Taking a BIG step... But I'm unsure. Help!

I'm no longer with Roehl but I just wanted to say that getting faster at securing and tarping loads only comes with experience. If you try to rush it when you're just starting out you're going to get yourself and quite possibly someone else hurt or killed. Flatbedding is no joke and there's no room to take short cuts. Just take your time and make sure the load is going to stay on the deck. You'll have to figure out what works for you on your own. All us flatbedders have different ways of doing things.

That being said, when I was with Roehl up until May of this year, I hauled a lot of CAT loads out of Sanford, NC. The loads always picked up at the Keen terminal next door. I could count on one hand the number of times I went south of North Carolina in 2 years with Roehl. Roehl was a good company during most of my time there and I think you're making a good choice if you decide that's where you want to work. There are better options out there though if you'd have more interest in staying in the southern states. Me being from Ohio I prefer staying down south.

 

My last truck at Roehl was a 2014 International. After years of driving a Freightliner I thought I was going to hate the International but just the opposite was true. If you get A 2014 international you will be in love with it by the end of the week. Maybe by the end of your first run.

As far as the weekend staff goes it is what it is! It depends on the person. There are some weekend people that used to be drivers and they are excellent. There are others that have never set behind the wheel of a truck and have no clue what's going on. You'll know instantly which one you have on the phone just by the way they talk to you. There are some weekend people that will be better than your fleet manager and others that won't be. I found that there really wasn't a lot of middle ground with weekend staff. They are either great or terrible and they either care or they don't. But one thing is common to them all. Roehl Uses a culture of fear to keep all of its office employees in line. And they are not kidding about it either. Any Roehl office you care to name is literally paralyzed with fear. This extends to the weekend staff as well. Many of them used to be regular fleet managers but went to the weekend staff to get away from the culture of fear as much as they can! No office personnel are exempt from the culture of fear! They are either causing it on orders from above or are suffering from it!

You are wrong if you think that culture of fear doesn't get passed down to the drivers.

You say you are a veteran driver and so I'm going to take you at your word. If this is so, you have far better options than Roehl transport. You need to be looking around more carefully. You need to do your homework a little better.

A new driver cannot do better than Roehl Transport starting out.

A veteran driver can do far better.

 

Very well said. I've always said, as far as hiring "student drivers" Roehl is the best of the worst. As far as a long term career unless you can get into a good dedicated or regional fleet your best bet is to move on after a year or so.