Leaning Toward Roehl

Hello everyone. I will be going to a local CDL school in West Michigan in the next couple weeks (hopefully) and have a pre-hire letter for Roehl (as well as Covenant, Swift, and Werner) that I received in the last week or so. I'm waiting on a state program to let me know if I can count on them to cover my training costs if I can ever get them stop creating new hoops for me to jump through!

I've been unemployed for 5 months trying to find work in my former field of 8½ years which was only with my last employer. I suspect my former employer that fired me for reasons they never did make 100% clear to me isn't helping me out with references/recommendations. I'm also not certified in that field which has been making it even tougher as well. So, I'm going to take the plunge into the trucking career as I've been secretly wishing I'd done years ago but thought it was a waste of a Bachelor's Degree. After taking and passing the written CDL tests today, I have even more respect for truck drivers. I apologize if the phrase "waste of a Bachelor's Degree" offended anyone in my earlier sentence, however, that was how I used to feel until I've done more research to see what is involved.

From what I've read in this and other forums, it seems that there are less driver complaints about Roehl compared to the other freight companies I listed above that will take on newbies. I am a realist. From what I've read about breaking into the industry, I'm going to have to be especially thick skinned during my first year or two with any company (just like it would with any new career or company for that matter).

As I've posted in another thread, I've been intrigued by the trucking industry ever since I was a kid and now as an adult listening to drivers on their CBs. Most seemed/seem really happy with their career (especially those who have rode desks for many years as I have). There were some that moaned and groaned. They blame their company or their trainer—anyone but themselves for their problems.

Again, I know that it is going to be tough for the first year or two. I always figure, from reading on this and other forums, if I feel that I'm not being treated well, I can look to driving for more local companies that require a year or two of experience. The money might not be as good due to starting over with a new company and due to not getting as many miles working locally, but the home time will probably be much better.

I'm hoping to hear from people who have started with Roehl and stuck with them for at least one year. How are you doing with Roehl? Are you getting the mileage needed to make $35,000 to $40,000 gross per year? How is the home time? Do those who drive the 7/3-4 program get more miles compared to national drivers as I've read in some of these threads?

Finally, does anyone know if Roehl has any terminals in West Michigan? Are only national drivers able to bring their rigs home? I ask because I'm looking at a 2½ hour drive to the Gary, IN terminal. Of those that I've received pre-hire letters, most only have terminals in Indiana, so, I think that I'm in the same boat with all of them.

Thank you in advance for your input!

—WorkinMan (Ironic handle, huh? Well, I'm no stranger to working 60/70 hour workweeks... when I'm working)

 

I apologize for going long in the tooth again here everyone, but I want to give a little background as to where I'm coming from.

I too was working as a computer network technician for 8 years with a regional accounting firm. I actually started with them as a pension administrator for 6 months for which I had 12 years experience in doing prior to them luring me into their computer network department after about 6 months. I thought I was going to be really happy as I was making my hobby (tinkering around with networks at home) my profession. It only served to make me not have time for my hobby as I was supporting about 75 users in Grand Rapids and 35 in Muskegon. I was working 50 to 60 hours/week in-house and about another 10-15 remotely from home nights and weekends. I too have a family that wasn't seeing much of me unless I was staring directly into a laptop trying to keep up.

Finally, after about 5½ years of that, they hired on another person that was going to be primarily taking on the Grand Rapids office while I got to spend more time in the Muskegon office (after said person was trained). I spent about 1½ years getting this guy familiar with all the software we supported, which was very specialized, only to have him quit because he decided he wanted to go to graduate school in Chicago. Needless to say, I ended up not supporting the users as well because I was taking the time to support him.

When he left, I found out he was taking a lot of shortcuts that made him look like a hero while he was there to the users which blew up after he left making me look even worse to the users because they were losing productivity while I had to figure what/why things happened. I also found out he was stabbing me in the back with my managers while he was there. I don't think I ever really recovered from that as I was fired 2½ years later while they were "building a case" against me.

It didn't help that I had a particularly bad review by my managers and they gave me said review the day after watching my father-in-law being removed from life support and die while we stood there. I lost my temper a bit with them about my review and that too was being carried over from year to year for the last 2½ years I was there. I was never able to explain to them just how sleep deprived and freaked out—more than just a little—I was by the prior days' events. From that point on, I pretty much didn't see a raise. (That was also partially due to a new standardized salary program they started at about the same time. Because I was a lateral move from pension administration... I was making a lot more than some of the other network technicians in the firm.)

Anyway, I was told that as the Muskegon office was growing, I'd probably get more time in Muskegon when we got another person. It took about 6 months after the first guy left for us to get another in there because I was too busy doing damage control from both ends to interview a new person. But, finally we did hire on a new guy.

