Legal Commitments With Online Applications (Roehl Example)

Very new at this. I began enrollment process for CDL Academy with Roehl. Not yet sure I am within their geography, Raleigh, NC. They obtain your agreement as part of the process. Last agreement stopped me cold:

Agreement for the value of the Safety and Job Skills Training Program - Get Your CDL The value of the SJSTP is in effect a loan to you. It's a loan you'll never have to pay back as long as you work for us as a driver and complete 120,000 paid solo miles. Once you have completed 120,000 paid solo miles, this debt is completely forgiven and you owe us nothing for the SJSTP.

States that as soon as you accept, the agreement is in effect as of today, and you are on the hook for $7000. But I don't know if they'll accept me in to their program. And there is no stated pro ration of accrued amounts. e.g. "we didn't accept you but you owe us for the $40 drug screen, which you passed" Nope you're on the hook for $7000 period!

How does anyone get passed this financial hurdle?

The $7000 is if you attend rails training program in Marshfield Wisconsin. For the purposes of the school technically it is a separate company. The loan you’re getting is to pay for that training. You must abide by all of their rules even at the hotel they have you stay at, to include no firearms. We had a dumbass bring firearms in his personal vehicle to training and was subsequently released.(many years ago for me).

The first day of class you will sign a contract. Until then you don't owe anything. You will be sent to Gary Indiana, Conley Georgia, Marshfield or Appleton Wisconsin for training. Just depends on where they have openings. Just follow the rules and pay attention and you won't have any problems.

Not doubting these knowledgeable replies, at all. Yet this contract states it differently. That the firearms guy likely got a 7 grand bill.

Not doubting these knowledgeable replies, at all. Yet this contract states it differently. That the firearms guy likely got a 7 grand bill.

The word “admission” is key to the overall meaning of this contract. Signing this only starts the process. Simple. Most of us entered the industry with Paid CDL Training Programs. They are all basically the same; “we’ll train you for free as long as you (the trainee) commit to driving for the company who trained you for a minimum time period (typically 12 months or a mileage equivalent). Once you are admitted to their school and actually show-up, you are then on the hook for financial responsibility.

Quality driver training has a high value. It’s worth something. If it was truly “free”, do you think it would effectively prepare you to pass the CDL test? In essence the agreement is requesting serious applicants only.

I failed the Roehl pyshical aptitude test because my heart rate was 2 BPM over their limit. They sent me after I spent a night in their hotel, they told me I could hang out til after lunch and eat the food they had ordered plus the next day I had a check at home for a full day of orientation. After all that I didnt owe them anything.

I failed the Roehl pyshical aptitude test because my heart rate was 2 BPM over their limit. They sent me after I spent a night in their hotel, they told me I could hang out til after lunch and eat the food they had ordered plus the next day I had a check at home for a full day of orientation. After all that I didnt owe them anything.

Since you were sent home for medical reasons you didn't owe. But if you quit on your own or get let go for being unsafe then you owe the money.

I think you are way over analyzed it all. You actually have to have had some training to be on the hook. Otherwise they could get 500 people a week to sign the contract then immediately send them all home and make serious bank. If they don't accept you then there is no contract between the two of you and there was no training. If you check the contract there should be a release clause up to a certain amount of time required in training before which nothing is owed and you go you separate ways, after which you owe the money. if there is no such clause then this should be the final agreement and you should have already been vetted and accepted at this point.

I went through the program. I didn’t even read what I was signing on the first day of orientation. The instructor didn’t say anything about it just we needed to sign something. I probably should have done more due diligence. But whatever I was motivated to succeed. Just go into it with the right attitude and read the articles on this site. The roehl program was great. I stayed with them for 2 years and it was amazing. The training was good the equipment was great and the people in the office in Marshfield were all great. I recommend it to anyone wanting to get in the industry. I only quit to be home more and my new company isn’t nearly as good as roehl. If you work hard, listen to them, and have the right attitude it will go well.

Really poor idea to sign any legal contract during orientation, or any other time, and not read it.