want to talk to drivers about roehl

doc venture,thanks for all your info.

 

doc,i was only offered either national van,or flats.not sure if i can handle flats.i'm no spring chicken,BUT NOT OLD.keep my self in excellent shape.called roehl recruiter tonight,i know he said he was in,last talked to him on day before thankgiving.called and left message.my "plans"are to start roehl school in minn on or about end of jan '09,or beginning of feb '09.don't want to wait to long....or may not get another chance if i wait that long....any insight??

 

buster,just saw your thread...good luck at roehl.i just heard from dr venture,said good things about roehl training school.talked to roehl recruiter this past wednesday.said only two choices in my area,upstate new yok,poughkeepsie to be exact,either flat national,or flats.as i told dr venture,don't know if i can handle flats,though $$ is better....one other note/question,do you need your dot physical,BEFORE,you get your ny permit,and if so,who pays and sets up?called roehl recruiter a little while ago,said he would be in today/tonight...hope he calls back.

hope to hear more about your schooling...

 

59 is not too old for skateboards we have several drivers older than that and they are not in excellent shape. Once you learn the ropes tarping and securment become second nature. Flatbed freight does tend to slow down in the winter so you will need to consider that in your decision. Good luck and feel free to ask any questions you would like. I don't work for Roehl but consider them one of the better outfits and believe me you want to be carefull who you work for in this industry.

 

.... know 59 not that old,but some days....well i guess we all have our good and bad days.thanks for your input,appreciate it.
.. still trying to figure out this site."how to post,get messages,chat,etc

chevusa

 

Flats is one of those jobs you either learn to work smart, or you get really strong. Personally, I think anybody can be a flatbedder IF you have the desire to do it. If you want to pull skateboards for the money you'll be sadly disappointed. I like the places I go, the things I haul. I like getting out in the elements and throwing tarps and straps. It's just my personality. I'm a hands on type person. Plus, I find myself in places not many drivers go. I've spent the night at job sites in cow pastures in Arkansas and corn fields in Illinois. Might not sound great, but propping up in a lawn chair and watching the stars with nobody else around is priceless. Sure it has it's moments, but I really love this jobs. You won't find a better bunch of people than flatbed drivers either.

 

Just stopped in Marshfield yesterday and was surprised to see they're still training. I stopped by and chatted with Tim for a bit, watched a few students try to get the 45-degree back. I couldn't drop my flat where we're supposed to park the flats--there were no empty slots, so I had to move it over by the other flats parked where they shouldn't be. I'm on a curtainside now, and I'm never pleased to have a trailer with doors on the back. If you're needing money coming in quick, you'd be better off working at the casino than starting out in trucking. Don't get me wrong, driving will pay more in the long run. But the time it takes to get the hang of things can put a big dent in your income. After a while, trip planning, securement (if applicable), equipment inspections won't take you nearly as long. Even trying to remember all the Qualcomm messages for each load can waste an extra half-hour when you're new.

Above all, miles are still slow right now. I've let them know I don't care if I'm home late, as long as I'm home by Sunday night. I'm starting to think harder about going full-time at home, but I'm not sure I can give up OTR driving entirely.

 

I think I can agree with Dr. Venture about the driver availability thing. I drove with Roehl for a year back in '06, and as long as I was able to maximize my time via HOS management and proper trip planning (yes, legally) my miles came in around 2000-2500 per week.

Now things could have changed since then, but man I certainly hope not. I've been debating long and hard about going back OTR. I left Roehl to work for Coca-Cola locally and for the past two years, I have hated my job. Anyways I hope you guys find Roehl as pleasurable as I did.....and unless something else local pops out, I hope I'll enjoy it again as much as I did then.

 

Chev, sorry man I just saw your post. You can get a permit without a medicial. Im not sure if you can drive without one. I had a current DOT PHYS when I started school. Roehl has me set up to take a new one local in my area prior to me going to Gary Ind. Are you in NY?? Im in Kingston, NY.

 

buster.no problem,thanks for the response.i heard the same thing about the requirement for the physical,you can get a permit without the physical,but need one to drive and from what i hear from roehl,they will set it up locally through,
"allied medical"in this area.right now waiting for "wade",roehl recruiter to call me back today.hopefully,i wil get approved and if approved,plan to attend roehl school either the end of january '09,or the beginning of february.recruiter told me the school will be at,marshfield.did he mention the hotel to stay in.said it was the clearwaters hotel.three weeks for $350.00,special rate i guess..and yes i live in ney york,poughkeepsie to be exact,town of lagrange.again,thanks for info,hope to hear back from you.