This guy was leagues ahead me as far as knowledge of doing things better than they were currently being done, however, he didn't know how to play the politics... at first. I showed him the ropes as to the politics and from there he took right off. Needless to say, as he excelled, I was looking more and more to management like I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I have to admit, with his knowledge of technology, at times, I didn't.

Though I spent more time in the Muskegon office, I was chasing my tail trying to support 110 users between the two offices (GR remotely) because my help was off showing management all the great ways to do things better. He was basically putting the cart before the horse and getting away with it.

Meanwhile, I have an idiot stepson who decided after we kept pressuring him to get a job (yeah, right, where in Michigan?) and get off our couch. Instead, he decided he'd take the last of his graduation money, buy a bus ticket, and run to Texas to be with a girl he met on the Internet only a couple weeks before running. My wife and I decided, he had to learn for himself as he was an adult now. Well, all he learned was how to be a sperm donor to his new found love before he really knew anything about her.

As it turned out, she was a former child abuser to two previous girls she had given birth to and the state of Texas took them from her. While she was pregnant, they got married. Anyway, to make a short story longer , after the state of Texas took the baby straight from the hospital, we were able to take guardianship of the baby if (and only if) the mother and father signed off their parental rights. They did and we brought the baby home with us in Michigan to raise as our own at the end of March. (Note, at the time, I was being commended by my manager for doing this as the firm has a policy of putting family first... or so I was told.) We have also since been dealing with my stepson and his **** of a wife arguing with us about wanting to take the baby back to Texas. They really are idiots. If we hadn't taken the baby, they'd never have a chance to see her again, period! As it is, they can see her. Supervised only though! But, I digress (again, sorry).

One Sunday night in early May, the woman who we were using for daycare for the time being called us to tell us her twin 1½ year old girls were quite sick and she needed to take them to the doctor the next day. She said she didn't think she could swing taking all three babies into the doctor's office. We didn't blame her, it sounded like it would be a nightmare for her. I e-mailed my manager and let him know I wouldn't be in the office Monday but would support users from home as my wife had blown all her time off at her employer by going to Texas to get the baby. (It was common for my manager to communicate via e-mail if I needed time off.)

By the way, I learned that day, that it is really difficult to try to get anything done with a healthy bouncing 4 month old infant who is your charge for the day. (Sorry to all the mom's out there, I just didn't know! ... and God has gotten his punishment to me as I'm her primary care giver until I start CDL school.) So, I didn't get a lot of work done that day but did what I could to help out when I could. As it was, I had a hard time studying for the written part of the CDL test. But some late night cramming for a couple weeks took care of that.

I went to work Tuesday and everything seemed okay. When I went into the office that Wednesday, my manager asked if I could come with him. Again, not unusual, until he walked me to the board room where the IT director (from HQ) was sitting there. They let me go. They really didn't explain why, however, like I said, I had that incident a couple years earlier which they actually mentioned in the board room. It's like they were waiting for a time for me to slip up.

Again, I apologize for the novella everyone (you too Dude), but I wanted to explain where I was coming from. I was fired. I had no references or recommendation for my line of work that I could use because that would have to come from the firm I was fired from. I have no certification as there simply wasn't the time in the day to work 10-13 hours, be there for my family in the evenings, such as it was, and study. Now, I just cannot find a new job in the IT field which would pay me nearly what I was making prior to being fired.

It's like you said Dude, there just aren't even entry level positions out there anymore. All the jobs have either left this God foresaken state (no thanks to Governess Granholm's taxing them to death), or aren't hiring on anybody! I've been out of the pension administration game for over 8½ years too. The laws change for that stuff almost every year so I'm not even sure what I'd be getting into if I were to even find that type of work. So, I decided I'd just try changing careers altogether into trucking as it looks like it would pay decent starting out (not great, but decent) and would open a bunch of doors once I had a year or two under my belt... and also like I posted before, I've always been intrigued by driving a truck since I was a kid.

Something I hadn't realized Dude, was that Roehl's 7/3-7/4 program is only for those who live within 150 miles of their terminal in Gary, IN. As luck would have it, I live 160 mile from Gary, IN here in Muskegon. I wonder if there is any wiggle room there as we would take a terrible bath on our house here in Muskegon if we tried to sell it right now. If we were lucky, we'd only owe about $20K as things are in the housing market these days. ###### subprimers and their inability to live up to a contract!

I was aware of what a craphole Gary, IN is in general though as I've driven by it a few times. I wasn't too keen on possibly driving 2½ hours to park my car in an unsavory area instead of leaving it parked in my garage. Not that my car is anything special (short of the satellite radio antenna on it) to stand out from others. I figure it's over 5 years old and paid off. I'm keeping collision and comprehensive insurance up on it (for now) so if something happened, I'd be covered.

