Impression of Roehl so far

lets get my post back on track... About Roehl.
Been in the class for 1 week now. SAFETY is a BIG issue. They are very meticulous on going thru every piece of their training with safety in mind. During one of my days there so far, about 3 people are there for orientation that worked for them in the recent past. I have driven for about 11 years. I surrendered my CDL in 2002. I unfortunately have to go thru the class. I have learned SEVERAL THINGS that I didnt in the "School of hard knocks". They are very thourough with teaching you. If you dont pay attention, THEY WILL DUMP YOU!!! They have great equipment and everyone there is willing to help. They are a TEAM. If you wanna #####, they dont have time for it. If you wanna work, then they will talk to you. Every load is not the gravy train. They make you answer the question of "What do you want to make of your truck driving career"? They have plenty of loads. There are loads sitting in the yard NOW. Waiting to be taken!!!. They have given me quite a few GREAT ideas on how to change what I did in the past, and they work! They spend the same amount of hours in the classroom as the students do.
They want to make sure you know your sheite. Believe me, its only averaging about 15 degrees out here right now, and the instructor stays out WITH YOU!!!. they dont sit in a van or truck. They are out there instructing you. They will demonstrate what works best and prove it by showing you. I am very satisfied so far. They even put me in a better hotel and told me they will pay for it

They accept only 1 of 9 people who apply. You better be willing to work... they provide the miles. They want you to back it up without being a whiner. THEY HATE THAT!!! NOBODY that I have talked to has said anything bad. Just positive. Ive talked to alot of drivers in the last week.

If you want a big paycheck without working, then this is not the place to come to. they have the quality home time but you gotta work first. If you wanna sit in the truck stop and ##### about how bad you have it, this might not be the place for you.

 

Al, you mentioned you were going on with a different company. Have you gone thru a school yet, or are you needing to go thru that before you can drive? Roehl offers their training at $2400 and they have a defferment program so it could cost you nothing if you stay there a year, and pro rated if you dont. As a former truck driver, I find the training exceptional. I thought I would just be getting updated info on driving since I've been out of it for about 11 years. I'm getting that, AND a lot of info that I have NEVER been tought. You can PM me if you wish and I can give you more insight if you like. P.S. , you dont train in the company's junk either. Its all top of the line, newer equipment. You should seriously consider training with them. give them a call and ask for Rick or Rob. They are both great guys and will answer any questions you have, and they will give it to you straight! By the way, I average about an hour and a half to 2 hours per day in the seat! Not alot of other companies give you that much time in the seat. They wont rush your training. I'm in with a bunch of great guys. We all get along, and everyone helps one another. Great teamwork.

 

Week one.... in the can. Heres what we did

Day 1 - start at 7am. Intro to the program. Whiz quiz. Went thru chapters 1-4. Intro to truck and trailer. Actually went into an inspection on the truck. Vehicle controls & basic truck operations.

Day 2 - 7:15 - Read some more. Left the classrom about 10am for hands on. Went out on the "Racetrack" for shifting and cornering, more basic operations, hooking & unhooking.

Day 3 - same start time. More classroom till 10ish. More shifting on the racetrack, cornering, mirror usage, and backing.

Day 4 - Same start time. Class til 10. Same as above, adding road run.

Day 5 - 7:15. class til 10. same as above. New - In cab inspection. On the road everyday from here on in.

Day 6 - Practice what you were weak in from the previous 5 days. Its up to you to practice what you want. Kind of a lax day. Leave when you want. I practiced my in cab inspection and 45 degree backing. It came back to me pretty quick and I left at 11am.

Day 7 - hit the road at 10. all of the above including pre trip inspection. (something I didnt have to do as thouroughly when I used to drive. road run in city (not in the country) with lots of challenging right and left turns. I say challenging, because we had about 8-9 inches of snow couple days ago and they havent cleaned it up yet.

Anyone thinking of coming here for training... You roll up your sleeves on the 2nd day hard and heavy. They dont waste any time getting to business. No fluff so far.

From here on in I will update daily. (guys in my class.. Let me know if you think I forgot anything)

 

Big -

I dont know. I'll ask them tomorrow in class for ya and respond tomorrow night.

 

Hlaird,

I basicly had to do the whole class just as if i never drove before. Its been too many years since I gave up my CDL (2001). Im classified the same as a newbie. It means nothing that I can verify my past experience. Because of insurance purposes, insurance companies want your experience to be within the last couple years, or training school with no experience. Thats pretty much the norm after reserching it on the net.