Is Roehl a good company to start with?

On the search box type in Roehl;

 

A lot of flat bedding threads from the beginning and through training. Skim through those and if you still have questions I'm sure lantern and drtyd will answer the rest. I would but I'm van

 

Coop;
So your van, hmmm, how do you like the van division. I plan running van also. How often does Roehl freight run by or thru Tulsa OK. corridor area? That's where my parents live, I thought maybe once in a while Roehl set me up to swing by that area. Where do you park your rig when you go hoame?
And one more Q, what type of rig are we going to get?
Thanks.

 

Cobra, I to am a Door Closer. I like it. If you have a good FM they can set you up to do your home time in the area where your parents live. Like I said if you have a good FM. As for trucks, if they don't give you one of the 07 Freightliners that was in the mothball fleet (Where mine came from), they will probably give you a 2012 or 13.

 

Thank you Ultra;
My home is in Florida but my parents are in their 70's and 80's so I thought it would be nice to visit them with more frequency. You know how it is.

 

Ultra answered most of the questions already. Most new drivers get new trucks. New prostars, cascadias, and kenworths. If u do get a fl you'll have to run it til it gets sold. Could get a late model truck that have few issues but even the new trucks have issues sometimes. Some people like them with the apu rather than battery packs. I park near mall in Sanford. They don't pay to park your truck so a nearby business with a lot oof room you can check or a lot that u see other trucks park at out of the way. Or you can pay. Some I've found are $15 a day or $100 a month seems the norm. If there's a nearby truck stop where your parents live you can park there if its ok or find something nearby or if they have room you can do home time and visit them. I almost went to ok city today but got load off me bc it was a waste of time. I have a good fm. As far as van I like it and wouldn't do any other division even if it pays better. With the new pay plan ill be making more money which is great. Other divisions are good as well just doesn't suit me. Different strokes for different fokes. You have to deal with the bs at shippers and receivers and take it in stride and if you not happy then send the messages, make the calls and talk to whomever to make it right. I dealt with a lot of bs but hung in there and established myself as a good driver with my fm and he in return has helped me out a lot.

 

I sure do. As with freight going into OK. I only went there once to a small Nabisco DC in Tulsa but getting a load out of there shouldn't be a problem because there is a Georgia Pacific in Muskogee. They usually have something there to go pick up. It may not have a lot of miles on it but it will get you moving again.

 

Flatbed for Roehl has it perks as well as downsides.

Our customer base is growing which is great. If you like predictable routes, customers, loads, then flatbed is 100% the way to go. Our loads 99% of the time do not deliver on weekends so usually your running either a short 600-800 mile run over the weekend or running a 1200+ mile run over a couple days with the weekend inbetween it.

The customers we go to know how hard truck drivers in general work. They are very polite and easy going people most the time which is something you will find very rarely in van. Customers will help you from time to time fold your tarps, throw straps, tighten 'em down, you name it. They want that load hauled safely so they are always willing to help and answer questions. Van, you just close the door - seal it and go. Which is cool but I personally love working with my hands.

You make more money running flats, make money tarping, 9c extra for oversize, you name it the benefits are there. Now, do we get paid enough for what we do? Heck no, no trucker does. But knowing I am delivering a fire sprinkler system to a college, hospital, and warehouse for produce.. Lets just say I enjoy it. I hate delivering to job sites but I love it as well, though some jobs sites you won't find a single person who speaks English which is very frustrating..

Just a little bit of my 2c. Any questions I'm happy to answer.

 

Thanks guys for all that info, I have driven dry, refer and flatbed. Refer is definitely out of the question for me, Flatbed is second only because I'm not young anymore, though it's tempting. But I don't have the physic of a football play, just a 195lb of a 56 year young fella.:smt040