! I began my journey after CDL school at Stevens in Dallas, TX, and was quickly cut from the ranks during orientation for no good reason. They are very strict on what they are looking for and they will not accept ANYBODY that takes ANY kind of medication that could even be ASSUMED to cause any side effects (which are most medications). The training is amongst the longest in the industry, which could be seen as good, or bad. Good if you need to tweak your skills a little, bad if you actually need to make a living NOW and not in 2 months when you get out of training. The hotel situation there stinks, food could be better, and transportation too and from class is hit or miss. Trainers are good, but with so many students each week they get burnt out quick and blow off many "Common" questions making you feel like you're not important. The whole training process at Stevens could be very closely compared to a cowboy herding sheep into his barn and putting down those he didn't like with not even a second thought. Then shaving the rest, branding them, and sending them out to roam that pastures.

Roehl on the other hand, treats drivers like PEOPLE, with respect, and actually WANT to hire you! Class sizes are very small having only 6-9 people in them per training session. Hotel is the best you could ask for, food is excellent (Restaurant Catered), you actually get PAID for your training, and they give you an element of trust and understanding that is missing in most other trucking companies. They are by far one of the, if not, BEST trucking companies to start with in the country and have the awards to show it. If you don't believe me GOOGLE { ATA Presidential Award }....

However, to bring this rant back to a neutral stance, not all companies are for everybody, but there is always a company for somebody. Steven wasn't for me, but if you don't mind the above, go for it! There are nice people there, and after time you can make money just as well as anywhere else if you work hard.

 

I was recently told that Roehl has a goal of keeping the classes a maximum of six students.

 

That maybe the "goal" but everytime I am in Gary I seem to see more than six bodies lined up to take on this adventure. My class had 9 in September.

 

Mine had 6 in Appleton, WI

 

In RDTC it was 6 students max. These broke into 2 groups of 3, which means each trainer "only" has 3 students to teach full time. It's enough to keep the trainer busy, and the students can bounce ideas and questions off each other. This using each other to get the most out of the program works best if none wash out, but during my 3 weeks in school, one in my week left, and one the week behind couldn't cut it...
All in all, we learned a LOT in 3 weeks, but I would have loved to have more time to pick through the instructor's brain, more time to practice backing and close quarters driving, and learn more in general before being placed with a trainer. The best I could do is try to play sponge, soak it all up and retain what I learned to apply on the road...I won't be with a babysitter, but I'd like to be able to pick the OTR trainer's brain, as well.