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There are some Co. that will pay you to tarp. TMC and Averitt come to mind. TMC are for newbs and Averitt will take you after six months. You live right at the 95 corridor . So I hope your ok with New York .

 

Roehl pays for tarping and untarping -- one rate for steel tarps and another (larger) rate for lumber tarps. As a flatbedder I'd estimate that about 75% of my loads end up being tarped. But I haul a lot of steel pipes, sheets and coils, and building materials. People who haul mostly ag machinery, stainless steel pipes, construction beams, etc., those don't require tarping. What you haul depends to some extent on what region of the country you're in and what season of the year it is.

Your info on orientation and being out with a trainer is correct. After you come back from being out with your trainer, there are a couple final tests before you're issued your own truck. There's a written test covering company procedures, trip planning, logging, and such, and a behind-the-wheel skills test covering pre-trip, driving, and backing, similar to the test you take when getting your CDL.

 

I am a ROEHL flatbed driver trainer. As of a few weeks ago, there is no longer a written test.
Training consists of 8 days in Orientation/Phase 1 at one of the terminals. You will be put up in a local motel and will drive on the terminal properties, and in the surrounding local areas. After phase 1, you will begin phase 2 which is 10-13 days out on the road with a trainer like me hauling freight all over the lower 48, but primarily east of the Rockies. Phase 2 may start immediately after phase 1, or it may take a few days for a trainer to become available.n that case, ROEHL will keep you in the motel for a few days more, or if it is gonna be more than 2-3 days, they may send you home and have the trainer pick you up there. Sometimes, especial;;y if you specifically request a smoking or non-smoking trainer, or if you are a female trainee, it may take more than 2-3 days to get your phase 2 trainer, but I have never heard of it taking over a week.
After phase 2, you will be dropped at a terminal and given a driving test that is very basic. We have well over a 90% first time pass rate on that test, and if for some reason you mess up and fail, ROEHL sends the vast majority of those out with a local trainer for 1-2 more days to fine tune whatever it was that caused them to fail.
Living in VA, you would haul all over the US, with majority being in/out of the Midwest, and 90% or more being east of the Rockies.

Tarping pay is $12 to tarp and $12 to untarp a steel tarp load, while the Lumber tarps are $22 to tarp and $22 to untarp.

 

Viking, how long were you a company driver before being a trainer? Are there many o/o trainers at roehl?

 

ROEHL contacted me about being a trainer when I had about 5 months experience. The interview and training was spread out over the next few months. 2-3 days training, then drive for 6 weeks, 2-3 more days of training drive few more weeks then 1-2 days training and graduate into trainer status. Got my first student at about 10 month point.
I was company driver/trainer for about 3.5 years and went into lease option while still training. So far it is working out pretty well.
As for how many O/O trainers here, I am not sure, maybe a dozen or so, but definitely not many.

 

Haha and there's my second question, how do you like the leasing? What trucks did they have to choose from? Did you get to spec it out or is it what they have is what you get?
Also with being a trainer how many miles do you get now? Do the trainee driving miles count towards yours? I'm about to start in Feb in the honor program and after a year I'll be trained as a trainer. Wondering how life is.