Comments By David K.

Day 2 -- June 2 Full day of in-class training, mostly about safe driving. We started training on the pre-trip inspection during the last hour.

Day 1 -- June 1 Roehl sent a van to pick up the GYCDL group from the hotel. Six of us are in this week's class. Today was the only day that Roehl will provide transportation to and from the hotel. After today, we must provide our own transportation. I think everyone, but me, brought their own vehicle, so I will be getting a ride from one of my classmates.

After arriving at the training center, we filled out a few forms; then, all of us, except one, were driven to take another drug test. For me, that was the third drug test in two weeks for Roehl. When we returned to the training center, we took the physical capacity test. I was concerned about that test because the test preparation videos that Roehl sent us included some crouching and duck walk maneuvers that I would have had difficulty performing. The actual test included none of that. Instead, we were asked to perform the basic functions required of any truck driver, such as lifting and closing the front hood, opening and closing the cargo trailer, lowering and raising the landing gear, and checking to make sure that the king pin is locked into the fifth wheel. The last maneuver was what I anticipated would be difficult for me, so I brought a pair of knee pads so that I could get down low enough to check the locking mechanism. Everyone in our group passed the physical capacity test.

After the drug test and the physical capacity test, we completed our I-9 forms, and Roehl issued our Driver Code and Log ID. At that point, we became Roehl employees. For rest of the day, we learned about completing physical logs and the basic regulations for drivers. We were issued a considerable amount of homework, including memorization of the pre-trip inspection. Roehl expects us to take the CDL exam in two weeks, so we will be busy preparing every day.

PS: to my above, darn me .... did you figure out your 'drop lot' dilemma?

Thanks!

~ Anne ~

Yes and no. With the help of people on this website, I found a few places where I could park, but I do not know, yet, whether Roehl will allow me to park in those places while I am on home time.

Today, May 30th, I arrived for orientation at Roehl Transport near Atlanta, Georgia. Training actually doesn't start until June 1st, so I'm here one day early. My Sunday flight was the cheapest available over the Memorial Day weekend, and Roehl was nice enough to allow me to check into the hotel a day early. Trainees must pay for their own transportation to orientation, but Roehl pays for the hotel and for the cab ride from the airport.

If you are interested in my decision to go with Roehl for CDL training, I made a few comments about that here: Looking For A Place To Start

My minimum wage claim is based on the calculation that follows:

70 hours worked per week, in almost any industry except trucking, would be 40 hours of straight time and 30 hours of overtime. When I drove a straight truck, I was paid hourly, including overtime. I understand that OTR pays per mile, so I am trying to convert that to hourly pay for comparison purposes. Minimum wage varies by state, so I included a few to show the difference.

$15/hr (minimum in some states) means $1,275 per week (that's $600 for 40 hours and $675 for 30 hours overtime); $12/hr = $1,020 per week $10/hr = $850 per week $7.25/hr (Alabama, Texas, and others) = $616 per week

Some offers I received from company-sponsored training carriers for driving after being fully trained: $0.40 CPM with an average of 2100 miles per week = $840 per week (that's one of the largest carriers) $0.405 CPM with minimum of 1800 miles per week = $729 per week $0.47 CPM @ 2000 miles per week = $940 per week $0.51 CPM @ 2600 miles per week = $1,326 per week (that was the best quote, but I did not take it)

So that's how I have come to the conclusion that new drivers are making minimum wage.

No, PackRat, I'm not trying to talk myself out of trucking. I started researching the trucking industry because I did not understand why trucking company recruiters were burning up my phone trying to give me a job. I have six months of recent experience driving a straight truck. That's it. I have far more experience in other professions that require graduate level education and years of experience, which I have, but no one is calling me back for those jobs.

Now, I have a much better understanding of why OTR trucking companies are constantly looking for new drivers. Basically, the carriers need drivers who can learn quickly and drive safely for low wages, and most importantly, the carriers need drivers who can tolerate being on the road, living in a closet for weeks or months at a time. In order to compete successfully and profitably in the OTR market, carriers must accept the 94% turnover rate because, first, most Americans are not going to accept those working conditions at minimum wage pay for a long time. The turnover rate for non-OTR trucking is much lower, somewhere around 11% per year. That's where most experienced drivers want to go.

Second, I do not believe that driving an 18-wheeler is something that just anyone can do. My guess is that driving a big rig takes a great deal of skill, which a person cannot acquire after just two months of training, but probably requires more like two years minimum. I have never tried to move around a 53' trailer, but considering all the blinds spots in a beast of a vehicle like that, I cannot imagine that it would be easy to do or that just any person can learn how to do it in two months. Nevertheless, the fiercely competitive nature of the OTR trucking market has forced companies to churn through new drivers at ferocious rate in order to find the 5% who have the rare skills to drive a big rig safely, the tolerance to live in a truck cab for weeks and months at a time, and the patience to work 70+ hours per week at minimum wage until they have enough experience to demand a living wage. So, I'm not trying to talk myself out of a trucking job. I'm trying to appreciate what it will take for me to make it in an industry where 95% of the people do not make it.

I am scheduled to start training at Roehl on June 1st through their Get Your CDL program, and I have read countless reviews and watched hours of YouTube videos about Roehl. After all of that, I am persuaded that Roehl offers an excellent training program. Even most of Roehl's critics will admit that Roehl's training is top-notch. However, the training program at Roehl is not unlike many other company-sponsored training programs in that most people who start the program will not complete one year of driving at the company. My best estimate is that, at least, half of the people who start the GYCDL program at Reohl either quit or get fired within the first two months.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that ". . .between 1995 and 2017, the annual turnover rate at large TL carriers averaged 94.0 percent . . ." https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2019/article/is-the-us-labor-market-for-truck-drivers-broken.htm That's an extraordinary turnover rate, even for the trucking industry, in general. The BLS further reports that ". . . individual firms are forced to accept high turnover as a cost-minimizing response to their competitive position in the market for their outputs . . ." That informs me that the TL carriers, Roehl, Schneider National, Swift, CR England, and others, engage in the practice of churn-and-burn with new drivers because that practice is more profitable than trying to retain experienced drivers through higher wages and better working conditions.

So the trucking industry in the United States is what it is. Take it or leave it because we are not going to change it any time soon. Honestly, I do not know why I believe that I can survive and be among the 6% who make it through one year. But I am a relatively old guy, and I have been through a lot in life already. Maybe that life experience can give me an edge. I doubt that Roehl would throw anything my way that would make me quit, so if I do not make it one year, that will be because I was fired. Time will tell.

Thanks, Old School. I appreciate your support and encouragement.

My flight to Atlanta is on Sunday, and the first day of orientation is Tuesday, June 1st. Six people, including me, are starting their training that week.

Roehl no longer uses the CRT test. Their capabilities test is simply a test of whether a person can actually get in and out of the truck, open the hood, check under the truck, and so on. I talked with the recruiter about it this morning.