Roehl Driver Check In Continued

If you were told 2600 per week and have been getting 1800 per week over an extended period of time, then I fully agree with your frustration.
Just don't let the last 2 weeks influence your judgement, as the holiday weekend really messes with miles.
If you look at your weekly average over the past 6-8 weeks, I bet you will find that it is above 1800 (although I fully admit that it may not be the 2600 as you were told)
PS- With you being Female, has ROEHL approached you about training yet? Female trainers are in high demand especially in the flatbed/curtainside division, and are worth their weight in gold. Training really helps financially as well. Although I do not recommend someone becoming a trainer if they are just doing it for the extra money alone.

 

This is what my performance eval said, in the interim.
75%, 0 Service Failures, 0 Preventable Costs.
I'd figure this means I'm one of the top performers.
Prior to the last three weeks, I was getting consistently 2500.

I don't know what's going on with my load plans, but something is amiss.
6 months of similar loads, to same old customers, and now its chaos. I could predict my home and launch loads. Now I can't.

I know nothings guaranteed, but this is like a freaking switch was flipped.

 

The last 3 weeks was wrapped around a major National holiday weekend. That 4 day weekend, as well as any other holiday weekend throws a major monkey wrench in freight.
I would bet half the nations truck drivers have had poor weeks over the last 1-3 weeks.
The 2500 you were averaging is what I would consider right on spot with what ROEHL advertises, and is what I would expect to continue getting over the long haul. So don't let the last 3 weeks cause you worries. It also happens fairly often on Memorial day and Labor day. Then the entire period between mid November to mid February is often slow as well.
I look at a 3 month period at the least, and prefer to look at a full year.
In fact, my 2010,2011 and 2013 yearly miles were all very similar. I stayed out about 43 weeks each of those years, 30-45 days at a time, then took 6-7 days home, and got just over 120k miles each year, which comes out to about 2750 miles per week. 2012 was a good bit less cause I missed the entire month of Feb due to sleep study/CPAP machine certification.
This year I am driving really hard and staying out about 90 days each time with about 10 days at home each time, so I should have a few more miles at years end. Obviously, I do not expect every driver to stay on the road for periods as long as I do. And my miles may be a little higher since I am a trainer, and for the past 2 years an Owner Operator,but I would think that would not be more than 100-200 miles per week.
I think any National driver that stays out a minimum of 2-3 weeks at a time should safely be able to average between2300-2600 per week over the course of a year.

What got all this started was a ROEHL prospect asking about miles and gingersquatch telling him if he came to ROEHL he would get less than 1800 miles per week. I felt that was not only unprofessional, but very inaccurate.
And I stand by my statement that any driver that gets less than 1800 miles per week over an extended amount of time (such as a 2-3 month period) is doing something wrong themselves, and cannot put all the blame on ROEHL.

 

I never told him that he would get less than 1800 miles a week. I told him that's what I was getting, and that he should expect to only see the middle and east coast states based on where he lives and his lack of experience, where most of the runs are short and is unlikely that he will see the 2600 a week average he is promised by the recruiters.

I also suggested to him (in another thread) that a company that pays percentage would more profitable for him than with roehl.

 

What amuses me is that our friend viking wearing his roehl colored glasses can say no bad about this company, however I have no issue stating the good that I experienced.

I also wondered about our friend Mr viking if he owed some of his miles a result of running a super solo operation with his students he deemed fit for it. (I would never expect any roehl trainer to do that to a brand new student or full blown teaming, but have no problem with someone who is ready, and had no issues with my trainer doing the same with me) I know now for his new thread that this is the case.

Getting those extra couple miles past what one person can drive can make a serious difference. Especially if it can mean sitting overnight at the cons compared to only being able to make it to the truck stop 50 miles away.

Boy that sure would be a convenient option to have wouldn't it.

