Comments By Walker

"The Truckers Marine Corps"...lol if only they offered company Sponsered CDL training...they are my kind of company....and they are all over my area!

So I was supposed to go with Roehl and when I called to set up the date I found out that the wrong person had been working with me for 3 weeks.... Despite all the CDL school conversations I had with this young lady somehow I was talking to the wrong person that only recruits company drivers. Now my options are pay around $500 out if pocket to attend their CDL school, (transportation there, food, and the $185 processing fee) or go through Central Refridgerated's accelerated program. I really want to go with Roehl but I'm not sure I could afford $400-500 out if pocket plus I would not have transportation to and from the hotel to the facilities where the school is held. It's about 4 miles apart. So I would either walk or possibly find another student going that I could ride with. So I hit a snag....I wanted to get in on the school but now I have to figure things out and reevaluate.

Can anyone that has driven for Central Refrigerated tell me how you liked them? My only out if pocket expense with them is a $60 fee and food. I read under the CDL schools that they are about average when it comes to starter companies but are they decent? How are the miles? How do they treat their drivers? I know nothing about them except from what I read in the Company Sponsered CDL school section. I know they drive reefers and that's about it, which is something I didn't consider driving because it seems like there is even more that can go wrong with reefers VS dry van or possibly flat beds(which is what I wanted to drive)

I agree 100%! That is kind of my outlook on the whole situation. I really do not remember much except always traveling. I grew up traveling. Maybe not in a truck but I just do not feel comfortable sitting in one spot all the time and having the same thing every day. I want a new challenge or at least a new experience every day....My factory and warehouse days of the "same ol' same ol" lifestyle are over. It was the main reason I enjoyed EMS. Unfortunately, it is getting harder and harder to get into Fire and EMS and the pay rate for those fields is not exactly keeping up with the economy....I have always been the type that does not care what I do as long as I love my job....I love firefighting...but I have to actually start caring about how much money I bring in....Since I love traveling it seems to fit perfectly....we all have to do what we gotta do to put the "butter on the biscuits" as my dad used to say...lol

Hey everyone! I chose to go with Roehl due to me needing my CDL and they just offer the best home time and pay out there for a newbie...After spending a couple years in the Army and a couple years in Fire/EMS and the last year working temp jobs and Firefighting it will be quite a change...Having a little one at home with the Wife who is also a full time nursing student will be hard on us...but it comes down to supporting your family. I have been away before for training and deployments and things but this will be different....in a sense it is my job to "be away". If that makes sense. while we are young and our daughter is young it will be quite a culture shock but I enjoy traveling. Being an Army brat we did it all the time...unfortunately my wife is the type that stayed in one small town her whole life....I am excited for the road that lies ahead. Got some dang ol' butterflies but it will be good.

I will be driving flatbed for them...I am a weird person...I enjoy the suck...I spent a couple years in the Infantry before being injured stateside. I just wanted to introduce myself to you guys as I will be on here often and if I am lucky maybe meet some of you guys! I do not have a date yet as I have a few things to take care of but everything else is set! I will talk to them next week about a date...

Lol, Thanks Old School! I am definitely looking into flatbed. Actually planning on it. I am not a fitness freak but I definitely cannot sit around too long without working out...lol

Anchorman: Thanks! I will check them out!

How do you guys stay in shape on the road? What are some ways of staying active and fit and healthy on the road? Do some truck stops have fitness centers, most have just about everything else?

Here is something to remember in trucking. You can have either great home time or great pay......... Or a mix of both but not great on either..

You get paid by the mile. The more miles you turn the more money you make. If you are sitting at home you are not making money and will not be paid.

The top earning a company drivers in the industry stay out 4 to 6 weeks at a time. I stay out six weeks at a time. Seems the best time out.

So realistically, as a flatbed driver for Roehl, If I opted out of home time and only came home every 4-6 weeks would it be possibly to average around 3,000+ miles a week? I want a lot of miles just because the more miles the more pay. I love home time don't get me wrong but I desire a steady income for my family and more importantly I want them to be able to live comfortably. I am fine with being out for a few weeks at a time but with a wife and two kids home time is always a plus. I also want to build up my nest egg as we will be moving back up north in a year to Wisconsin.

I actually have! I just finished it this morning! My only other questions are does Roehl go out west? I hardly ever see Roehl farther than the midwest....

Any tips on staying in shape on the road? I chose flatbed mainly because it seems to be the most physical out of the types of trucking..

Congrats! I am a newbie sadly. How was your experience with central refrigerated? I am looking at them.