Comments By Andy H. aka AZ Scooby

Congrats Daniel,no van driver will ever understand the thrills of tarping a load in the windy city like a flat bedder ,never mind the satisfaction of delivering that load safely and dry thru deluges of rain showers for a thousand miles ,getting drenched countless times while adjusting strapps and bungees....and the immense satisfaction where upon arrival at your destination ,the crane operator unloading your load ........drops it into the biggest and muddiest mudhole on his lot.... ;-)

That's too funny. I can totally see that happening. =-D

I'm loving all of the Flatbed info and camaraderie on here. If everything works out the way I'm planning, I'll be another one using the hints and tricks that I'm learning on here.

This is one of my main reasons for wanting to drive flatbed. I'm concerned I would get too comfortable in the truck and start packing it on. I could stand to lose about 30 lbs anyways. Plus I actually like physical labor. Go figure. No pun intended. =-D

Mark, that's great. Where did you get your CDL Training done. Private school or Werner. I never looked into them. Didn't know they were out of Phx. Good luck on the road and hope you get a good trainer. Be safe out there.

Wow. A lot of future Roehl drivers on here lately. They are my first choice also for multiple reasons. Seems like a great company to start out with. Keep us posted.

Yes, they have their own training in WI. You have to have your CDL permit before school, not the full blown license but the training permit. They also have financing for the cost if your credit score is 500 or higher. Below is the e-mail of my recruiter:

kimberly.calhoun@roehl.net

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My Roehl recruiter told me I would have to have my CDL-A before being accepted. She gave me the name of their preferred school here in AZ. After that I would be invited to their orientation, all expenses paid. I'm not sure what their criteria is to attend their CDL training, but apparently you have to live in certain states.

What do you think the advantages/disadvantages are when selecting what you will haul?

Roehl:

New drivers get 32 cents per mile

add 1 cent for OTR drivers add 1 cent for refrigerated van add 2 cents for flatbed

3 months 2 cent raise 6 months 2 cent raise

Are there any disadvantages driving a Refrigerated Van over Van? I know with Refrigerated you can haul both refrigerated and dry loads but are there any other disadvantages, besides I guess the obvious cooling unit failure. :P

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You just answered the question I had for my recruiter this morning. I was wondering what Flatbed started at. Thanks for the post!!

Never mind I just saw your from Bradenton, FL. I moved to AZ from Boca Raton, FL about 13 yrs ago. I don't miss that humidity at all.

Thanks Brett, I dont think i have time, i leave sunday but i do have your android app so I will be using that and accessing your site from my laptop when we are at a truckstop to continue studying. Roadkill, I will definately post my experiences with Prime, but every driver that i have talked to from there loves them so i do not anticipate any issues, but will post helpful hints as I learn them.

Andy, Congrats to you to brother. What part of Az are you in? I am originally from Tucson. PM me if you want. Keep it safe and good luck!

I live in Cornville. It's about 20 miles south of Sedona. Where are you now?

I just finished my first 8 days with Roehl. 1st time driver fresh out of CDL school. Really good equipment. Safety is their main concern. Seems like a good company so far.

What division are you driving. Refer, dry van, flatbed. Roehl is number one on my list if I can pull it off. Working on funding for school right now. Recruiter said I would be driving flatbed which is exactly what I want to do. They also have western regional which is a HUGE plus for me.

Good luck and keep us posted. I'm very interested to hear what you have to say about your experiences with them.