Roehl company
 

Was wondering if anyone knows much on this company good or bad. Crete will take me but not my daughter due to too many jobs in the past year. They wont take into account that she was in college and the companies she started with wouldn't hold up to their end of the bargin on letting her have only certain hours due to classes. So we are on the lookout for another company who will hire out of Kansas. Any info would be appreciated.

Re: Roehl company
 

Roehl is a training company. They don't pay much.

Employment
 

"she was in college" Why doesn't she just put down she was a student and forget about all the part-time jobs? BOL

If you want to run team Try Earl Henderson would be reefer abut they have APU's pet program and lots of decent miles and they would love your location since they have lots of frieght out of KC area.

Re: Roehl company
 

Roehl pays at least as much as most other companies when it comes to inexperienced drivers. .30 per mile is pretty much the going rate for rookie drivers just out of school.

Re: Roehl company
 

When did you work at Roehl?

Roehl is an extremely cheap company. It's well documented. I didn't want to regurgitate all the nickel and diming that goes on at Roehl. Therefore, I left it at them not paying much.

Thanks,

Now fork over $200 for a kingpin lock, and that'll be $0.10 a minute on your Roehl calling card. Never mind we have a convenient payroll deduction program!!

Re: Roehl company
 

:shock: 200 bucks for a king pin lock?? :shock:

Dayumm!! What were those things made of!!

Re: Roehl company
 

It's not $200 for a kingpin lock , its $100 for a kingpin lock , trailer lock , straps and steering wheel lock , which btw is fully refundable after you leave the company .

As far as the 0.10 cents a minute calling card goes , who cares ? That's what cell phones are for . if you don't have a cell phone by now , then your the cheap one . I was on the 7 on/ 7 off fleet making anywhere from 1100 to 1400 hundred a week when I left .

Just quit Roehl 2 weeks ago due to low pay after 2 years with them. They have had some strict standards for acceptance for driving. However, they have had a lot of drivers quit here at the end/first of the year. Things might be changing if they have an over abundance of empty trucks. Doesn't hurt to try. All they can do is say "no".

Soladad

Jobs
 

Crete was our first ever company to apply for and we were told she had to put down all her jobs regardless if she was in school and they would be checking it all. Dad told me to check out Roehl so I asked. Will be checking further into other companies as well that take student drivers out of Kansas. Thanks for all the info on them and I'll check into the driver's website for this company as well.

Roehl? Yet another low-paying McMega carrier that's always hiring/advertising. Let's see...

You will drive a stripped-down, governed truck.
They will not pay you for all the miles you drive.
They will expect you to fuel their trucks for free plus...
-inspect their equipment for free
-drop/hook trailers for free
-scale loads for free
-sit for free when your (their) truck/trailer breaks down
-wait for free at docks, maintenance/PM's, safety meetings, traffic jams, waitng for loads, etc.
-etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc...for free, for nada, for nothing.
You will spin a roulette wheel to determine when and if you can go home.
A device called Qualcomm will emit a shrill and angry BEEP!! if roll downhill heavy in the box at say around 68 mph or so.
They might throw you 50 or 60 bucks for sitting over 24 hours. Ditto for holiday pay.
They will have people sitting far away in air-conditioned/heated office cubicles with headsets on who have no idea what your job entails telling you how to do your job.

And that's about the long and short of it. Did I mention that they're always hiring?

The relevant question to ask when researching such companies is "How hard will they screw me? A little lovepat on the hiney or will they take me back behind the woodshed and go full throttle?"

zzzzzzzz, did CFM just say something profound or was it the same usual bullshit.

Same old BS as normal screaming against the OTR companies and saying about how good LTL companies are. Hey CFM tell you the truth I enjoyed being an OTR driver for the simple reason I did not have to deal with Ahole dock managers and Union Stewards everyday that would scream that is a voilation if I took a person run that was senior to me regardless if I could get it done faster than he could.

And I don't have to deal with an OTR company cutting my mileage because they can get a newbie steering wheel-holder fresh out of driving school to do the same job for .28 cpm. Or a foriegner/immigrant when they get issued CDL's. That's the whole reason behind seniority...not that you would ever understand it.

