Comments By penn99

2021-07-02 / Phase 0 (pre-training) / travel:

Driving… Phoenix area to Pratt, Kansas. 917 miles. Evening in hotel.

2021-07-03 / Phase 0 (pre-training) / travel:

Driving… Pratt, Kansas to Eau Claire, WI. 785 miles. Evening at my Aunt’s home.

My phone is in a dead zone at her house… and she has no Wi-Fi. UGH!! ‘Almost’ feeling too dependent on technology… especially since I cannot contact anyone via my own devices.

2021-07-04 / Phase 0 (pre-training) / travel:

Relax and events with family… Aunt, cousins, kids of my cousins. Evening at my Aunt’s home.

2021-07-05/ Phase 0 (pre-training) / travel:

Early start at 5am. Helped my Aunt unload a hay wagon and stack the hay bales in her barn. She has a few horses and 2 miniature donkeys that like to eat… hay. She also has a few chickens…. two baby turkeys… a dog… and a cat. Its been about 40 years since I last threw a hay bale. A great work out but I was winded a bit. The second trailer arrives this afternoon.... I am happy to 'not' be there.... LOL.

Performed the 3S’s then drove from Eau Claire, WI to Marshfield, WI. 89 miles. Next 3 weeks at a hotel.

I grew up and went to high school in a small town about 20 miles north of Marshfield. As I drove today, I stopped at a small little dairy to pick up some cheese and some cheese curds… for my upcoming 3 weeks in the hotel. The main diary for this smaller dairy is about 7 miles from the hotel. I intend to swing by there before heading back to the Phoenix area.

I also stopped by a small specialty meat shop in my hometown… picked up some smoked bratwurst and some smoked/spicy jerky sticks. I would like to come back here before heading home to the Phoenix area…. not sure if I will make it.

Drove by… and snapped a few pictures of…. my childhood home. I was last there a little over 2 years ago when my mother had passed, and my brother and I had to take care of her belongings and prepare the house for sale. Just looking to see how well the new owners are taking care of the house.

In Marshfield, drove by the Roehl terminal and misc. other Roehl buildings. Then… arrived at ‘Hotel Marshfield’ which is a few short miles form Roehl. I am checked in and awaiting my roommate to arrive.

Ready to start Phase 1 training tomorrow.

All is good.

Once you upgrade and get a truck, they will get you home for 2 or 3 days to set up your truck. Then they strive for 100% getting us home on time. They come close.

The more advanced notice you give them the easier it is to get you home on time.

The longer you stay out the more money you make.

We also earn PTO time per week. First year is 7 paid days. That is about .13 days per week. You can save those or use them as you get them.

They will also "bank" days at home for you. If you stayed out six weeks but only took three days at home, then you have three days of home time saved up for when you want to use it. This is a concept that is foreign to you because this is not like any job you have ever had before. We understand your confusion, but it is something you will get accustomed to as you do it. You are in charge of your home time. You decide when you want it, but they need some help from you so they can make it happen. That is why they need you to provide them with a target date as soon as you can.

Big Scott... Old School...

I will learn more next week once I start my orientation and training with Roehl.... but until then....

I assume all the major companies use the 'banking days' system. Is there a max number of days you get bank... and, I also assume you can use these banked days in conjunction with PTO days and holidays....

Good morning everyone.

The diaries on this website were instrumental in helping me make some decisions, so I decided that best thing I could do would be to pay it forward and get something updated on here.

I start SWIFT Academy in Memphis, TN on July 6th, 2021, my first week will be entirely virtual, then I will go up to Memphis.

I had to get my CDL permit and medical card before I started, so that's all been done. Looking forward to keeping everyone updated as best as possible!

Best wishes with your training!

I also start training on July 6th... and I will definitely be observing as I like to 'compare notes!'

Congratulations Penn99!

We are looking forward to hearing of your progress. You can expect it to be challenging. Just keep plugging away and do your best. We are always here if you need some advice or a little "pep talk."

Thank you, Old School. I always appreciate and respect the responses you provide to many of the members here. As far as requesting advice... yep... I will definitely be doing that!!

Good luck as you start with Roehl.

You may have me confused with Turtle, another moderator. The closest I've been to pulling flatbed has been pulling log trailers long ago.

Thank you, Pack Rat. And.... welp.... pulling log trailers counts in my book.... lol. I think I absorbed your name mentally from the last few pages of the 'Flatbed Variety' thread. I do enjoy your interactions here on the forum..... so.... all is good!!

