Schneider And Roehl

Is it better to stay with them for a year and then move on, or make a career out of the company? I ask because I truly dread switching jobs once there.

Pastor, your "dread" works in your favor. Your work history follows you. Most truck companies like to keep their (better) drivers, not the ones always looking for a better deal.

If you can hold on for that first year, that is good. It sounds like you're at one, thinking about the other. But use that year to learn your new trade. And, if you're unsure thought now, you just may like your current company.

I actually have not even started. I won't be able to until after January. I just don't want to go to a "starter" company with the expectation that I will be leaving in a year. I want to have a career not a job that is why I am asking now. I love what Roehl has to offer as far as work/hometime but the upfront costs is what is making me hit a snag as far as choosing between the two

Pastor C, this whole misconception of some of these companies being just a "starter company" is propagated by silly truck drivers, not by the companies. It is the larger companies who can afford to continually take on new drivers. These companies are generally very solid financially and have a large group of core drivers who are good solid drivers, some of them with well over a million miles under their belt.

If you are content, doing a great job, and making a decent income you could stay at either one of those companies along with the many other drivers who make up their core group of hard working dependable drivers. I worked at a company that regularly brought in 200 plus drivers each week. I had no reason to leave until someone offered me something that was too good to turn down, and even then I thought long and hard about it.

I wouldn't worry myself about the next year - your rookie year will have enough troubles of it's own. Focus on being a top producer and you'll be impressed with how good that "starter" company is to you.

Pastor C, this whole misconception of some of these companies being just a "starter company" is propagated by silly truck drivers, not by the companies. It is the larger companies who can afford to continually take on new drivers. These companies are generally very solid financially and have a large group of core drivers who are good solid drivers, some of them with well over a million miles under their belt.

I want to "second" Old School's point, I am still with my so-called "starter company" and currently have no plans to change that. Bottom line is they keep me moving, (I don't sit) and they have recently increased incentive pay based on safety and on-time delivery percentage. Plus I know all the driver mangers/planners and maintain a very positive working relationship with them. It takes a while to build up that level of trust. Once you have it, it's difficult to consider something else.

Had I not been in the position of having to be home every night I would probably have made a career out of working for roehl. There benefits are good they are active in growing the company and continually trying to improve life for the drivers.

Thanks guys. I am full of nervous excitement. You guys have been a tremendous help since I started pursuing this career

I actually have not even started. I won't be able to until after January. I just don't want to go to a "starter" company with the expectation that I will be leaving in a year. I want to have a career not a job that is why I am asking now. I love what Roehl has to offer as far as work/hometime but the upfront costs is what is making me hit a snag as far as choosing between the two

What upfront costs of Roehl are you referring to?

I'm burn out on my IT career and thinking a new career in trucking would be great for me (I enjoy being alone and can drive 925 miles from my home to my parents house in Florida in 15 hours with only two stops for gas). I've been researching in depth of what route to take (company or private CDL school), and some big positives of Roehl is its no upfront costs AND they pay you $500 a week during their four weeks of CDL training. The biggest negative with Roehl is they only give 10 days to 3 weeks of training on the road. I call that a negative because I think most drivers should get more than that, but for myself I consider that a positive as I typically learn better doing my own research and trial by fire, and considering I prefer being alone I hope I test out after 10 days as I can't imagine living with someone other than my wife for a month or two. I can do 10 days, but more than that would be really difficult for me. If I had to make a decision today, I would be calling up Roehl. If Roehl weren't an option I'd be spending $5500 to go to Clark State for CDL training, and applying to Schneider. They also have a short training on the road, which I prefer. But cost wise it would take me over four years to get my school costs back with Schnieders $100 per month tuition reimbursement, and I wouldn't get paid during CDL school like at Roehl. I like Schneider a lot, but "upfront" costs is a lot more for Schneider than it is Roehl. There are some parts of the country where a driver can get Schneider to pay for a CDL school, but I'm not in one of those areas. If you are, that would make the upfront costs better, but I don't believe Schneider pays you during CDL school like Roehl does.

UberHammer, you really don't want to choose a company based on what happens during a few weeks of training. Who cares about that? You're starting a whole new career with your first trucking company. Pick the company you feel suits you best in the long term, not the one who is going to pay you a few hundred bucks more for training or send you solo 14 days sooner. That's trivial stuff in the grand scheme of things. Think long term. Think big picture. Set yourself up at a company you think you'll be happy. A place that offers the home time, types of freight, job duties, types of equipment, and future opportunities you'll be happy with.

If you find two companies that are real similar, and that's pretty common, then dive deeper into the details and find the one you like best. But don't get too shortsighted. You're only going to be in training for a short time. I wouldn't worry about that too much.

Thanks Brett.

I've been doing a TON of research on companies (thanks to your site), and I've narrowed it down to three: 1) Roehl; 2) Schneider; and 3) J&R Schugel.

Both Roehl and Schugel appeal to me because they run a lot through Ohio. Schneider appeals to me because they work with the Honda plant where I live in Marysville.

Knight and Swift have terminals close to me in Columbus, which is appealing, but I don't really want to run all over the country. Roehl services the entire country, but from what I've researched most of their freight is Midwest to East coast.

JR Schugel has a terminal about 25 miles from me, which is really appealing, especially since it is only one of three terminals they have. And the research i've done says drivers stay with the company a very long time. It's their $0.27 per mile for the first six months that I'm not liking about them. When you add up the upfront costs and the first year of pay, I'd be over $8000 better off spending my first year with Roehl than I would starting at Schugel.... so it's not just a "few hundred bucks" as you put it. But you're right, maybe that $8000 loss would be the better option if I've got one year under my belt with the company I would like to stay with.