You people are in for a rude awakening. Better learn to habla espanol pronto!!!! :lol:

Hey CFM where I worked the senior drivers got more miles WHY they had PROVED that they could handle the PRESSURE of running hard and legal. When I was running it was still the 10/8 and no RESETS and I routinely was given 60 hours to make Stockton CA out of Chicago and made it everytime. Then would reload and come straight back in the same amount of time. When I trained the time got dropped to 42 hours why I was able to sleep while my Trainee drove after the 1st week I was considered a finisher and they got me if they were having trouble with making what a second seat should of made in a shift.

CFM my dad is a Teamster and they will not let him have his pension WHY HE HAD THE BALLS TO CROSS THE PICKET LINES TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY IN THE 70'S INSTEAD OF LETTING US STARVE ON THE 40 BUCKS A WEEK THEY THOUGHT WAS ENOUGH TO FEED US AND PAY OUR BILLS. When he was forced to retire in the late 90's he applied for his pension and was told to GTF out of here you F***ING SCAB he has appealed to the International and they also denied him so when it comes to a union driver saying how great it is to be union YOU AND YOUR UNION CAN KISS MY FAMILY BUTT AND THEN WATCH MY FOOT GO DOWN YOUR THROAT.

Re: Roehl company
 

Not sure when you worked their. I know I was charged $200! It is refundable. But, (isn't there always a but :lol: ) it's up to you to get it back to them. Being a 7/7 driver (slip seating), you know how much they weigh :sad:

It's the point of the calling card and their gouging.

How about that insurance? Boy that's a deal.

How about that profit sharing? It only takes 6-years to get "really" shared.

It takes a lot of miles to make a $1400 paycheck. Especially with a $0.38 cap for new hires.

Don't get me wrong, a newbie can do a lot worse than Roehl. Just trying to help new hires flesh through the baloney.

I will say one thing. Roehl's new website provides details that formerly weren't divulged until orientation.

guess you show your true colors with the foreigner/immigrant thing there....I am a foreigner/immigrant....British for your info...I got my CDL the same way everyone else gets theres....hard work for three weeks, going through crap company after crap company. I have so far found Roehl to be a decent company, but no company is perfect, even the whiter than white union companies....I have heard plenty of fun things about them too....if there is such a thing as a prefect trucking company to work for then let me know and I will be there with bells on!!!

And of course having the attitude you do to foreigners/immigrants (never forget this country was built on just that...including ILLEGALS from ALL parts of the world) then it is hardly surprise that you know better than everyone else.....and so typical when things are looking a bit rough to blame another race (germany in the 30's springs heavily to mind)...


thanks all and stay safe!

Chris,

If it's a thread about OTR, just ignore CFM. I think he has a macro that spits out his venom whenever the subject comes up.

He's far from the only one with an issue with foreign drivers. One of his problems, I assume, is that NAFTA allows essentially under skilled, under trained, and poorly equipped drivers from Mexico to drive in the US.

I been driving since 1989 , I went to roehl to be a trainer , if your experienced stay away from them. They have a voice mail box , that your supposed to call everyday after punching 8 different codes in you listen to stupid messages about some crap going on in marshfield , or job postings like truck recovery and they charge you for the v. box . There,s 15 minutes wasted or more. Then your supposed to put date and time in when your starting your day , this is for the planner , to send info to your dispatcher. Because there to stupid to figure anything out. There extremely disfunctional . They must have 1500 trucks sitting , alot of wrecked trucks. Opti routing have fun on 3 digit roads, and stopping for 27 gal. of fuel. There insurance is crap.

They have the cheepest spected truck made. Everything at roehl has a clause or hidden fee. Like 300.00 to install a power inverter , they don,t tell ya that it,s another 300.00 to take it out . Alot of your miles will be state hwy. and lessor roads. I stayed out 30 days at a time , it seems like there 7/7 drivers are the priority , what a joke how do you call mr. partime the priority driver , it,s frickin stupid . And there dam useless too , well how are you going to work on your skill and build your confidence when you work everyother week. They have rules like no lineers allowed , your fired if they find out , most of there drivers don,t have a cb in the truck , because roehl told them that they don,t need one , a bunch of useless sheep.

You're calling them stupid?? I lost count of the number of spelling errors in your posts.

I finished orientation on Friday. I start Evo I on Tuesday. I liked what I heard. They pride themselves on safety. Better than what I've heard about TMC, Cypress, Crete (that name has an effect on people here in Jacksonville). I'll start a new thread and keep yall posted on what it's like.

By the way, the phone card is free for calls to Roehl. It's 8.4 cents a minute if you use it personally (not .10) - but no connection fees associated with it. Factor that in.

