Question for current Roehl drivers

June 2, 2009 was my last day

 

Since getting in on this thread I've done some research on Roehl...and in my opinion their biggest mistake is forcing drivers to use their routes.

That is just plain ignorant...its the drivers that know the situation and road conditions at any given time, not some computer somewhere.

I know how to get ANYWHERE in this country...quickly, safely, and efficiently, and I will go the way I choose or I wont go at all.

Roehl might be an OK place to work if it wasn't for their routing "ideas".

 

depends on where u are and your history... if you are always on time and on route then they will keep you moving... if you are hard to get along with... weekend ops people wont put up with it... i tell em no hurry gonna take a nap... BEEP got another load... usually i have a preplan b4 i hit the drop off... i am on 11/3 van national now... last run i did west bend to la mesa tx with 3 drops on the way then had a dsp for lubbock to appleton there is 2700 miles then another 600 in short runs til i went home... if u oare in the main freight routes its faster... if you have a HARD date to be home then they have to work harder to get u a load home. i usually have one through the house for delivery on mon or tues, freight must be better now... I no longer take an MT home its always loaded

 

they just changed the opti stop system... its no better... i stay kinda close, i use the truckers gps instead... no complaints yet

 

Ill be the first one to admit Roehl has quite a few quirks, but if you dont like it stay at home; more miles for me. I've had to reset hours every weekend, so if ur sitting, figure out how to run because there is freight to move if you wanna work hard, run a tight ship, and most importantly run legal like they require.

 

man this forum sure has a lot of whiners Look I may not have a truck yet but you need to look at the bigger picture! We are in a depression not a recession! Things are messed up everywhere.. What people need to do is spend less and not worry about not rolling when they don't and just freaking wait till they get a load... No matter what. Rail is still a good company. All I see lately are people that quit and badmouth the companys.. Being a noob that has 2 weeks left in trucker school that pisses me the beep off!!! I mean come on couldn't it of either been something you did or maybe they really didn't have anything yet?

 

Cypher- You have a lot to learn. One thing to keep in mind is that there are basically three groups of drivers out here. The first will tell you how great their company and dispatcher are no matter how poorly they get treated. They will constantly make excuses for the company even if the problem is clearly the company's fault.

The second group will never have a good thing to say even if the company puts them in a brand new truck, gives them their choice of runs and pays them an extra grand a month just because they feel like it.

The third group is the group I try to stay in. We are the realists that will tell you the unvarnished reality of life out here. We will tell you the good and the bad of the companies that we work for and hopefully point out that we are giving you our perspective. I work for Roehl in the van hometime fleet and my experience with Roehl is going to be much different than someone running national or a flatbedder.

In my fleet the fm(dsr) has to be on top of the driver's hos because that truck needs to be back to homebase in seven days. The mistake that Roehl makes is that they put newbies in the dispatcher chair who don't know how to watch out for the truck movement. The result is that you end up having to sit for a restart. I have only gotten home on time once in over two months. This screws up two drivers not just one. I will say that my miles have been pretty decent.

As for miles with roehl you have to keep in mind two things. First the planner, not the dispatcher assignes loads. Second there is a fleet pecking order, teams first, owner operators second, hometime third and then regional and national. Hometime can't take just any load since we have to be back by a certain day so sometimes we do sit for a bit. We also do a lot of relay loads.

Roehl is also getting a reputation for being cheap and difficult to work with. I just had a trailer rejected by a shipper because of a tire that needs replacing that they are too cheap to replace and a slider handle that won't pull but has never been fixed even though it was obviously that way for a while. They do have things to recommend them which is why in other places I have given them a grade of "C." That means they are the worst of the best or the best of the worst, you take your pick.

Let me add one more thing about driving- "If the wheels ain't turnin, you ain't earnin." Drivers hate sitting because you aren't paid by the hour you are paid by the mile. Many companies don't pay for layover till you have sat for twenty-four hours. I don't know about anyone else, but I leave home for one reason only- to make money. As a company you have a responsibility to me as a driver to keep me running.

 

Very well said preacher man.

 

Very well put preacher man. There is a ton of truth wrapped up in your post.