Posted: 7 years, 11 months ago
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I think it might count if you're were actually officially hired or not.. My first Orientation only lasted 4 days, I was "let go" by the company a day before I would be officially hired by them....So no hiring documentation submitted. At my second company, they only asked if I was "employed" by another trucking company prior to them. When I said I spent a few days at another in orientation but I wasn't hired, they said that didn't count. So I was okay to answer the question as a... No. I was still able to qualify for Tuition reimbursement, thankfully.... (Roehl) said that they had to be my first hire out of school to qualify. But if they Ask specifically with the word "Orientation" then be Truthful about going to another if you want...you don't have to give a truthful reason you didn't complete it if you don't want to. Orientation is like going to your initial job interview that you would ordinarily go to in a standard job search which usually takes anywhere from 15 minutes to hour......If they don't hire you then no harm no foul. Nobody knows anything...Government, IRS. etc etc. No record of employment because you didn't get hired. Same goes for Trucking except that the "job interview" is days instead of an hour.
Anyway, Check with the hire dates with your companies. They differ anywhere from Day 1 to Day ?? whenever? Their recruiters will usually you would be expected to be hired.. With Roehl, for example, it was the exactly a week after Orientation Start day which is usually a Monday.
Posted: 7 years, 12 months ago
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Trying to decide who to go with?
I just started my first month solo with Roehl. I did have to sign that contract (75,000m) But I was okay with it due to me having a 2 year gap in my employment in the past 3 years. So I figured I will need to put in my time anyway to be more "hireable" down the road. I had several Trucking companies reject me due to my employment gap.....I'm also in my mid-forties.....Graduated CDL school last December.... Yes OTR Training is 2 weeks but by no means do they hold firm on that. If you feel you're not ready to go solo after 2 weeks, they will give you another week. I decided to go solo after my 2 weeks, Was I ready, eh!? Probably not. But I'm the type that needs to learn by figuring things out on my own....I would learn more if there wasn't anybody else around to kind of "hold" my hand... The pay is like in the mid 30 cents CPM......There is plenty of loads and miles from what I can tell (NE Regional) so Give it shot.....Dont worry about the contract....Just get your experience.....Trust me as a Newbie, myself you'll need every single mile of that 75, 000 miles to learn the trucking job.
Posted: 7 years, 12 months ago
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About to graduate CDL training in Miami, Heading to Roehl
Welcome To Roehl... 2 weeks into my first month now with Roehl....and its been one of hec of journey thus far....Roehl's been good so far..Their Training is good. They don't expect the world from you thats for sure. They are patient. Just have a willingness to learn, take notes and ask questions. So that, if for some some reason you struggle to grasp a certain part of training they will give you extra time and help you learn it. If after your 2 weeks OTR training that you feel like you need more time before going solo they will certainly give you that time. Now that I'm solo; it hasnt been easy thats for sure and thats just Trucking-based not anything with Roehl. If I had to list one thing to pay attention to, it would be.. Trip Planning... Roehl gives you written directions and then the GPS will give you something different. The line up the same most of the time. But be sure of your route. It was nice when I was with a trainer and that when I saw a route discrepancy in what were written as to what the gps was telling me, I was able to quickly ask the trainer, if he didnt know right off(which he usually did), he was able to double-check written directions or double-check gps routing while I focused on driving and looking for signs up head myself to decide if we should in fact take the Route in question... But when you are by yourself....any route dilemma is magnified a 1000 percent. There no one there to help you..... and finding a safe place to immediately pull over to the side of the road will be almost impossible depending on how quickly you need to know if the exit or turn coming up in a few seconds is the right one.. So I would certainly learn all the tips and tricks you can for your trip planning.
And as for the Truck your given.....I struggled with shifting a bit and thought I was going to be given an Automatic, for sure.. But I was told whatever Truck was available I would get....you didnt have a choice. (50/50 chance in general to which one you'll get) I got a Manual. Which is what I wanted. I wanted to conquer this Shifting thing....So I thankfully get the chance to do that...
Good Luck with Roehl.....You made a good choice..
Posted: 8 years ago
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Am I the slowest truck on the road when hauling 40k lb load??
One thing you had mentioned is what everyone around you is doing well at least speed wise. Every driver out there isn't set up exactly like you are. Yes some drivers are running a ultra light loads or empty desperately seeking another load and when they pass you it dose make you feel like your the retard clogging up the flow of traffic but the truth is the same as the others have said to you. Your heavy and it's going to take you longer to move and stop. A lot of us drivers have the same anxiety. I've drove dump tucks in an area packed full of ten wheeled dump truck with drop axels wondering why I'm the slow guy. It's not that I'm the slow guy it's cause I'm moving more weight. A lot of trucking/driving is psychological and as hard as it could be to do we could try ignoring everyone else on the road without forgeting about safety. That feeling of frustration when it's not going the way we want it to go is very strong and with the passing of every truck that leaves you feeling like your in last place is building up on you last nerve isn't anything other than us in this position losing our cool. You may have a slightly underpowered truck or you may be in a area that calls for more than most trucks can keep up with but in time this worry will be something you'll be able to share with a new driver that's asking the same questions your asking today. Stay strong and don't loose your cool you got this.
Thanks Butch, I really needed that "Mental Pat on the Back" It was very frustrating and will probably continue to be for awhile till I get used it. It didn't make me want to quit trucking.. (although It did cross my mind, briefly...of, course..) But it made me think that I might want to switch to a Broader area beyond the Northeast, U.S.......Arkansas; Wyoming..etc lol....
While the slow moving on hills did frustrate me.....What has frustrated me more was some of these spots I have to try to back into....In CDL school and company training; the areas to practice backing in are wide open..but that's surely not always the case in real life trucking......I just had one(Small Drop Lot) that after I did like my 10th-plus pull-up, I decided to abandon the spot. I was so frustrated and upset at myself that I almost just dropped the trailer across the front of a bunch of parked trailers and let the company find a way to move it....Although its not really that particular companys fault that I wasnt skilled enough to park it but, I didn't care at that moment, It was one of only 2 spots available. ( blind-side, straight backing down a "dead-end" part of the lot for 200+ feet first before starting any kind of turning maneuver), I decided to reluctantly give the other spot a try. a More difficult spot and got it in with only 4 pull-ups...Miracle...I say...lol
Anyway, I got off topic there......Thanks for the words of encouragement......
When I shift going up hill I aiming for 1500 to 1550 rpms. .
I played around with the shifting advice from everyone who replied. And it got a lot better, thank you guys very much.......But ; it seems like I'm killing the engine at 1500 rpms when climbing those long hills.......My Newbie Brain is screaming at me to... Upshift! Damn it Can't you hear your Engine "Crying"......and when I gave in to it thinking I might be ok to upshift, I paid the price.....Engine went immediately down to 1000 Rpms and I had to downshift back again to the same gear but now I lost a little momentum(speed) in the process.
Am I hurting the engine in anyway keeping it at that 1450-1500 Rpm for like 5, 10 minutes or so until I crest the hill...?
For example...40-45 mph @ 1200 Rpm is my normal shift range(flat land) to upshift into 9th gear. But if I'm in 8th gear on a hill and my tach is reads 1500 and I'm doing say 40 mph....I've been trying to keep it there.....And When I crest the hill and my rpms start rise slowly beyond the 1500 and my speed starts creeping to say 45-ish. Then I'll upshift.. So again....My engine is fine at that 1500 RPMs for a long duration?
Posted: 8 years ago
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Am I the slowest truck on the road when hauling 40k lb load??
Aha I'm might be downshifting too late.....This might be my problem/struggle. Mountain driving still sucks but my shifting doesnt have to....
Explain more about the downshifting on hills
Flatland 10 speed I'm coming off an exit ramp and slowing down......I downshift at about 1000 Rpm and revving up to 1300/1400 rpm and then put in the next lower gear.
Now going uphill ; you s.... waiting for 1000 rpms will be too late. So If I downshift sooner at say 1300 rpm then I dont need to rev at all or do I? ....before putting it in the lower gear?? Is this where I kind of have to be lightning fast on my shift.....so i dont lose speed on the uphill climb.
I know..... This is stuff I should know already....But when you're by yourself...Theres so much to worry about that you don't quite remember what they tell you in training and don't quite remember how you did it
Posted: 8 years ago
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Am I the slowest truck on the road when hauling 40k lb load??