I am confirmed to attend Roehl Transport GYCDL - Phase 1 training in Marshfield WI, starting on July 6th. Upon successful completion of training and obtaining my CDL, I will return to the Phoenix area and become part of Roehl’s National Flatbed Division and start Phase 2 OJT with a trainer. Upon successful completion of Phase 2, I move on to Phase 3 and I will get my own truck and continue my OJT as a... Rookie Solo Driver.

Roehl's Training Road Map

2021-06-30 / Phase 0 (pre-training) / My backstory:

I am humbled and honored to be part of the Trucking Truth family. I am relatively new to this forum and I have been hesitant to post much here until such time as to having received my ‘official’ confirmation for training.

I feel blessed to have found this website as it has been highly beneficial for me thus far.... from utilizing the various HRT study materials.... to the plethora of information posted via the forum. I also enjoy the interaction of the moderators and the helpfulness of many of the members.

Trucking has never been a dream of mine.... and never in my lifetime would I have thought that I would end up driving a big rig.... let alone, becoming a flatbedder... a skateboarder.... a knuckle dragger?! But now, I shall follow in the footsteps of those flatbedders that have come before me here on TT... Old School, Chief Brody (aka ‘The knuckle dragger’), The Dragon, Pack Rat and many others.

I am 53 and in relatively good shape although I could stand to loose a few pounds, so sayeth my knees whom have not been friendly to me over the past few years. After 32 dedicated years working in one industry.., with only 2 different companies (11 years with my first company and 21 years with my last company), I am now starting this new career to carry me into my full-time retirement years... whenever that may be.

Being that I live in the Phoenix area, I opted to apply to Schneider, Roehl, Knight, and Wilson Logistics. I should have looked more at Swift and Prime... but, I did not. Ultimately, I chose to go with Roehl Transport as this has allowed all of my ‘pieces of my puzzle’ to fit the best.

In an effort to give ‘something’ back to the TT community, I intend to document my activities via this diary. I am unsure as to how often I will provide updates, however, I hope to provide an update daily, at least through Phase 1 of training. We will see... one day at a time.

I am extremely excited for my new start... and I am at grounded with the realization that I will have many new challenges facing me during my journey. I would be lying if I said that I do NOT have any hesitations and concerns... but... now is the time to stuff those into my back pocket...... eyes open, chin up, chest out, and with a wide-open mind.... I am ready.

I completed my DOT physical about 3 weeks ago, and soon after, I obtained my Class A learners permit.

In the next day or two, I will start the drive of approximately 1755 miles to my destination... Marshfield, WI.

And on July 6th, : Roehl’s Phase 1 Training begins.

G...

Well today was the day I went to take my cdl permit test. I was so nervous and was studying for it as well. I failed on the general knowledge portion and air brakes. Passed on the combination. When I was studying I did read the handbook. But then decided to do these practice test fourm's, apps and watching Roehl's practice test videos. NOPE NOPE. Going back on reading that handbook like I should of done. Because when I took the test I was hoping to see some the questions I was doing on these platforms. Some where on there but not so much. So, I recommend to anyone that is studying for their permit test, is to read that handbook.

Offering my opinion here... and agreeing with Travis in that studying the actual manual should be performed... in addition to performing the HRT.

I completed my permit testing, a bit over a week ago. I opted to 'not' study the endorsement sections at that time. The steps I took to study for the permit test are as follows:

1) The first time through, I read through the HRT study sections and then answered the HRT sample test questions.

2) For all subsequent times with the HRT, I would reset the scores to zero... and then go through the questions only. Each loop I took through the questions would take me about 2.5 hours to complete the questions. I became extremely proficient with the HRT questions for the permit test.

3) For fear of the unknown as to what may be on the test, I opted to read through the actual DOT manual... AZ version... and sections only pertaining to the permit.

4) For a little over 1 week... I would do the HRT questions one day... and read-through of the actual manual the next day.

Test day.... I was feeling extremely confident. As I started stepping through the tests…. Instant anxiety. Historically, I am a relatively good test taker. That day… I felt a bit of despair. I took a few deep breaths… told my self to read slowly… fully understand each question… and choose… what I deemed to be the ‘best’ answer.

Some of the questions were similar to HRT and/or could be answered based on studying HRT only. Many of the questions were vastly different from HRT… more so than just adding the word ‘not’ or ‘except.’ I skipped some questions, however, for many of the questions… I had to take my best self-educated guess… even after reviewing the actual manual.

As such… I passed the permit test. I think I had only 1 or 2 incorrect per section.

And… back to my opinion... based on my experience: HRT is extremely beneficial and is a must…. It is an excellent foundation for studying for the permit test. I think people also need to spend time studying the actual manual.

