My Next Career Choice

Hey everyone, I've been lurking on these forums for a little while, getting used to some terminology and what not, anyway, a little about myself.

I'm from North Alabama, in a little town called Holly Pond, I've got some experience with trucks since I've been around them all my life, I can back them very well, shift gears without grinding, and can definitely see myself driving a truck for a career.

I just now turned 21, so now I'm able to get my CDL , I've already passed my physical with no bad health probelms, which is surprising cause I'm a 6'2 285 Lb guy. I narrowed down my choices to Swift, Roehl, Prime, and Schneider, but I ultimately decided to go with Roehl. I will be in the National Flatbed Fleet, starting at 0.39 cents a mile, with the 11/3 schedule. At first my girlfriend (soon to be wife) opposed the idea, but she'll be coming with me after 6 months. I start my training on the 15th of this month.

Anyway, what advice can you guys give me for starting out? Did I make a good choice with Roehl? I know a lot of people belly ache about them, but that can be said about anything. What are some things I need to survive on the road?

Thanks guys.

Best of luck Cullman!, I'm currently trying to decide between a few of those companies myself including Roehl, The positives I've heard so far are that their in house training is great, very detailed and everyone is nice. The negatives I've heard are their trucks are pretty bare bones and there is a lack of miles. Again.. this is just my personal research, it may depend on division, hometime, lazy drivers and a number of other factors. I'd really like a current driver from Roehl to outright say they are very happy and have a ton of miles thrown at them and they'd be #2 on my list after Prime.

Again, best of luck maybe I'll see you at Roehl someday !

Best of luck Cullman!, I'm currently trying to decide between a few of those companies myself including Roehl, The positives I've heard so far are that their in house training is great, very detailed and everyone is nice. The negatives I've heard are their trucks are pretty bare bones and there is a lack of miles. Again.. this is just my personal research, it may depend on division, hometime, lazy drivers and a number of other factors. I'd really like a current driver from Roehl to outright say they are very happy and have a ton of miles thrown at them and they'd be #2 on my list after Prime.

Again, best of luck maybe I'll see you at Roehl someday !

Thanks for the reply, David. That's been my primary problem; finding up to date information on their trucks and driver reviews. Almost EVERYTHING I've found is from 2012 or later. 5 years makes a big difference in the trucking industry, I'm sure. But yeah, maybe we'll see each other down the road!

Wow man. I'm from Cullman County also. From that little map dot called Holly Pond lol. I'll take off to Oxford TDI for my CDL on the 15th of May. In my opinion there is a lot of belly aching no matter where you go, I'm sure others will agree. I've narrowed mine down to a few with Averitt being at the top. I'm a newbie also but my advice is keep a good attitude and stay away from the complainers and hustle.

Wow man. I'm from Cullman County also. From that little map dot called Holly Pond lol. I'll take off to Oxford TDI for my CDL on the 15th of May. In my opinion there is a lot of belly aching no matter where you go, I'm sure others will agree. I've narrowed mine down to a few with Averitt being at the top. I'm a newbie also but my advice is keep a good attitude and stay away from the complainers and hustle.

I'm from Holly Pond too! It's a small world for sure! But yeah, gotta hustle wherever you go!

CullmanGreenHorn the belly aching you speak of, "by a lot of people", don't believe it. Far too many drivers take out their failure and frustration on their former employer by posting negative and embellished stories of mistreatment and how horrible the company was. They never take responsibility for the mistakes that ultimately caused their demise.

If you want the straight scoop on Roehl, ask here. You can also search on Roehl by using the search bar in the upper left hand corner, this will return any archived thread containing information on Roehl.

Good luck.

Desmond, its difficult to put into words what I'm about to say without sounding like a jerk.

I have trained many students and hands down the worst ones I trained were the young ones who said exactly what you said about yourself. They thought they knew it all and were difficult to teach, and to top it off their young 21 age just fueled their reckless thinking, ego, and their false imagine of themselves.

Those were the most dangerous of students. If you go into this with a mindset of you having been around trucks all your life, can back well and shift like a pro then you will struggle even more.

I stress to you, as much as you may like to think you know, come into this industry like a sponge. Absorb everything everyone tells you and don't let yourself become jaded because of your exposure to trucks growing up.

Anyway, what advice can you guys give me for starting out?

First of all, since you've committed to Roehl, which is as good of a company as any, stop looking for opinions about the company and start focusing on preparing yourself for a great start to this career. It's good that you can back up and shift, but that's not the hard part about this career. Understanding time management, managing stress, being away from home and family and friends, the erratic sleep patterns, the crazy personalities you'll come across, the horrendous traffic and potentially deadly weather you'll encounter, the crazy drivers on the road - those are the tough parts about trucking. We have a ton of great information in our Truck Driver's Career Guide that will help you understand the challenges you're about to face so you go in with the right attitude and expectations:

Truck Driver's Career Guide

Also, you'll want to get all of your endorsements right away, at least the ones they'll let you get right away. And then you have the Logbook rules, loading cargo, adjusting the axle weights, calculating fuel burnoff, and all kinds of knowledge you'll need to do your job out there. We cover all of this stuff, and more, in our High Road Training Program:

High Road Training Program

Jump on that stuff right away and start preparing. Trust me, the shifting and backing is clumsy to learn in the beginning but that's not the tough part about this career. Get the knowledge base you'll need and get your expectations and attitude where they need to be before you even begin the schooling and you'll be in a fantastic position to get your career off to a really strong start.

Desmond, its difficult to put into words what I'm about to say without sounding like a jerk.

I have trained many students and hands down the worst ones I trained were the young ones who said exactly what you said about yourself. They thought they knew it all and were difficult to teach, and to top it off their young 21 age just fueled their reckless thinking, ego, and their false imagine of themselves.

Those were the most dangerous of students. If you go into this with a mindset of you having been around trucks all your life, can back well and shift like a pro then you will struggle even more.

I stress to you, as much as you may like to think you know, come into this industry like a sponge. Absorb everything everyone tells you and don't let yourself become jaded because of your exposure to trucks growing up.

Oh definitely! I'm going into this with an open mind and I definitely don't think I'm the best. I've always made it a priority to learn at least one new thing a day, if not more. You didn't come off as sounding like a jerk, more like someone who wants to provide an air of caution to someone coming into this industry with little to no experience what so ever, and I thank you for that.

Thank you for your advice, Daniel.

Jump on that stuff right away and start preparing. Trust me, the shifting and backing is clumsy to learn in the beginning but that's not the tough part about this career. Get the knowledge base you'll need and get your expectations and attitude where they need to be before you even begin the schooling and you'll be in a fantastic position to get your career off to a really strong start.

Thank you for your advice, Brett. Like I told Daniel B. in my previous reply, I'm going into this with an open mind. I'm sure there are tons more hazards and hardships that you didn't list that I will have to overcome, but I'm fully prepared for those. I know it'll be hard, but I'm confident I can get through it. This is a career that I've dreamed of having since a kid, so I'm prepared to go through anything and everything to make it. As for the High Road Program, I've already signed up and working my way into it. I've already obtained my CDL Permit, but I'm still diving head first into the program. I need all the help I can get, and I thank you again for what advice you've given me.

I look forward to keeping in contact with you guys to let you know my progress. As it looks right now, I'm heading to Wisconsin for training on the 15th!