Also, the locks are $100, not $200. Refundable.

gonna call these guys to see what colleges they hire from

Let us now how it goes Fried Foods . You could do a lot worse for an OTR company , they usually treated me well but I just got tired of the lifestyle hence the move to LTL .

Fried Foods... I will agree with you that they are good on their safety issues. However, after driving for 2 years for them (went through the Evols) I said goodbye because they are what others have said on this thread about being cheep. Will let a seasoned driver go over pay and put a inexperience student in seat. I know that we all need a chance at learning but it doesn't make much sense to keep redesigning the wheel and not paying for good drivers. Good training company. Take the Safe 7 and drive it that way. Lean what you can then move on. Good luck in your Evols.

Thanks, guys. I understand what you are saying, and I am taking your advice to heart. I sure wish the pay on the higher end was there for the experienced drivers...

EVO I was great. Basically boot camp. Lots of yelling, lots of miles. I learned an incredible amount. I don't know if I will retain it all. I am hoping that my trainer for EVO II won't do a damn thing, so I can practice practice practice.

fried foods your trainers shouldnt be yelling at you they should be helping you with the problems you are haveing. if you have problems in evo2 just ask for another trainer. im a trainer i know there are alot of trainers that dont care how you are doing there just in it for the money and miles after day 5. your not going to learn everything in 20 or 26 days. good luck

driver 1989 roehl doesnt charge $300 to install a power inverter its $150 and the take it out in 4 paychecks and its $95 to take it out and reinstall into a new truck when you get one not $300 they dont charge you to call your voice mail unless you use your own cell phone. use the calling card and its free.

Evo 1 and 2 are only to get you off on hopefully the right foot on company way of doing things along with some more driving time. The real education comes after you leave your trainer's truck and get your own. The first year is a real experienc and education. Take what you can from each trainer and add to it.

Soladad

EVO 2 is almost over. I drove alot of miles, drove in NYC, drove in PA mountains, drove, tarped, drove, drove, tarped, and drove more. I might be taking the tests at Gary because I'll have to get back south.

I like it alot so far, and I haven't found Roehl to be cheapo, but that's just me. I think I am really lucky to have gotten into this company (I like everyone I've met here), instead of Werner or Cypress or Swift, the other companies I applied to out of school, and that recruited at our school. I dunno. Everyone has different experiences.

For the important issues, I think I'll be getting XM radio for the sports, and I think I'll invest in a laptop with copilot truck 9 (if I can find it at a truckstop on the cheap) so I won't have to spend the extra hour a day route planning. Dell laptops are looking good and cheapo!

Cold Frosty Mug, as far as getting a local driving job, I haven't seen any companies in my area hiring CDL A holders right out of school for more than $40,000, and most companies are looking for a year or more experience. I am looking to make more than 40,000 in my first year driving OTR, not because of excellent pay, but because the work is there that will allow me to make that kind of money.

Fried Foods...Congrats on making it through your Evols (evils..lol). I too was very excited about Roehl after good training in the Evols. Give yourself about a year and you will understand why those of us with a few more years with the company say they are a bit on the cheep side. Just remember what you have been taught and use your "Safe 7." Safe 7 will make you a smart and a safe driver.

I know that you are super charged at this point in time. A bit of advice on mapping programs. Don't go out and buy an expensive program like Co Pilot right away. I used MS Street and Trips with GPS ($130) for 2 years and did just fine finding places even with poor directions from Roehl's data base and often no directions from Roehl at all. Threw in the internet at times using the arial view in Maps/Directions/Live Search off MSN main web page which gave me a really good idea of where I was going and how to get into a place. Regardless what computer program you use you need to spend a bit of time in the evenings to look over your trip plan for the next day. Proper planning at the beginning of your load and through out the life of the load is time well spent and the mark of a good driver (prepare to drive).

An XM or Sirus is money well spent for the long days of driving. Still have my XM even off the road. If you can afford it get a year or 2 year contract with XM.

Congratulations

looking at roehl
 

hello all, I probably have a typical story for this message board. I am due to retire after 20 long years of playing army and would like to get back into trucking. I called roehl and the recruiter told me about the honors program which really offsets the low CPM, which I know thats expected for a new driver.

question... is there anybody on here that has used the honors program? and if so what documentation do I need to use my GI bill?

from what the recruiter told me was I would get an extra 8500 a year on top of the 30 CPM which would be decent combined with my military retirement.

also is there any other companies that have this same type of program? (roehl will assist retired military to use GI bill for a period of two years)

I still maintain my CDL however lack the recent OTR experience.

just looking for some feedback or in other words a reality check...

thanks andy

I just got my CDL and am looking at Roehl as well. What are the chances of a newbie after training getting into their hometime plus program?

Can't talk about the Honors program. However the hometime fleet is not offered in all parts of Roehl's run area. Need to check out the map on their website where it is available. Usually offered around areas of terminals (WI, IN, GA) or drop yards. Must be within a certain mile radius of these spots.

Look like the closest to me is Cleveland. I'm in Buffalo. That's about 190 miles away.

I see they offer paid holidays after a year. Should I assume that I'll be working holidays prior to this, or is it that I just won't get paid?

You just don't get paid for holidays till after one year of employment. After your first year you would get your run pay for being out on the road on a holiday plus $60 for the holiday. If you are home then you would get the holiday pay. If you want to be home for a holiday then you have to work it out with your DSR. I worked every holiday since holidays serve no purpose in my life. My choice. For the most part I was kept running. Shuttling lots of freight around. Christmas was the worse. Both Xmas I work there was something screwed up and I got no Xmas dinner. This last Christmas it was the shipper forgot to tell trucking companies that they were closing Xmas eve a 17:00 and not reopen till 21:00 Xmas night. Drop/hook situation. The sign was not hung on the gate but on the side of the guard shack where it could not be read from the gate. I think that every major carrier was represented in that mess. The town of Neelys Landing, MO had only a very small truck stop (15 trucks max). It had a C-store and was not open 24 hours. No resturant in town open either :evil: That's why you always carry some food in the truck.

ok, I'm going to throw the bulls**t flag on cfm.
Roehl bought my company out and I drove for them for 2, very rocky years then quit.
1) $100 for kingpin/padlocks/straps/fuel cards refundable. However, it took me 3 months and a threatened court case to get it back
2) They changed from HHM to Practical miles while I was there and my out-of-route miles dropped from about 12% to around 4-5% = more money.
3) I started at .40/mile. Not bad in this industry
4) They do route you down goat paths and will ask you why you deviate from that route if you do. I did quite often and never had much of a problem as long as I had a good reason and wasnt just sight-seeing.
5) They most certainly will stop you for fuel 26 gal here, 47 gal there. That really sucked and ate up the day.
6) As the fuel prices went up they nickled and dimed you to death. The promised bonuses always seemed to not show up for some reason or another. Example: I was scheduled for a 0900 delivery on Long Island. I told them 3 times when I picked up the load that I couldnt make it. I managed to get there 8min late, sat there for 6hrs and was refused detention pay because I was late. This was not the only time that happened to me.
7) Dispatch for me in New England was in Marshfield, WI. I didnt really care about that except the chicky who was my dispatcher never sat in a truck in her life and had the gall to call me and "council" me on my driveing.
8) If you had a problem it was almost impossible to talk to anyone in charge. Intentionally so.
9) I ran every fleet they had and finally settled on 7/7. I averaged 3,000 miles per week so it wasnt bad, however, it was fight to get home on time. I left on fridays and sometimes I got stuck out till sat or sun. Guess what the other guy did? He sat home without getting paid through no fault of his own.
10) I had many other problems with them. These all may have been a function of my location a little outside of the freightlanes but I spoke to every Roehl driver I ran across and alot of them echoed my problems.
I would be very careful about joining this company. I dont think that their problems are specific to their company, they seemed like a large company growing to fast and forgetting that the drivers got them there.

You are being a bit overly optimistic about making over $40K your first year. Basically looking at over 130K miles.

XM is good for baseball and college sports. Sirius has the NFL. XM has better music. Sirius has a stronger signal - I have never lost a signal (outside of tunnel) with Sirius. With XM, everytime I am on the wrong side of a mountain I lose the signal.

You won't find a good deal on ANYTHING at a truck stop - well maybe out in the parking lot - but definitely not inside the doors :lol:

GPS can lead you down some paths you don't really want to take :wink: The co-pilot is like $300+, another $500 for a laptop, then mounting hardware. A bunch of money. You can get a Garmin for a couple hundred bucks. I basically use the GPS to double check against the crap directions that come across the qualcomm. Also there isn't much trip planning at ROEHL, they send you detailed routing with every trip. They like to do things like route you through National Parks.

Make no mistake they are a tight company. But on the whole they aren't bad.