Will Trans Or Roehl?

I've been driving for a mega carriers for almost a year and a half, my current company for just over a year. Issues with sitting for repair and having my student's hotel costs during my home time deducted from my pay have lead me to look at other options.

I've gone so far as to work with director level people at my company to address my issues, they get better for a couple weeks then its right back to the same problems. So it's time.

I enjoy being a trainer, I think I'm good at it, my students seem to learn what they need to, and in still in contact with many of them. So I've been looking at companies where after a time I can start training again. I've talked to recruiters from a dozen different companies over the past few weeks.

I'm at a loss for words on the quality differences in recruiters in this industry. On one side you have some companies whose recruiters come off as though you're bothering them, on the other side I have a recruiter calling me back from his cell at 20:00 from home, because that's when I was available.

I've pretty much narrowed the field down to Roehl and Wil Trans.

I'm wondering if anyone had first hand knowledge of either company, that can shed done light on things like: miles, how drivers are treated, promises vs reality, etc.

The company I choose will be my third, and I'd like to be there for years, not months.

Thanks guys and gals

Landion, God Bless You for being a trainer. It sounds as if you really do it because you like it, that's rare these days.

Your post troubles me a little. Here's why...

You sure seem willing to jump ship easily. Has this been your history in trucking? If I understand your comments it sounds as if you are on your third carrier in a year and a half, and now you are moving to your fourth. Is that correct?

Then the reason you give sound sort of sketchy to me.

Issues with sitting for repair and having my student's hotel costs during my home time deducted from my pay have lead me to look at other options.

Let's take "sitting for repair" - you didn't elaborate, but what truck driver doesn't sit for repairs? I mean that is part of this job. If you are thinking that a smaller company will keep you sitting less for a repair - that is a total misconception. Here is an example: I work for Knight. Recently I had an idler pulley seize up on me so that I lost my alternator belt. The break down department directed me to drive about 75 miles to a repair facility to get it replaced, thus saving them a service call. When I get to the Petro location, I check in with their people and they tell me to pull around to bay 2 and they will get me right in. Then... a fellow from a smaller company, who has apparently been there waiting for hours to get his truck looked, at starts throwing a fit because they moved me ahead of him. WTF? he demands! Their response was, "look, these guys have accounts with us all across the nation, they pay their bills within ten days, we can't even get your bosses credit card to authorize!"

I would not jump ship over having to sit for repairs... that is part of trucking - it is going to happen to you anywhere. That grass is not greener at a smaller company.

Now let's discuss this issue of your pay being deducted for your trainees hotel expenses. Isn't that something that you knew about already? Was that not explained to you when you became a trainer? It seems odd that you do not understand the arrangement. I can't speak on this issue with any real experience of my own, but I had some friends who trained at Prime, and they knew what was going to be deducted from their settlements when training, and they would plan their practices and home time accordingly. I find this one hard to understand. It just seems that you would know about it already, and therefore it really shouldn't be an issue.

Look, Roehl and Wil-Trans are both first rate operations, but I'm pretty sure I would say the same thing about the company you are at presently.

I just think you are too easily influenced to jump ship on a whim. Trucking has problematic issues at times. One of the main problems we see that drivers impose on themselves is that they always want to attribute those problems or issues to their present company. I recommend you reconsider. Consistency is worth a lot more in this business than most folks realize. If you are constantly jumping here and there, you lose the benefits of being a consistently high performer where you are at, and you end up becoming one of the many ever shifting malcontents who are never satisfied at their career.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

Wil-Trans:

Darrel Wilson bought his first tractor in 1980 at age 20, but, being too young to meet OTR age requirements, he leased the truck out and hired a driver.

Through growth and acquisition, Wil-Trans now employs over 200 drivers, and has a long-standing partnership with Prime, Inc. to haul their refrigerated freight. The family of businesses also includes Jim Palmer Trucking and O & S Trucking.

When I have to go to the terminal for repairs I usually get a 34 reset then head out with a big load. But my repairs are few and far between, and I have never been denied any maintenance requests. If this is a regular occurrence and the equipment is not properly maintained I can understand. However I also know driver who put the truck in the shop for every little thing instead of waiting and making a list. If my QC speakers don't work, so what. But I know someone who went back to the terminal for this. Another will stop in the middle of a load for a PM as soon as he gets the maintenance reminder...whether or not it will make him late for the customer.

The hotel thing is something that some trainers complain about and others have no problem with. My trainer left me in the truck when she went home..she didn't pay a hotel.bill and I got my guaranteed weekly pay cause I was available for dispatch even if she wasn't.

What if the student stayed on the truck during your home time? And how often do u need repairs?

I have a friend at Roehl who loves it. Its her first company though. And like me, she can't compare it to another. She seems happy with her mileage and pay and gets home when she wants.

This is my second carrier, looking for my 3rd. The first one I was with for 2 months, this one over a year. Before trucking I was with my last company for 9 years. I want to find a company that I can be with long term. But this one isn't it.

Let me elaborate a little bit on my issues.

Repair: I'm out 5-6 days a week and home on weekends for my 34. I run the rails in Chicago, so I'm stuck pulling containers owned by the rail companies. A common run for me is Chicago to Green Bay and back. I don't know if you're familiar with green bay, but there is no national repair center, truck stop, or 24 hr shop (that we work with anyway) in the area. If I make that run 5 times in a week I am literally in repair 3-4 times. Several rivited lights out, air leaks, tires are the most common issues, but not the only ones.

If I get there to pick up after 19:00 (which i always do) I get sent to the shop that's closed until 06:00. That's half my clock for the day lost for half the days of my week. I'm literally losing hundreds of miles a week.

I have random repair needs when I pull van and reefer but that's once out of 10-20 loads. I can deal with those.

I looked for other accounts in my area but the rate is 13-18 cpm less than what I'm making now, with less home time.

Payroll deductions: yes it was, and no it wasn't explained that deductions would be made.

It was explained that when we put a student in a hotel we have to send the hotel macro, get approval, then submit the receipt. If those things are done then I should not have deductions. What was not explained is that if one of four different departments don't do their part, those charges are also deducted from me.

When the problem first started I had a call with the powers that be, and the breakdown was identified and supposedly corrected. Its happening again the last few weeks. This time fingers are getting pointed and each week more money is taken from me. I won't see that money until the fingers stop getting pointed and the problem is identified.

As far as the student staying in the truck, its against policy. I could lose my trainer status if a student complains.

When I have to go to the terminal for repairs I usually get a 34 reset then head out with a big load. But my repairs are few and far between, and I have never been denied any maintenance requests. If this is a regular occurrence and the equipment is not properly maintained I can understand. However I also know driver who put the truck in the shop for every little thing instead of waiting and making a list. If my QC speakers don't work, so what. But I know someone who went back to the terminal for this. Another will stop in the middle of a load for a PM as soon as he gets the maintenance reminder...whether or not it will make him late for the customer.

For the truck it depends on what it is.

Something little I wait until there's a bigger issue then have it ask done at once.

I took my truck in last week for a PM, short in the right headlight, driver door not opening, air leak, and exhaust recall. The headlight is what made me being it in... The door was just a pain, the air leak wasn't major, the pm and recall could have waited.

Before that it was because the truck wouldn't shut off. Held the key in my hand and the damn thing kept on going for 45 mins. Then it kept doing it.

Before that I got towed in because going from stop to go the truck jumped 3-5 feet each time (can't have a student drive that).

Before that all my dash lights went out, couldn't drive at night cuz I couldn't see any of my gauges.

Before that we were down for a week with a stop engine light.... Something with the def system.