Comments By Andy H. aka AZ Scooby

Hi Jana, I know how stressful being away from home can be. I'm only on my first week in school and already feel it. I talk to my wife every day and she lets me know how much harder it is being the only one at home to watch our 1 year old baby. But we're gonna do this and we're gonna make it work. Anyways, first off I obviously don't know your husband or anything about him. I don't know how he handles stress or the gets angry easily or not. I think this is a decision you'll have to make on your own. I believe in communication between spouses. And I personally would want to know what my wife is doing and if she's having any problems at home. But at the same time, it could be a distraction if it were a serious enough problem. Maybe try weighing the pros and cons of either. Pros: If I tell him I will keep an honest and open line of communication. Now that he's informed we can come up with a possible solution together......and so on. Cons: If I tell him it could cause a major distraction in his training.....

Come up with as many as you can and weigh the options. Hope that helps just a little bit. Best of luck to you and your husband. Keep positive and remember we're all here to help.

Scooby

I found the link to Roehls agility test:

The pre-work screening reflects the physical demands typically associated with a Roehl Transport driver position.

Hope this helps!!

Just an FYI on my list of recruiter questions looking at Roehl, they only have a 2 week window with the trainer and per the recruiter they do NOT Team drive, it is in fact set that time for the trainer to observe and mentor you during that time.

Good Luck!!

Just a word of warning, my brother went with Roehl out of a private school as his first company and found out the hard way that two weeks with a trainer is not enough by a long shot. He lasted three weeks with them before landing a job with fedex.

Hmmm. I have a friend in town here that went through Roehl's school and was out on his own after just 9 days with the trainer. He drives regional van and intermodal and seems pretty happy. Guess this is really an individual process.

What issues did your brother run into that made him leave if I can ask?

Thanks!

Roehl must be doing something right. They've received awards for 3 years in a row as being the safest large trucking company in America. I don't think they got that from just throwing their new drivers out there without having the confidence in their training and abilities. It's up to every new driver to take in as much as they can regardless of the amount of time with a trainer, and to use that knowledge to be a safe and successful driver. No one's going to be a pro after their training time regardless if it's 2 weeks or 2 months. Just learn to make smart decisions. Take your time and don't try to be a 3000 mile per week driver right off the bat. If it takes you 20 GOALs to back up into a spot then so be it. At least you did it safely. The rest will come with time and practice. So I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about the amount of time with a trainer. Use what time you have to ask every possible question you can think of and learn as much as you can. Because no matter how long you have a trainer with you, it won't seem long enough when you're all alone for those first few months.

Well at least that's my take on it as I have yet to get to that stage. I start my schooling on Mon for 3 weeks and then head to Roehl hopefully the following week. I never would've gotten to this point without TT. Greatest bunch of truckers out there!!!

I think it was Schneider's web page that shows a video of their agility test if you want to check it out. It's very similar to the one my Roehl recruiter sent to me.

Actually, I am dying to get into my own truck and going solo. Being ex Navy, I have done my share of room mates and bunk mates on the bunk beds.

When I got married, I said my wife was going to be the only one I ever shared my "bedroom" with.

Well. It ain't so right now.

But as the old saying goes, this too shall pass.

I like people. And have been in the people business most of my life. But that as a whole, I am done with. The public as a whloe are idiots. We see it everyday out there on the road. Try dealing with that face to face, everyday. Day in and day out. Hundreds of times a day.

I want my privacy and solitude.

At least till my best friend hops on board.

Keep it safe out there. Joe S

Couldn't have said it better myself. I'm so tired of dealing with idiots on a daily basis. It'll be nice having some peace and quiet for awhile.

Charles, first of all, WELCOME to TT, and we are glad to have you !!! Now, about that back pain..... Do you carry your wallet in your back pockets !!! If so, having it in EITHER back pocket can cause inflammation,spasms,hot knives going down the legs, etc. Unless you have injured your back recently, I'd bet its your wallet. To help with the healing, any type of hot pack, be it the stick on Thermo packs, or just a heating pad at home, will help take the selling out, which will stop the sciatic pain. Try that....and if it doesn't help...then its off to the bone cracker for you !!!! Good Luck !!

I forgot about the wallet. That was the first thing my chiropractor mentioned. I've been carrying it in my front pocket ever since. The other she recommended was sleeping with a pillow between your legs if you sleep on your side like I do. It helps to align your spine. I actually can't sleep without one now.

That right there is the sort of advice I'm looking for -- the only problem is cost. Private schooling seemed the way to go, but, for example, how do most people balance working full time in a pre-trucking job while also attending training, let alone while being able to afford these crazy-high tuition costs? Any suggestions, insights?

I'm not sure what schools you have available in your area, but as an example, the 2 schools near me offer weekend and evening classes just for that reason. Another thing to consider when choosing a private school is pick a few that you would be in your ability to attend. Then call around to some of the trucking companies that you're interested in and see if they will hire graduates from A, B or C schools. The companies that I applied to have a list of PREFERRED schools. And of all the schools in Phoenix that train for a CDL, there was only ONE that all of those companies hire from. So guess which one I'm going to. It pays to take your time and do the right research. Some companies don't care but some do. Hope that helps!! Good luck and ask all the questions you want. There's plenty of great people on here with a ton of knowledge to pass around.

Welcome to the forum, Charles. I had sciatica for a couple of years. Not as a truck driver though. It's not an easy thing to get rid of. In my case I found a very good chiropractor that specialized in a different technique than your regular chiropractor. She did very small adjustments starting with 3 times per week and then slowly tapered off from there. I've been 6 years pain free now. Now I know that will not be possible in your case since you're OTR. I would at least try to coordinate your days off with appts to a chiropractor and get adjustments when you can. Another thing that may offer some relief is a portable battery operated electric muscle stimulator. They sell them at Walgreens for around $60-$70. This will help to relieve some pressure from your muscles being too tight. Biofreeze is another thing you can put on your back to reduce swelling. It comes in a roll on for easy application.

As a side note, I've tried other things like going to a back doctor and getting meds but they just mask the underlying problem. Most regular docs will say surgery is the only way. I heard that from 3 different doctors. I even talked with folks that had surgery and every one of them said that if given the choice again, they would not have done the surgery. It either didn't relieve the pain or made it worse. Now I know everyone is different and your problem may be caused by something completely different from mine. But I would seriously give a chiropractor a shot. Oh and ibuprofen did wonders. It worked even better than the scripts in my case.

Hope this somewhat helps you. Good luck and get that taken care of. I know how painful it can be.

My Roehl recruiter said there are opportunities to go into Canada and only mentioned a passport if I wanted to earn additional pay. It isn't mandatory. But some companies DO require it. Just ask the companies that you talk to. There are plenty out there that would love to have you.

Congrats Daniel. It's always cool to see someone your age being a responsible and upstanding person. You seem very mature. Keep up the good work and I hope to meet you someday as well.