I also went to college in one the country's worst towns, Camden, NJ so, I'm not too unfamiliar with seedy settings either. I'd like to hear some Roehl drivers' takes on parking a car there. Is it fairly secure? Or am I going to be leaving a sign on it something like "Get your joyrides here!"

Heh, I also lived in one of the worst parts of Lansing (Donora Street by Baker) for about 2 years when I first moved back to Michigan. I also lived and worked in Flint (where I met my wife and found that job in Flint on the Internet) as well before moving to Muskegon. Sadly, into a not so great neighborhood here as well. I guess I have the knack for living in dumpy areas! I think the only place (other than my parents place in NJ) I ever lived in a decent area was in Richmond, VA now that I think of it!

I'm sick of office politics and and want to get driving as soon as possible. I know I'm going to be OTR for a couple years. I figure once I've done my time, unless Roehl really is better than a local freight company, which I doubt, I'm hoping to land a decent regional or local company driving job that can have me home evenings and a couple days per week. Weekends would be even better, but I doubt starting out at a local or regional will get me weekends.

So, let's hear it Roehl drivers, are Dude and I headed in the right direction? I know I certainly need less time on my hands for posting on this site! I need more time working so I can live up to my handle!

—Workinman

 

Unfortunately, I didn't do some research of my own with regard to my medical conditions which are going to keep me from passing my DOT physical exams as I found out a couple days ago. Sadly, I found this out at my DOT physical for CDL school and felt pretty stupid standing there in front of the doctor for not knowing this in advance. My wife had told me she had done this research for me and my medical conditions and the medications that I take for them were okay according to the driver regulations. She misread a section though which included my medications and my conditions. I do not blame her... it is something I should have done myself to double-check.

As I'd rather not go into detail about my medical history on the Internet, I can tell you that there are several more hoops (going to specialists to okay my status for each year) I'd have to run through which would be quite costly as it really isn't medically necessary. Basically, my wife's medical insurance wouldn't cover me and I don't blame them. I'd also have to give up a medically necessary prescription I take. I plan to double-check with my doc to see if there are any alternatives that aren't in the drivers regulations... but I think I've basically wasted the last 3 months or so of my life jumping through hoops trying to get state funding for the tuition for CDL school.

I've spent the last couple days feeling sorry for myself. I guess I can see if I can take some courses at a local college to get certified in my old field of work (computer networking) using the state funding—if they'll let me—though working in this field has left a bad taste in my mouth. I guess mostly because of being fired from it. I really don't have any recommendations from my former bosses and really do not want to go back to them as I'm too proud a person and believe I was wronged by those SOBs. I apologize for b1tching and having too much pride in advance to my readers.

I was really looking forward to breaking into a new career in truck driving. I was looking forward to not having someone up my rear end all the time as I've had in office work for the last 20 years. Not to mention, I'd also prefer to not deal with office politics. If you've ever worked in an IT field, you know that you're only called on when something is broken. Never to be told, "Wow, I really like the service you've given us and I love it that my computer hasn't broken down for six months!" Because, no matter how much you tell users, don't download the free crap because it comes with a load of extra garbage spyware or malware, they never listen. Never do users call on you just to say, "Hello, how are you doing today?" and have them be genuinely interested how you are doing... they are just leading into, "my computer doesn't work". But I digress, again...

I know I'm going to continue to have a hard time finding work here in Michigan. I purposely moved back to this state 14 years ago because I love the Great Lakes, snow, the cooler summers (compared to the East Coast where I lived before moving to Michigan), camping, and all that goes with that. My wife finally has a great job in the local city government which she really likes so I don't want to pull her out of that job to move somewhere where my profession would pay off.

Maybe our new president will get jobs back in Michigan like he promised during his campaign... but I'm not holding my breath. Our democrat Governess Granholm made the same promises years ago but has taken this state down the tubes running companies out of both the state and the nation for that matter due to over taxation.

I hope everyone, both seasoned veterans and newbies, do well in the trucking industry... and I'll continue to envy you all with my CB on while I run the highways back and forth to visit family on the East Coast. I run with the handle "The <insert destination state here> Bound Clown". You'll hear me asking how it looks over your shoulder. You guys/gals have never failed me. Works much better than my birddog!

Anyway, I guess this will be my last entry on TheTruckersReport forums. I want to thank you all for your advice, information, and your patience reading my entries as I know I tend to get long winded.

—WorkinMan (again, ironic avatar name, huh? hoping to be workin' again soon)