Getting Ready To Start With Roehl

Hi all, I'm excited to say that I got accepted into Roehl's GYCDL program and will be starting their training program on March 24! I'll be heading to their headquarters in Marshfield, WI for 3 weeks of Phase 1 training, then have a 3-8 day break before starting Phase 2 (going out with a trainer for about 3 weeks). I've learned a ton of stuff through Trucking Truth over the past few months, so wanted to document my journey for those after me.

A bit of background about me: I'm a 43 year old single guy, no kids, and have been managing a very large youth gymnastics facility for the past 17 years (started at the bottom just teaching rec. classes part-time, worked my way up to general manager). I've been considering a career change for a few years now and have always been interested in trucking, so decided to make the jump now. Love kids but need a change of pace.

My last day of work was last Friday and I was originally planning on getting my CDL at a local community college and then finding a company at the end of that, but after a lot of thought and reading suggestions from people on TT to go a company-sponsored route, I cancelled those plans and contacted Roehl, which was my top choice. Recruiter got back to me quickly and less than a week later, I'm scheduled to go! I had already gotten my CLP a couple months ago, so that sped it up a bit.

Hello Shane,

Congratulations on starting your journey! Roehl is a very good company and you were VERY wise to go straight to a reputable carrier for paid training vs. a CDL school. CDL schools are there to make money (though there are some good ones in the mix) and the company will train you how THEY want to to drive their truck safely.

This gig is 90% between your ears. Just take in the instruction and take your time. Remember the most important trait of a truck driver is PATIENCE. Patience with your trainers, patience with the multitude of crazy and reckless motorists, and most importantly patience with yourself. You are going to make mistakes as we all have. Don't beat yourself up if you make a mistake or if there are some things you aren't getting as quickly as the other students. Emotional truck drivers make bad truck drivers. Always strive to keep your emotions near the middle and level.

Your training will be broken down down into 3 major areas (pre-trip inspection, driving, and backing). You will notice that you will excel in 1-2 areas and be a little behind in the other 1 or 2. Find students that excel in where you are not as strong and practice with them and conversely help them with the area(s) you are strong in. It makes the learning process a lot more fun and collaborative.

Best of success to you and please come back here and update frequently and let us know if you have any questions.

Lastly, on backing practice "less is better" with the steering wheel and always Get Out And Look ;-)

Day 1 is in the books. Checked into the Hotel Marshfield yesterday afternoon, which is a pretty nice hotel. I ended up getting a room by myself which I was really happy about, as I was expecting to have a roommate. The front desk said that it could change for week 2 and 3 but for this week at least, I have a room to myself. Woo hoo! A Roehl trainer came to meet us at the hotel at 6:45 to lead us over to the facility and my goodness, it was freezing cold this morning (in the 20s and had snowed yesterday). That woke me up really quickly. There are only 5 of us starting this week, which they said is a bit of a smaller group than usual.

Today was mostly onboarding and going over basics. We also took a tour of the grounds and facilities and I can tell that Roehl really cares about its drivers. The trainers were really thorough and easy to talk to and I'm really happy that I chose to go with this company. After lunch (company-provided), we went out to a truck and went over the pre-trip inspection and also had to show that we could climb in and out of both the tractor and trailer. It was easy--they just emphasized that they want a 3-point contact at all times.

Training schedule is going to be M-F 6:30am-4:30pm and Saturdays 7-11:30am for 3 weeks. We're also allowed to stay late and/or come in on Sundays if we want extra time with the trucks to practice inspections. We also have a ton of J.J. Keller modules that we need to complete by the end of week 1 (primarily on our off-time from what I've gathered), and I spent a little over 2 hours working on that this evening. Now it's time for bed, as I'm pooped and still adjusting to waking up so early.

Also thanks, Zen Joker, for your encouragement and feedback!!! I will keep that in mind.