NEW Driver - General Help

Thinking about trying Roehl Transport for getting my class A CDL as a career change, but have not read a lot of good reviews.

From what I hear from drivers who have been in the business long enough most drivers stay in it long enough to get there CL before transferring out or finding someone w/ better rates. From what I have read about Roehl Transport they have a decent CDL school, but after 6-8 months drivers seems to drop/quit or get fired.

Roehl Transport has a contract you sign which puts you on the hook for what I think is 7K if you do not finish there program and complete there miles. The training is $500 a week which covers 4 weeks, and then when you switch to a trainer its $90 a day for 14 or so days. On average why do solo drivers make after their training, and do lease drivers survive longer or is it better to stay w/ the company.

Going in on this I feel going company for 15 months to 2 years might be something I would like to do before leasing. I'm still hung up on that since I would rather just get my CDL 1st then worry about this later, but even I need a business plan of some sort for this pending styled future. If I stick w/ company till the program is completed they cannot take $7k away from me when I transfer out, but if I go lease to early I would be on the hook still w/ those weekly payments which are very high. I have found companies which charge $55 a day for a lease, $400 a week, and up to $600. When I look into those price patterns it really sounds like the cheaper one would work, but the downside is the work load and what you will be getting paid down the road based on your miles completed.

A 9-5 job you know what you’re making since its stable income and you are a W2 employee vs Roehl Transport where you don't always know what each week’s payout will be even though you are still a W2 employee. If you go lease you take yourself out of the W2 bubble and are now a 1099 contract employee, and the freedom may be worth it for some when it is that appealing. What are the benefits to becoming a lease owner over staying w/ the company when your right out of training and can you avoid team ups after training.

I was also looking into PAM Transport, Stevens Transport, and Riverside Transport which seem to have a better setup. What I have herd bad things about would be Prime Inc., but the training seems worth it only, but I have not found any good news on any YouTube videos supporting how well solo drivers do after they have made it past training and they are finally on their own (90% quit or transfer out).

Through the door I know pay will be low no matter what when your new and just starting so I would be prepared for that (more money comes w/ experience & negotiating), and to be honest staying on the road 8-12 weeks at a time sounds perfect for me. I literally would not mind staying away months on end as long as I'm able to see the country side and enjoy not having someone over my shoulder. I want them to bleed me dry of my sanity while getting paid for it and racking up experience before I go lease and or o/o.

I don't mean to sound naive right out the door here but I know from what I have read and of course have scene online that the 1st step w/ no experience is going to be hard. The recruiter will make everything sound better than it ever will be, and of course the training program will be there for you but once you’re out the door is every man/women for themselves unless you pick the right company that has your back. (Which almost never happens)

The goal for me at least would be to achieve getting my CDL and go company till I get to 6-8 months, and to achieve my endorsements along the way. If you go company 1st you can learn on that end till you either know better or have a taste of trucking for the most part before deciding if this career path is worth the gamble (of course the penalty w/ Roehl is $7K if you did not finish your miles). Most drivers tell me the 2 year mark is where you start to transfer out since the timing is right and your experience has grown to the point where any trucking company will hire you on the post (pending a good driving record).

Of course another idea I had would be after I am out the door from training go lease instead of waiting, and set aside $0.15 per mile so after the lease ends I have the lease money on top of what I have saved to either buy the truck or invest and or purchase another. (Yet another possible idea) That idea relies on the assumption I'm making enough money per week to cover this lease and my general needs. If I'm not making enough then I have another setback and I would be in deeper debt w/ Roehl Transport. (Depending on their lease agreement and if I could walk away or not)

Let me know if there is anything I had missed or if I just plan out sound crazy or have my stuff together after posting this.

Thanks

 

I'm afraid that is out of the question and would rather rely on a training program (one w/ paid incentives) and or school for proper training over winging it with some unlicensed instructor. Locally I do not know of anyone who owns or operators a truck w/ a CDL sadly so that to is out of the question.

Just have a regular motor vehicle license without any formal manual training.

 

I know of a few companies who have a walkaway agreement w/ there lease where you can return your truck at anytime to exit the lease, and another one only charges you by the mile when you are driving w/ a load so the clicker stops when your off the clock....

Minus the fact lease owners are on the hook for a weekly and or monthly debt what benefits do they have outside of no longer being a company driver or W2 employee.

 

I'm thinking of going company after I get my CDL, but the hard part is weeding out the best starter company. Goal would be to stay company long enough to get my experience in (1-2 years), and to gain endorsements before either moving on or switching to lease. (get your feet wet enough that you don't drawn)

I know at first it will be a nightmare or something you have to adjust to and more, but I feel the reward could be worth it as long as I don't get to ####y. Jumping into a lease right off the bat may add more stress vs making things easier. I want to learn what I can while I can at my first company before jumping ship so I can have a better handle on where I want to go and where I see myself in 5-10 years.