Starting Roehl July 17th

Finally got everything all taken care of and in order after a little over 2 months of getting my health in good status. Its been a long struggle dealing with my blood pressure but its all good, got my health card, my permit and a start date at Appleton for Roehl's cdl program on July 17th. Finally get to follow a lifelong dream of mine to get my CDL and drive trucks. I'm super excited but super nervous since this will be a huge change for me and my family. Will this be the right career for me? I can't answer that but I have to follow my dream and find out. I'm going to give it my best and at least stick it out for the contract and go from there. Any advice from you fellow members? Anyone else going at the same time as me? I wanted to thank all of you for your numerous posts and Brett for your high road training. All of your words of wisdom and your training program have helped me immensely pass my test and pushed me to finally follow my dream and leave my factory job where I was miserable.

Hey, that's all really fantastic news! Glad to hear it and I really wish you the best of luck.

My advice is to expect a lot of ups and downs the next few months because that's trucking, especially early in your career. You're with a great company but that doesn't mean their trucks won't break down, or you won't meet some surly personalities, or they won't have some policies you don't like. It means you can expect to be given solid equipment and every opportunity you could ever hope for to learn your trade, prove your worth, become a top tier professional, and make a really good living.

So buckle up, work hard, and stay focused on reaching that one year mark with the company. Learn how their operations work, get to know some people in the offices, communicate really well with everyone, and don't sweat the small stuff.

Oh, and one last thing. Keep us updated. Let us know anytime you come across situations you're unsure of. So many times people run into challenges, blame the company for all of their problems, quit their job needlessly, and then come here to tell us about it. Well it's too late for us to help! They should have come to us when things became challenging and we could have helped them work through it.

So keep that in mind. We're here to help you make it to that one year mark with the company so make sure you give us the opportunity when challenging or confusing circumstances present themselves.

Have fun and best of luck!

Great news Nate! Best of luck with Roehl.

Advice? There is lots of it on here; general as well as specifics on Roehl. I suggest (if you haven't already) spending some time reviewing the training diaries specific to Roehl. Head on over to the diaries forum and use the search bar (top, left hand corner of the page) and look for topics on Roehl's training. I know of at least one active Roehl student driver posting regular updates.

My advice starting out for your training; take it one step/one day at a time, maintaining your focus and keeping an even keel. Avoid the emotional response, it will only distract you from learning. You'll likely struggle at times with all that is new, but if you apply yourself as I suggested you'll get through it.

Good luck.

thank you all for the words of encouragement. I'm definitely going into this with an open mind. I'm going to learn everything I possibly can. I'm not the expert, they are, so I'm going to stay focused and not act like a know it all. I think you can expect ups and downs with every company, no matter what profession it is. This ain't a perfect world so I don't expect any different with my new future career. The only thing I'm expecting is that my office view is gonna be better than my current view from a forklift in a warehouse lol. I'm sure I can count on that. I've done my research, A LOT of research. I couldnt tell you how many threads I have read on here because honestly I don't know, I just know its a lot. I've read every Roehl related topic on here to help my decision of choosing them. I was actually thinking about making a training diary about my experience with their school and going out with my trainer and maybe even continuing on when I go solo if anyone would be interested.

Hey, that's all really fantastic news! Glad to hear it and I really wish you the best of luck.

My advice is to expect a lot of ups and downs the next few months because that's trucking, especially early in your career. You're with a great company but that doesn't mean their trucks won't break down, or you won't meet some surly personalities, or they won't have some policies you don't like. It means you can expect to be given solid equipment and every opportunity you could ever hope for to learn your trade, prove your worth, become a top tier professional, and make a really good living.

So buckle up, work hard, and stay focused on reaching that one year mark with the company. Learn how their operations work, get to know some people in the offices, communicate really well with everyone, and don't sweat the small stuff.

Oh, and one last thing. Keep us updated. Let us know anytime you come across situations you're unsure of. So many times people run into challenges, blame the company for all of their problems, quit their job needlessly, and then come here to tell us about it. Well it's too late for us to help! They should have come to us when things became challenging and we could have helped them work through it.

So keep that in mind. We're here to help you make it to that one year mark with the company so make sure you give us the opportunity when challenging or confusing circumstances present themselves.

Have fun and best of luck!

I was actually thinking about making a training diary about my experience with their school and going out with my trainer and maybe even continuing on when I go solo if anyone would be interested.

We would love that. As you know, it's incredibly helpful to follow along with the experiences that others have had before you so you have an idea of what to expect. Plus, it's pretty cool for you to be able to look back on it and remember those early days in trucking.

Yeah, it would be great if you'd do a diary during your training time and beyond if you like. The more you can document, the better.

Congrats and good luck!!!

I too have always wanted to be a trucker amd have just started my journey with Roehl. I'm currently waiting on my bus to their Grand Prairie (Dallas) terminal to start training tomorrow.

And WOW, 3 of us on here (that I've seen so far) going to Roehl at roughly the same time (albeit at different terminals). One that's already been at the Georgia terminal for a week, you starting on the 17th at Appleton, and myself starting tomorrow in Dallas.

I look forward to hearing your progress.

hey that's awesome! Maybe we will all run into each other at a terminal one day. How are your nerves? The more I think about it, the more nervous/excited I get. I'm kinda nervous about the unknown but I'm also excited to be finally following my dream. I will definitely keep you all posted on my progress and I look forward to hearing yours as well

Congrats and good luck!!!

I too have always wanted to be a trucker amd have just started my journey with Roehl. I'm currently waiting on my bus to their Grand Prairie (Dallas) terminal to start training tomorrow.

And WOW, 3 of us on here (that I've seen so far) going to Roehl at roughly the same time (albeit at different terminals). One that's already been at the Georgia terminal for a week, you starting on the 17th at Appleton, and myself starting tomorrow in Dallas.

I look forward to hearing your progress.

At the moment, my nerves are fine. I'm more excited and relieved that today has finally come.

I hope I feel the same when my turn comes. I know i will feel so relieved when I finally leave my current job. What division are you going in?

At the moment, my nerves are fine. I'm more excited and relieved that today has finally come.

If you guys remember anything when getting started at this, remember what Brett advised you...

My advice is to expect a lot of ups and downs the next few months because that's trucking, especially early in your career.

That succinct statement is stellar. There are such high running emotions and devastating set-backs for any and all of us when starting this career. It seems like it should be so simple - just drive the dang truck! What we don't know when we are getting started at this is usually the thing that cripples us the most. It is a constant roller coaster of up and down emotions, accomplishments and defeats, of peace and serenity on the highway, which is followed by shear terror! I think being prepared to expect the emotional highs and lows is some of the best advice you can take with you as you begin your journey. Best of luck to you guys, and if you want to see this thing through and thrive at this career, my suggestion is to stay plugged in here. Don't just think you've got this and you don't need the support of others. If you hang around here, you will learn a lot of great things that will help you survive that first year, which is something that only about five percent of the people who try this manage to do.

We love helping new drivers, it is what we do best. Get in, buckle up, and hold on... it's going to be a wild ride!

Best of luck to you guys!