starting roehl on Feb 25th

For a lot of guys trying to start out in Florida there are often only a few companies to choose from, especially once you get a little bit south of roughly I-10, and in that area south of there about the only companies that will hire new people are Swift, Werner, and Covenant. It's hard to start out in trucking in central or south Florida with a decent outfit because nobody hires down here due to lack of freight in the state.

 

Thats cool. The lack of freight thing probably isn't going to change at Roehl or anywhere else. Florida is just a dead end. There is a decent amount of freight going in but not much coming out. I always liked getting a FL load in the winter. It was nice to get away from the snow and cold and I could usually count on sitting for a least a day after I delivered while they looked for a backhaul. Flats are worse than vans. I took a load to a jobsite in Miami Beach a few years ago. It was in Feb, couldn't find a reload. I didn't care. I was that one really pale dude swimming around in the ocean. It was kinda chilly but still warmer than Lake Superior in the summer.

 

Funny thread...Nope, not from Florida..lol..NE Philadelphia..was looking at Roehl real hard, but decided to pay for school myself and do a bit more research before deciding what exactly I was looking for...I take my CDL Test Saturday..have attended an awesome school..LCTI..Instructors were fantastic! I leave for TMC on the 10th...after reading through these and other posts, searching companies directly online, etc... TMC seemed to be closer to what I was looking for then Roehl..Good luck to you all..just sorry I won't be able to see the florida crew in the snow..lol..My first time back in the NE after many years away...Brrrrrrrrr......am finally thawing out a bit and starting to enjoy the snow...Good luck!!

 

Roehl does have Terminals in Florida IE Tampa and Jax. Please keep us informed on your progress as this is going to be close for me. I am either going with them or Swift for flat bedding.

Kinghunter

 

Knew we just got a yard in Jax, Tampa is news to me.

 

I thought you guys are based in Tampa for flat bedding. I got that straight from the website.

Kinghunter.

 

We load flats near Tampa (Plant City). Before they got this customer flats usually had to deadhead out of FL. I haven't heard about a yard there. If you guys work for Roehl make sure you go van. Otherwise, my rare FL loads are going to disappear trying to get you home. Just kidding. But not that much.

 

The snow isn't so bad. Yeah, it's cold but oh well, the trucks have heat. Although the pre-trips are a little brutal. This is our second day and we got to drive for the first time. I have never driven standard before, so using a clutch is a challenge, never mind double clutching. I am doing alright shifting up, but shifting down is frustrating me. The clutch, shift, rev, clutch, shift thing takes a lot of coordination; coordination that I don't always have. Other than that, things seem to be going well. If anybody has any questions let me know and I will get you an answer. As far as terminals go, there is a drop yard in Jacksonville, but it's not a terminal. I hadn't heard of the one in Tampa.

 

Hang in there folks, I just finished RDTC. Its cold ,but, its worth it.

 

I have a question. How many bags can a trainee carry on to the truck withthem? I ask because I am getting ready for orientation on the 12th of March, and it looks as if I will have twwo duffle bags, pilow, blanket, and heavy coat. So, is this to much stuff to carry on someone ellse truck?

Thanks