G…

I do have a question that maybe someone can answer. I know that I have read that Arizona is currently under a heat advisory and often construction crews will actually do all of their work at night to avoid the dangers associated with the high temperatures. My question is, will this possibly change any part of the training process? Obviously, this wouldn't hinder any training done inside the truck while driving. What about the hours of pre-trip practice? I'm not afraid of working in the heat, as I've spent the last 10 years working outdoors in the oil field. Just wanting to get an idea of how it might change things during training.

For the Phoenix area....

I cannot speak to the training as I have not had the training as of yet... and likely, mine will be out of state. I would speculate they may do alot of the outside (non-driving) training in the early morning hours.

This week, the temps have been about 115-118F... the saving grace is that there is low humidity.... but.... hot is hot.... and it is HOT!! Temperatures peak in the mid-to-late afternoon... about 3pm to 4pm... then cool down a little for the evenings. I think this week, I have seen it about 105-110F at 10pm.

Starting Monday.... we see a cool down.... I think this week will only be 105-108F. For the next few months, plan on it easily being anywhere between 100-115F. We may see some lower temps periodically but don't count on it.

One item I did not know about before moving here..... monsoons. The monsoon season started a few days ago. Monsoon are high winds and usually rain in the mid-to-late afternoons. Monsoons seem to be sporadic... and some are actually cool looking, although the winds can be dangerous due to the blowing winds and dust storms. Ask Mr. Google about Phoenix haboobs... and you will see some cool dust storm videos. Last year we essentially had nothing for the monsoon season.... it was called the non-soons! LOL. This year TBD.

Good luck with your training. My opinion... summers here still beat the winters where I grew up. No snow shoveling, no icey roads, no freezing down to the bone.

And remember.... water, sunscreen, shade, water, and more water!!

G....

Greetings! I'm getting ready to take my haz skills test in the morning (transfer the ILCDL to an AZCDL), doing some late night cramming. I always thought "ISHP" was the acronym to use, but looks like maybe it changed? I learned it ID number, Shipping Name, Haz Class, Packing group. The testing info here shows the name first. The internet, of course, is fully divided on the topic. The arizona handbook shows an example following the ISHP format.

I'm completely befuddled... (which The Beloved will readily validate!) by the mixture of information on this topic. Probably best to follow the info in the AZ booklet, at least that way if I fail I can try to get a review and dispensation...

Side note - does AZ offer the "Skip a Question" option on their testing? I know ILL_noize did, up to a certain number of question skips.

Thanks all...

I tested for the permit last week.... although not taking the Hazmat endorsement test.... and yes, there was a 'skip the question' option. Good luck with your test.

Thank you for this info regarding Fed-Ex.

I have just looked and found an Driver Apprentice position available in my local area. Qualifications include: must have a CDL-A... or.... the CLP.

You get hired as a driver apprentice and you're put into a queue. You work the dock until it's your turn to get trained. You are trained by a former driver that is now a driver development instructor. It's not on the job training and FedEx will not send you to a CDL school. They can send you to another location to get trained if you're ok with it, but I don't think it's likely because right now they're short drivers and I'm sure all driver development locations are tied up with students.

The training has changed, from what I've heard but when I did it it was 1 week learning to back, 1 week driving on public roads, 1 week learning doubles and 1 week out with a city driver on a route. If you have a CDL you do the same exact program as someone with a permit. The only difference is that a person with a permit has to take a state road test. That test will be scheduled and paid for by FedEx and it will take place at a DMV facility with a DMV examiner. FedEx has nothing to do with your examine, other than what's mentioned above and providing the truck.

I went local out the gate because I wanted to be home every night. I went to FedEx Freight and did my training and first year and a half there. It's worth looking into. Top rate at FedEx is 30+ an hour (depending on location) with time and a half after 8 hours and you get the benefits too. Long term, for you and your family, that's the move to make. I don't know where you're located, but see if the center closest to you is hiring for Driver Apprentice. Since you have less than a year experience you won't qualify to be hired as a city driver or a road driver.

RAD... Interesting story with the tire fire. Hope all works out for you.

Banks...

I have just looked and found an Driver Apprentice position available in my local area. Qualifications include: must have a CDL-A... or.... the CLP.

I am hoping you can clarify about the apprentice job with Fed-Ex so that I may better understand how their program works.

Does Fed-Ex put you through a specific CDL training program first, or, is a person trained as you go, via on-the-job training. A list of job responsibilities including various "non-driving duties" indicates a person may be working and training at the same time.

Sorry RAD, not trying to hijack your thread... just trying to obtain more info.

Thank you.