About To Graduate CDL Training In Miami, Heading To Roehl
Topic 13757 | Page 1
Hey man you made a good choice with Roehl. I am starting my 4th solo month with Roehl and have nothing negative to say about them. I had a great trainer and their orientation process is very good. Be ready to learn a lot more about the industry and maneuvering the vehicle. Don't be afraid to ask questions. They want you to succed and feel as comfortable as possible throughout the whole process. Their equipment is great, dispatch and fleet managers are all respectful and helpful. One thing to keep in mind is the first year is to gain your experience. You aren't going to be making great money, but it's not bad by any means. Think of this first year as a paid apprenticeship. After you finish your contract with Roehl and get some experience you will open up countless doors for yourself. Get ready for a wild ride! Best of luck to you.
Fleet Manager:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
That's great advice. I have a friend that I served with, he drives for Roehl now and suggested that I look them up. I'm not so much worried about the money, anything is better than what I was making at Honda. ( cleared less than $17k last year)
I'm extremely happy and thankful for the opportunity to start this new chapter in my life, I just want to get going. Also, my buddy was issued a new freightliner and its an auto, is there any way to I guess request a 10 speed, I don't have a problem with autos, I just prefer to row my own gears.
Once you get towards the end of your OTR training you can request a Manuel. You have a better chance of getting a 10 speed just because they have more in the fleet. You will definatly be better off financially with Roehl then Honda. They have great insurance also. Also look into their per diem pay. That will help your take home pay. I'm in the Gary terminal once or twice a week usually send me a message if your heading through there at all.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Per Diem:
Getting paid per diem means getting a portion of your salary paid to you without taxes taken out. It's technically classified as a meal and expense reimbursement.
Truck drivers and others who travel for a living get large tax deductions for meal expenses. The Government set up per diem pay as a way to reimburse some of the taxes you pay with each paycheck instead of making you wait until tax filing season.
Getting per diem pay means a driver will get a larger paycheck each week but a smaller tax return at tax time.
We have a ton of information on our wiki page on per diem pay
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Thank you so much for the advice, ill keep everything in mind as I progress.
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..
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Just a quick update fellas, I passed my CDL road tests and graduated with honors. I am currently sitting in the hotel in Atlanta, patiently awaiting Monday to get here. In the meantime, I have completed the VA and Dept. of labor paperwork that the VA rep has given me. I'm going nuts in this room.
I'll be on here all night going over all the info that Roehl sent to me.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
You won't regret choosing Roehl. I went through orientation during the week of New Years at the Conley GA terminal. I've been solo since Jan 15th and haven't had any problems. Best of luck.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
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Hello everyone, first of all I want to thank each and everyone of you for your contributions to this wonderful forum. A little bit about myself, My name is Scott Kelleher. I am a 30 year old medically retired Army Vet, from Virginia Beach. I was working for Honda for about 2 years as a tech, and after making $16 an hour flat rate, and making literally next to nothing, I decided to go back to trucking. I was an 88M in the service, I drove in Afghanistan and made it back home in one piece, so I figure I must be doing something right. Anyway, I am in my 4th and final week here in Miami for The CDL School. My orientation with Roehl begins next week on the 11th, in Atlanta.
My question is: what have I gotten myself into? what can I expect from Roehl, what will they expect from me?
I have the sense to journey into this with a level head, to expect that the trainers will treat me like a no nothing newbie. I'm fine with that, as they know nothing about me and what am capable of. Anyone that can give me some insight on what I will be getting into, I would greatly appreciate it.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: