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Congratulations, Doug! I know you've been planning this for a while. Good on you for following through. It's allot different than I thought. Enjoy your time and best of luck!

Here's the skinny on that from those in the know.

Appleton gets about 12 students weekly and is running short of instructors at the moment. They have a deal with the tech school to take the overflow.

The pre-trip in Wisconsin is quite simple. You'll get it. Roehl also has a location in Appleton, Wisconsin.

It sounds like SUCH A LONG TIME!!! uuuuggghhhh!!! I'm thankful for the extra time to get myself together, but boy is it boring after class. Ah well.

Have a great night, everyone!!! Do something fun. Get some enjoyment out of life! Grab the proverbial bull by it's figurative horns.

EllieMae, If you come to the Marshfield location on may 6th, look for the scrawny bald guy in the funny hat and yellow hoodie. Hoody? Hūdē. Hootie and the Blowfish? I dunno. But that's me.

Thanks for the encouragement, Old School. I see it the way you do, this is simply a road bump to pass over.

As I was driving with Bob today, the clutch finally gave up. I couldn't get her out of seventh. While I was pulling to the side, Bob told me to put the clutch in because it was bogging down. I informed him that the clutch was into the firewall. We got the dang thing out of gear before it died then Bob looked to me and said, "let's switch up and I'll limp her back to the yard." Ok, Bob. You're the boss. He couldn't even get it in gear. I told him that maintenance had told us to try popping the clutch a few times with it in neutral. He did,it worked, and we got moving. He floated gears back to the yard. They're putting in a new clutch tonight. Whew! The next test might not be in the same truck, but it'll be nice to not worry about that for at least the next week.

Have a great night, guys and gals.

Rob T., That's pretty well how I see it. I get two weeks to refine and hone my skills on the road. Then retest and nail it to the wall for my CDL. In 2 weeks, scores and such won't matter. Only that piece of paper that says I passed.

How did your test go?

Well, I didn't pass. I nailed the full inspection and the backing, but apparently I cut off a car while making a left. Auto fail and a two week wait.

Luckily, I tested early. Because I tested early, I get to retest on may 10th. If I had tested next week with my classmates, I would have been dismissed. That decision came from two levels below Rick Roehl. Wow.

I'm going out with Bob again tomorrow. I'm so amazed at the level of commitment Roehl has shown me. They're paying for an extra week in the hotel, lunches, training and all that jazz. It makes me feel like they see something in me. It also makes me want to be loyal to the company. Seriously, I am so glad I chose Roehl.

I don't know what the future holds, but the only thing I need to do is redo my drive test to pass. I got it. Honestly, just having the OPPORTUNITY to test was an honor. Not many people have a story like mine, not many companies would keep me, but not many want this like I do.

I test again may 10th.

Well everyone, I test today after lunch. My nerves are shot. I think I'm ready, but I'm so nervous!!! If you get the chance, throw a quick prayer my way. Next update will be the final.

I'm currently in my 3rd week of training with Roehl. My advice should be taken with a grain of salt.

I chose Roehl because it's not a gigantic super company that doesn't care, but it's big enough that the benefits are pretty good. Small class sizes and they really care about your success. The "mychoice" pay schedule is a nifty thing. Pay during training is a plus, but nothing to write home about.

Roehl has flatbed, dry van, reefer, and a small fleet of belly dumps.

According to the instructors here (all prior Roehl drivers) the miles are pretty steady between 22 and 26 hundred for dry van. Maybe low one week, maybe high the next.

Yep, you can stay out those 7 week stretches and make the home time, but why? Why not get routed home after 11-14 days out and take 3 days off? Seems allot mo betta to me. But to each his own.

Do your research and choose wisely, but from what I've seen, Roehl is a great company. *Shameless plug* check out my training diary in the CDL training section of the forums.

Best of luck!