Comments By Paul W.

It certainly won't hurt anything if you release the trailer brakes. It's going to be cold and there's plenty of moisture in the air. At some point though, you have to initiate yourself to the thrill of laying in the snow, trying to beat the brakes off after freezing up.

Initiate myself eh?? My my, haha why do I so not look forward to that,......

Thanks guys for your input. I really do appreciate it.

I saw a you tube video where one driver trainer mentioned about not engaging the red knob or trailer air brakes and only using the tractor brakes when the weather is freezing. The reason behind this was supposedly the brakes would be frozen in place the next morning and thus preventing the driver from being able to drive off. I'm parked in Illinois right now and it's in the late 20's with wether reports saying possible drop to the teens over night. So is it wise to just engage my tractor brakes and keep the red knob pushed in?

Hi. I really appreciate this thread as I've often wondered about this. I'm just starting out so I can use all the advice I can get. From what I've read there seems to be the additional two hours limit for the adverse conditions but not past the 13th hour. Couple of years ago I was driving my car to Missouri from I-24 in Tennessee. There was a huge accident and in the course of two hours I moved about 5 miles. No joke. There were a good number of tricks on the road there and it took three hours to reach the off ramp where everyone was being detoured around the accident site. Now granted I assume one should have more than three hours left driving time but of one got caught in a situation like that, where it takes 3 to 5 hours or more just to get to the nearest off ramp and that doesn't even mean there will be a truck stop or rest area there, what would be the best course of action?

I see that some of you have called the police and DOT and been helped graciously, so would that be best course of action?

On I-24 there are areas where it's impossible to pull off unless you get to an exit that leads into a town or truck stop.

I just started with Roehl. Just completed my OTR with a trainer and been issued my truck in fact. Before I joined with Roehl I was considering TMC a well. In doing research though I was able to find out more about Roehl than TMC. Here are my reasons why I chose Roehl instead of TMC. One I changed my mind about flatbed as I figured I could get more miles rather than having to spend time tarping, untarping and strapping loads. TMC runs during the week and promises weekends but here is a possible catch. You might get home late Firday evening and then have to leave Sunday just to make it on time for delivery on Monday so generally, how much home time are you really getting? Roehl has different options. For me right now I don't have a need to be home. I like to go to church on Sundays but other than that I don't have a big need right now. So I get 3 days for every 11 to 14 days I'm out. One of my trainers was on the 7 out 7 home schedule. So it would depend upon what would work best for you. TMC specializes in flatbed whereas ROEHL does flatbed, dry van, curtain side as well as refrigerated so there are more options to moved around too.

As far as transferring your license to NC I really can't say much as I don't live there. I wouldn't think it'd be too difficult except for the hazmat endorsement of you get that. Hazmat is accepted by all states but you have to take the test for which you are a resident. So I you are planning to move to NC soon I'd say wait until you move so you don't have to take the hazmat test twice. Roehl also has hazmat loads from time to time, more often than TMC I think which is extra pay and then Canada deliveries which is also extra pay on top of your mileage pay. Hope this helps. Do plenty of research on both before deciding and whichever one appeals the most to you is the one you should go for.

Just a few of the companies I have pre-hire letters from. I've done some research and yeah, I know they're all about the same according to forum posters. However, if you drive for any of these carriers here's a chance to root for your team, and wave the their flag....your opinion counts.

I'm new to this forum and especially new to the trucking industry. I'm also a brand new driver for Roehl. I just finished up with my trainer and have been issued my own truck. Haven't received any loads just yet but I will be after my military reserve duty is done. I've done a lot of research through here and other areas. Some of the main reasons I chose Roehl is because they are still family owned, ( yes the family name is Roehl) and they have a great home time options. I don't need the home time right now but in the future if I ever do need it, it'd be nice to have. They have a great training system. I went out with two trainers because my first trainer was on the 7 to 7 home time. Working with two different trainers has helped me to get two different perspectives on things. I still have contact with both trainers and they have encouraged me to stay in touch and contact them when I have questions arise when I'm out solo. I also had a preview from Werner and they are not a bad company. But they didn't seem to fit what I was looking for like the way Roehl does. I've also been told from more than one driver that when you've been with Roehl a year or more, you start getting what all the drivers get every year. I forget the exact words but basically there is a percentage of what the company made that year, almost like a bonus is given out. Then tje other reason why I chose Roehl is because I love the color of Red. It has been my family's color from my grandfather to my dad for ages. And the trucks are pretty too. Hahah

Hope this helps. If you have any specific questions about Roehl, I'll be happy to answer what I can. There are a few great forms on here about drivin for them.

