Question To Roehl Drivers/trainers

Awwwwe so I retired as a newbie still hahaha

Is this a good company at all? Because my first impression is not.

You literally just started, so what do you base this on? What are your first hand observations?

Well, my first impression in Western Express was much better. They got me a brand new truck with no camera facing inside, good modern tablet and I have never had a trip shorter than 250 miles there.

Here in Roehl we’re starting with a lie about running all 48 states from a recruiter. Western doesn’t go west of Mississippi River but at least they were honest with me about it upfront. And remember the MAIN reason I left Western was because I wanted to do all 48. So Roehl got me a truck with 100K miles on it in a TERRIBLE condition. Now I have to waste my time to get it fixed. There is also a camera watching me despite that I’m not a student, not just out of school and have a completely clean record. Instead of a tablet I got a computer I’ve last seen probably around 25 years ago. Now check this out. My FM asked me in the very beginning what states I don’t want to be in. I only named Pennsylvania. Guess where they sent me right after making me do local 30 mile trips around Chicago...? Yeah, right. But like I said, it’s just the first impression. We’ll see.

Is this a good company at all? Because my first impression is not.

You literally just started, so what do you base this on? What are your first hand observations?

Well, my first impression in Western Express was much better. They got me a brand new truck with no camera facing inside, good modern tablet and I have never had a trip shorter than 250 miles there.

Here in Roehl we’re starting with a lie about running all 48 states from a recruiter. Western doesn’t go west of Mississippi River but at least they were honest with me about it upfront. And remember the MAIN reason I left Western was because I wanted to do all 48. So Roehl got me a truck with 100K miles on it in a TERRIBLE condition. Now I have to waste my time to get it fixed. There is also a camera watching me despite that I’m not a student, not just out of school and have a completely clean record. Instead of a tablet I got a computer I’ve last seen probably around 25 years ago. Now check this out. My FM asked me in the very beginning what states I don’t want to be in. I only named Pennsylvania. Guess where they sent me right after making me do local 30 mile trips around Chicago...? Yeah, right. But like I said, it’s just the first impression. We’ll see.

Just hang in, Leo.

To THEM, you're a greenhorn . . . (ie: new, to THEM!!)

There are MANY success stories from Roehl drivers, within these walls. Click on the tab in the previous page, 'Search by Tags' .. and then type in Roehl. You'll see MUCH success!!

Wish you well, good sir.

~ Anne ~

And the driver facing camera was a secret to you? I would have a hard time believing that you didn’t know about it in advance. If you don’t like it, why did you hire on with Roehl in the first place?

From what I’ve heard and seen, Roehl is a pretty solid company.

Leo please share with us what motivated you to sign-on with Roehl.

My two cents (real quick)

The use of in-cab camera technology must be disclosed and have a signed document in place confirming your knowledge of it.

The type of technology we use today didn’t exist 25 years ago… I can assure you your laptop is likely 5 years old or less.

To them? You are an unknown entity, unproven with 1 year of experience. You’ll need to show them you are capable of being a consistent top performer.

Do your job… do it well. I can assure you they will take notice in short order. Walk the talk Leo. Get it done… then begin to “peel back the onion”, professionally ask them well thought out questions.

Good luck!

Uh Western Express DOES go west of the Mississippi, they bought another company out in Fontana, Calif years ago, and run out of that terminal. I went twice for interviews as diesel mechanic there lol. Based out of Tennessee office, because the supervisor mentioned a 60+ hour week, and they don't pay OT !!

2nd interview I brought that up to him about Calif labor laws RE: mechanics, that any thing over 8 hr a day/40 a week, is OT ! His reply, "Oh I'm only going by what they tell me from our home office in TN" ........Which I said, well. you're job opening is HERE, in So Cal. so guess what laws apply" lol needless to say, I refused the job, and left him with his jaw hanging wide open.

So, you're getting sprung out of Chicagoland and going to a different area: Pennsylvania. Not all of PA is bad, and I would rather be around there opposed to Chicago. Less traffic and way less gunfire.

100K on a truck is nothing! They usually are in the pool for at least 400K, so you may have that one another two and a half years. I got my newest-used truck and it was at 320K. It's been in the shop or at a dealership five times in under six months. The more it goes in, the more new parts she gets and the better she runs! I've only been issued one truck that had under 125K on it.

Cameras at Roehl? These were being installed when I left there in early 2017. Five years ago, so nothing new about them.

Alright people, thank y’all for your help first. Here’s some news/replies to your posts:

1. I no longer drive around Chicagoland.

2. I no longer feel I need to give Roehl a 1-star review on Google (Western Express got 4 stars from me just in case you’re wondering).

3. Western Express dry van solo drivers do not go west of Mississippi River anymore. The only way to do all 48 in Western Express now is either to be a trainer, or a flatbed driver.

4. I’m still mad Roehl recruiter Nicole lied to me about driving in all 48. You DO NOT instruct your recruiters to lie to applicants about where you drive!! I would probably not even apply if I knew they basically do the same area as Western Express does. It was one of the main reasons I left Western Express! I recently got a new FM because my previous one was fired. So we talked a bit and she told me they mostly do Midwest and Northeast, but I will get trips to TX, FL and other Southern states occasionally.

5. I mark the states I drive in with Roehl on the blank U.S. map. So far my map doesn’t look good at all. But let’s get back to it in a few weeks and see.

6. I don’t remember I signed any paperwork where I would agree with the camera facing inward in my truck. They say I can request to remove it in a few months, but I already hate it. I don’t feel comfortable at all being watched 24/7 while driving, singing, scratching, picking my nose, eating, drinking etc.

7. Anyway.. I suggest renaming this thread to just ‘Roehl’ so other people can get some useful information from it. Because there are some pros, too! Like good (one of the best actually) hometime, and very nice customers. No trashy companies for p/u or delivery. Very responsive and helpful dispatchers.

I will keep this thread updated.

I don’t feel comfortable at all being watched 24/7 while driving, singing, scratching, picking my nose, eating, drinking etc.

Do you seriously think that company is going to waste their money paying someone to monitor you 24/7? Who would apply for such a job? That is not how the camera works. You can keep them from seeing you at all by being a great driver. Try it. It's the knuckleheads who trigger the camera. Don't be a knucklehead and they will never get any video of you doing dumb stuff. If you decide to be a knucklehead then smile for the camera.

Roehl used to have alot of freight going to Tx, FL, and Ga. They have terminals in Ga and TX.

As OS said you don’t know how the camera works. Sure it can be manually activated, but it is mainly activated by hard brakes or other driving events such as lane departure. Noone has time to be watching drivers 24/7. Do your job as you were trained and you won’t have an issue. I’m an O/O and I have one. Not a big deal at all.

What division are you in?? A friend of mine ran curtainside for years and spent more time on the west coast than anywhere else. They have a flatbed terminal in Fontana Ca.

FM’s come and go all the time at all the big companies for various reasons. Just a fact of life.

The bottom line here is they are keeping you working. That is a blessing.