Just got done hauling a 40,000 lb load making my gross weight like 77,500. Had to Scale it 3 times for the right axle weights and move tandems and all. (thankfully they had their own scale as i could use it 10 times if i needed) ( God I hope I never have to do that many on one load..lol) Keep in my mind I'm a rookie driver. Had to go from Dunkirk, NY to Bethel, Pa. Lots of up and down hills. It was a luxury if I didn't have to downshift or brake in a 5 minute span....... and those 5 minute spans were few and far between let me tell you. Including constant Hazard signals and a couple of pull offs to let drivers pass and I even stalled the truck on an uphill trying to get enough torque to maintain a 25-35 in a 50 mph. Each time i downshifted, 5 seconds later I would need to down shift again until finally I missed a gear or something and the truck slowed way down and I couldn't recover in time.....Stall...! On a hill.....
Anyway, is this Normal, hauling heavy. Feeling like your the slowest person on the road compared to the 100's of semi's that you encounter. Other Trucks, that certainly can't all be empty, passing you. and I was I was behind on my delivery time, so I was pushing as much as I could. so its all frustrating. So I'm wondering, Do i Have a Poor engine in my company truck? I don't know how to tell what kind of power i have. It felt like I had the Ford Fiesta of 18 wheelers. lol
Anyway here are the Specs I know.
2016 International Prostar plus IS X15 CM2350 x101 14.9L L6 Diesel 6x4
What is my Horsepower, Torque, etc and Is my truck good enough? Power-wise Average? Decent? Or is it that I have to Get used to the frustration with hauling heavy roads through back mountains.....AARGH!
Posted: 8 years ago
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Ok. I'm Going to assumie your double clutching.
Your up shifts that you're doing well on are probably at 1300-1500 rpm range right Traveling in 6th gear 20-25 mph your rpms are 1500. Clutch neutral clutch 7th Done!
Downshifting When u downshift. You are still shifting at that -1500- RPM Both up and downs are at that 1500 number. When they say downshift at 1100. That's when u begin your first part of your shift. Ok so at 1100 rpm. Tap clutch only. Shift to neutral NO THROTTLE . Then quick tap on throttle to get rpm to 1500. Not a press and hold on throttle but a quick tap and release. Then tap clutch and put in your lower gear
As was said above. Your rpm points may differ. 1100-1500 1000-1400 1000-1500. 1100-1600
But it's that top number your aiming for your downshifts as well as your up shifts
Example 1100-1500 rpm range You're in 7th gear at 25 mph rpm in the sweet spot at 1200/1300 Turn coming up Apply brake only Your rpms and speed will drop automatically So now your at 15 mph 1000-1100 rpms Foot off brake. Clutch to neutral Foot on throttle only. Tap to rev to 1500 Quickly clutch shift to 6th gear Do not let rpms drop to 1100 or under. You may have to re rev to get back to 1500 again
I hope this helped
Posted: 8 years, 1 month ago
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I love this "driving a truck" Game........ but I keep stalling trying to get going in 4th gear and my phone keeps falling out of cup holder, and I'm knocking over road signs trying to retrieve it........Oh wait....Umm...that might be actual reality and not the game...I'm not sure anymore,,
Posted: 8 years, 1 month ago
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Hey, I know this is kinda a old thread...3 months but I'm researching Mclane Trucking Company and I have a question about what G-town said....
The guys I know run team, and most everything is fingerprint freight, at times loose loaded.
What is Fingerprint Freight?
And what does "loose loaded" mean?
Posted: 7 years, 11 months ago
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Roehl training
I just completed their training class 2 weeks ago. (Atlanta Terminal) (already had my CDL, so not the company sponsored training)
I would have to say they were nice and relaxed there. Atmosphere was not one of those fast-paced, cram everything down your throat type of training. relaxed but not too relaxed because they have to teach alot of stuff in a short amount of time but they're not anal about it.
If you're not confident with your abilities coming out of school, they will work with you. you will get extra time if needed. it sucks when youre fellow classmates are moving on to the next phase and you're not. But hey, its better than them releasing you...in order to receive this courtesy...just make sure you are always paying attention in class, and doing studying during any "in-between time" between training courses. Pulling out your cellphone is a definite no-no during any in session class....If youre even caught looking at it in class you're "scolded" Beside that theyre cool...
All they want from you is to be on time, be attentive, put in a genuine effort and show gradual improvement with a good attitude and Roehl will hand you the "keys" to your "castle" {Truck}