You might have a point there Old school about what I wrote about the safety record. I have a question though and I'm not trying to be argumentative either. The safety record is advice I got from other drivers who started out as rookies and then were pretty expierenced. My question is this, Schneider and Roehl both hire a lot of drivers fresh from cdl school and yet they still have a pretty high safety record. So in that sense, wouldn't be a little bit of both?

My next question is this. I have heard both stories when it comes to safety issues. Some have said that it is the rookies that are cause for safety violations and for a company's rating to go down, whereas others have stated that a good bit of it comes from the experienced professionals who have become very complacent and therefore not as alert or careful anymore. In your many years, would you say it's a combination of both or one or the other?

From what I've read and heard from other drivers who have been doing this for awhile now, most of the time it is all going to equal up to the same. Some companies may start you off at higher pay but then they don't have as many frequent pay raises as some other companies will. The biggest thing to me in deciding which company to work for comes down to the safety record, as I've been told that the better safety record a company has the less likely the driver will have to stop at a weigh station which means more money as you're not having to stop. Other thing is, what type of environment it is for the driver. You want a company that will treat it's employees like people and not numbers, with respect as long as the employees do their job they're expecting to do and so fourth. And then the next thing is the type of trucks. Schneider uses Freightliner which are not bad trucks but the company plans to automate their fleet very soon. I was taught to draw 10 speed and I'd like to continue driving nothing less. Haha

I'm not trying to rain on the parade , but you guys need to call Schneider. If you have new cdl from private school they have Otr option of out 11 days/ in 3 starting at .34 cpm Orientation is only 17 days at $80 per day. And in some areas offering $5000 sign on bonus. That's a deal breaker for me

That $5000 bonus you're referring to is most likely only for otr drivers who have some experience and if they are offering it to new graduates, well, it'd be very far and few options like that. Roehl starts off at .32 but after 3 months it goes up to. 34 and then .36 after another 3 months. Flat bed starts off at .34 or.36 I think. The same thing applies though, after 3 months .02 raise. Roehl has much better home time flexibility that Schneider doesn't always offer. Schneider has tankers though if you wanted to go that route.

Any professional opinions offered on either would be appreciated." I have to make a choice next week..... I'm leaning toward Roehl for now but barely. Comfort is a big issue with me.. I know I'm not driving a rolling mansion but still......

Hey, I'm new at this trucking lifestyle myself but the two companies I've been looking at are Roehl and TMC. Roehl has several flexible home time options, and they seem to have an outstanding safety record. That part from what I've been told can make a big difference in terms of being able to continously drive and not have to stop at so many weigh stations. Also I have two of my instructors drove or Roehl, one for flatbed division and the other for the dry van so I was able to get a lot of feedback on the company. Therected are quite a few great threads about driving for Roehl. One guy even posted his reports from when he actually started training with Roehl. He got his CDL from Roehl. Just look them up in the search bar. I'm hoping to start in about a week.

Schneider is a pretry good company as well but for me, later on down the road when I need it, the home time Roehl offers is unmatched by Schneider. Hope this helps.

Hi,

I'm still new to this site and even more importantly to the world of trucking so I'm trying to learn and soak up all the advice and pointers I can from those that have been doing this for many years. I just completed refresher training and so I'm waiting to begin at either TMC or Roehl. Hoping to start next monday.

My question is, when you decide to stop for the night at a truck stop, is it better to 'nose in' to the lot or just back in? If you do nose in, how difficult is it to back out when it's time to get back on the road? I ask these because I've seen a few videos of drivers who say that nosing in is one way to help protect the truck from getting damaged by a careless driver and that it's easier if only the trailer is damaged rather than the truck. On the other side of it, I've read comments by some who say that by choosing to nose in, is a rather selfish move and sometimes can set the driver up as a target for those that are looking to rob truck drivers.

Would love to hear feedback on this topic as well as any other great advice on preventing accidents from happening at the truck stops.

Thank you.