 

Stated many times that there are better companies out there. Most require experience however and that is where ROEHL losses the majority of their drivers. They get their 3-12 months experience here, and then go to work for that local company that fits their need much better than ROEHL.
But I honestly cannot think of a better starter company than ROEHL that will take drivers with no experience. SWIFT,WERNER,C.R. ENGLAND, US EXPRESS ETC...
And just because I am doing well with ROEHL, and you failed miserably does not mean I am wearing "roehl colored glasses"..

 

I guess you didn't read the post just above here in my reply to Dark Squall where I pointed out that my miles may be higher than a regular company driver due to me being a trainer and for the last 2 years an O/O. It is about 3 posts above yours, feel free to check it out.
99% of the time, I operate within a 14hr window with a student. Occasionally, I may come on duty an hour earlier than he does in order to get a 15 hr day.

On that 3900 mile occasion, the student was on day 8 or 9 and was gonna test out on Monday. However, on Wed, we got a load from LaCrossee Wi to Tacoma Wa to deliver on Monday. The student was pissed because instead of testing on Monday he would be 2000 miles away and not be able to test until late that week.
When I called the customer, they said if we got there Friday they would unload us then instead of Monday. I asked the student if he wanted to go for it in order to get back to the East sooner, and he jumped at the chance. So we drove a few hundred miles Wed. Thur AM I got up and started driving for about 6 hours while he stayed in my bottom bunk. He then came on duty and we both drove for several hours. When my 14/11 hours ended, the student drove a few more hours.
The next AM we did the same.
We unloaded Friday, then got a load 120 miles away in Portland Or coming back to Wi. We did the same thing on the way back, with me getting up early and letting the student sleep, and then him finishing up the last few hours himself.
As long as he was driving I was up and awake and was never sleeping in the bunk as trainers in other companies do.
As a result, we delivered in Wisconsin Rapids on Monday afternoon and the student tested out the next day in Marshfield.
He is now a trainer and O/O with ROEHL himself.
He was a great student. Big time deer hunter who left me three Ziploc bags full of deer jerky he made himself.

 

You had that same option if you had stuck around. A person chooses ones own path.

 

That's excellent and have no issues with what you did. None what so ever. If I was a trainer with a student who was ready to test out I would do the same thing, just as my trainer did with me, although we staggered it 3 hours to give us 17 hours on duty time available if needed. Saved us a couple times.

Again. I see no fault in a trainer doing that, but while you get the option for it, I would have been stuck with that 1800 mile 5 days. You got an extra 2100 miles then any solo driver would have been able to. That may help with your several month average of around 2500 a week. The week would have helped contribute to my 1800 mpw average.

I don't dislike you or anyone for your success with roehl. I was hoping for the same. I don't dislike for being able to use you training as a potential advantage for you. I don't discourage anyone from starting with roehl as a new driver in the van or reefer fleets. I believe that there are faaaaar worse companies out there to start with, even flatbed, than roehl. I believe that the school is top notch even with the changes they've made after talking with n drivers who went through it. But for someone who has license in hand and no experience, tmc, pgt, or wti would be a better option since you are paid by your ability to complete the job, not the miles you are assigned.

 

No, a recruiter did not tell me 3500 - 4000 per week. I was told by a reliable source that there are several drivers in the fleet I am in that there are several drivers that stay out two weeks hit 3500 - 4000 occasionally. I set the bench mark at 3000 - 3500 a week. This week I managed to hit 2737.9 miles with only one long run. I did speak with my FM face to face yesterday, and was shown the load board. Freight is down right now, but there is enough to keep us in Dry Van running. As I stated in my last post, I am giving it 6 more weeks before I pass judgement.

As far as this mass exodus from Roehl. I completely understand if these drivers cannot make a living, why they would look for work elsewhere. It is my opinion that if you want steady miles you need to be pulling a dry van or a reefer. Just my opinion, but it does seem to hold water.

Parked at ROETG for the night and most of the morning then into Detroit for two Sam's Clubs.