My first week at Roehl

Well......its been an interesting first week at Roehl.

Orientation was good....good rental car to get me there...nice hotel, lunch was good coupons for Perkins in the evening. The 'usual' trucking company orientation? Yes and no...it definitely does seem that Roehl has a different slant on safety to others, borne out in their excellent safety record. But it does seem that they will penny pinch in a lot of other areas when they can. Road tests were fine, had to take mine on the Tuesday due to a snowstorm on Monday! Usual crowd in orientation, most were pretty cool, a couple of loud ones!

On to my launch....oh dear a little work in the communication area between Orientation and the DSR's needed here I think! I am on the 7/4-7/3, and was assigned a school truck to take down (w/load) to Gary, my home terminal...called my DSR who was a little surprised to hear from me, rustled me up a load and headed down there. No keys to my launch truck...and also they headed me down there when I was actually supposed to be on the 3 days off part of my rotation. Arrived in Gary, dropped load and truck and had to get a bunk room as the school truck didnt have a sleeper! Room basic but OK....spoke to my DSR in the morning who told me that I should go home and take an extra day as I had lost one....called my wife (sick!!!), then DSR tried to get me a ride home...none available...tried to get a rental car, none available!!! eventually got a ride with another driver going to MA (I live in IL!!!).

Had my couple of days off and headed back to Gary on the Sunday.....the truck I was going to have needed a ton of work done to it, and the replacement was FROZEN!! and needed some work done to it!!! Napped a little while in a bunk room eventually headed out at 5pm for Canandaigua,NY via Canada (never been thru there before!!!)...dropped there late stayed overnight d/h to PA loaded to Jersey...to VW in NJ, just managed to have enough time to get stopped on the NJ TP then up to WI, down to Chicago to drop an mt, back to Gary, load to Carol Stream, p/u Aurora back to Gary then home!!! PHEW what a week!!! No sittin at all...preplanned the whole time! Just as I like it! Will it be like this all the time...unlikely!!!

OK...so
Good things so far:
1. SAFETY
2. I have a pretty good DSR
3. For slip seating the equip. is good
4. Preplanned....so far!!!
5. Keeping moving....so far....

Bad things
1. Poor communications between orinetation and DSR
2. Fuel stops (is it absolutely set in stone or do you have some leeway? would welcome some suggestions from other Roehl drivers here!!!!) Only once filled up where I earned a shower and points!

Overall I am very happy I switched out of JB to Roehl...I had no illusions that the freight would be different with Roehl than the dedicated account I was on at JB and that I would be running more!!! Well, I am now on my hard earned 4 days and will keep on posting....be safe out there!!