Thinking of going with Roehl

I'm usually out between 11 and 14 days at a time. I have had only one time when my arrival day counted toward my hometime. I usually get home in the late afternoon to early evening and don't have to go back out until the fourth morning following that evening. My last launch had me out for 17 days, I was "entitled" to 3 days hometime. I had to take a fourth, but I was officially AWOL today.

 

I would typically go out and check the qualcom on Tuesday morning and then launch sometime that day, depending where and when I had to pick up. I would talk to my DSR on Friday before getting home and she would tell me what time to check the qualcom on Tuesday. Most of the times, I had a load waiting for me. I almost always got home on Friday, late afternoon or early evening. One time I got home around 10pm and once, I ran out of hours about 4 hours from home and didn’t get home until Saturday.

I talked to some guys in truck stops that said they would almost always only be home long enough for a restart, but they were usually only out Monday thru Friday. They would get home under a load late Friday or early Saturday and then launch Sunday to deliver on Monday.

 

Foomangoo,

You really have to look at the driver fleet plans differently. The hometime schedules of 7/4-7/3 and 7/7 are all slip seat by design, and the intent is to get the driver home on time so the next driver can launch. At all TERMINALS they have extra tractors so that scheduled launches may take place in the event a returning tractor is delayed. (this may not be true at all drop yards) The biggest single reason one does not get home on schedule is freight. If you are looking into OTR, never forget that freight dictates ALL. If you live outside of major freight lanes, the odds of being delayed in getting home increase. My home terminal (Groveton, NH) was at the edge of the world, where freight to get me home was scarce. There is generally plenty of freight to get back as far as Albany or Hartford, but getting a load for the 2 to 3 hundred miles back to Groveton was challenging. At four bucks a gallon, Roehl, nor anyone else can afford to deadhead just because a driver is due home. NO company wants to incur expense without offsetting income......

The national and regional driver plans put you in a dedicated tractor, but hometime will still be dictated by freight.

All in all I was happy with Roehl, and I appreciate the great training, and their undying focus on safety. The reason I left has everything to do with freight, and the fact I live at the outer edge of freight lanes.... If I lived along major freight lanes, I'd be happy driving for Roehl....

 

milestogo - Great post, I got ya! I hope to be in the freight lanes, sitting smack dab between StL, Chicago, Nashville, Cincy, Indy, Louisville.

I also guess to slip seat a tractor you would need participating drivers in your area as well. I understand it is not guaranteed to get 7/3, 7/7.

Really I guess something like a 11/3, would suit good, as long a it didnt get to far past the 11, LOL. But like ya said its the freight, and thats the job. It would be a dedicated tractor too.