Any Questions about Roehl??

That's BS, why should he suck it up? He's not even able to get 8 hours sleep because his trainer is making him log 3+ hours off duty in the jump seat then allowing him 7 hours to sleep, eat, shower etc, then starting him off first thing in the morning. Training is not and should not be a team operation. That's not training, that's team driving. Is the training too short? Yeah, I think it is, but if trainers feel they are being underpaid to train, then don't do it.

 

Roehl sends students out to TRAIN, not TEAM. If trainer and student agree on teaming, who am i to argue? BUT, to tell someone who feels that s/he isn't getting trained to the best of their ability to comprehend and copy to "suck it up??" REALLY??? So we all want safer roads, truckers who can keep their trailer in their own lane, to be able to sleep at night without worrying that some UNDERTRAINED driver will rip off parts of our trucks...but we want the new guys/gals to DEAL with subpar training. AWESOME.
Is it just me, or is something inherently wrong with that??

 

3200 miles a week is pretty far from a team operation. It is only 450 miles or nine hours a day. There is plenty of time to train, rest, and run good miles if time is managed. There is only one way to learn to drive a truck and that is by actually driving the truck.

 

I agree with bucksandducks. On the other hand the trainer and student stop driving the same time and break the same time. The student shouldn't be sleeping while the trainer drives at all. 3 showers in 13 days is enough and eating once a day is normal for me. When u drive put snacks and a soda or two in reach to where u can grab it while u drive or during a vehicle check grab it then. My trainer drove the first day out of 14 with me I did the rest. We never had a load over 1000 miles and make decent miles while out. Update your logbook during the day at the start, vehicle checks, and the end. Learn to manage your time. Ask question as many as u want that's what he's there for. I'd say yeah suck it up on some of it, the team thing is BS stand up to him or get another trainer.

 

The main problem I have is according to
The student he's not even getting a 10 hours break. He's having to log 3-4 hours of his break riding shotgun. That's not legal. You can only log 2 hours off duty riding shotgun and it must immediately come after, or follow 8 hours in the sleeper. If they were driving hard and at the end of the run they stopped for a full 10 hours, and the student complained, THEN yeah I would tell him to suck it up. As far as the showers, 3 in almost 2 weeks is pretty nasty. (especially on flatbed) If you take your 10 every night you have plenty of time to catch a shower. Anyone who takes 3 showers in 13 days, is lacking seriously in hygiene, and I don't care who you are. There's no reason not to take care of yourself out here. We can smell you, even if you can't.

 

There is more to driving a truck than DIY. I, personally, can learn much while watching. Especially if it's something I haven't encountered before. See it done CORRECTLY, then apply this new knowledge later. It also gives time for asking questions when the answers can be thought over instead of in-one-ear-and-out-the-other...Hands-on is huge, of course...I'm just saying there is more to success than grab the wheel and go.

 

As for showers...I have lousy trip planning, so showers aren't as often as I'd like...but SO FAR, I have taken enough care that I shower before I get "the look"...my goal is to plan well enough for every other day showering.

 

if the trainer is running the student illegally, then the trainer isn't doing his job. the purpose of training is to teach safe and legal operation, not to demonstrate how much more money you can make by breaking the law.

logging more than two hours of break in the passenger seat means that the student drives illegally every time he takes over in the morning. every time.

lyle, call your FM and get out of that truck.

 

Treefork I agree as far as getting a 10 break and allotted time for rest. If he's flatbed then yeah maybe he would need more showers. As far as for my door closing self I don't get dirty that often to take showers and my hygiene is peachy. I shower roughly every 3 days. Sometimes I'm not around the chain of truck stops or don't have showers on my card available yet so it'll have to wait. But if time permits and I do then yeah but its not everyday or every 2 days. Just doesn't fall that lucky for me. I drove all the time, if we needed more then my trainer drove but when we stopped we both took the 10 hr break together. If Its different than that then like I said before take the right actions with the trainer or management.

 

Hi guys, I'm looking into starting a career at Roehl and was wondering what kind of home time are to be expected running OTR with the national fleet? I was tempted towards the 7/4, 7/3 plan but I don't want to slip seat trucks, and only really was looking for a night or 2 at home every couple weeks to keep more money flowing in.