Roehl Driver Training: Ellenwood Georgia Edition
Topic 4585 | Page 1
Thanks alot, Weatherman!
I for one look forward to your take on Roehl from your perspective. I'm going to be going through a private school for my CDL and Roehl is one of the companies I'm most interested in. So, please keep us posted on your progress!!!
And Best of Luck to you my Friend!
Tarren
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Signing on .....
I'm a big fan of Roehl. Does the Ellenwood terminal do training also? ... or do you have to go North like WT did.
Great Company from what I've been gathering ..
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Day one is complete.
I was expecting a lot hurry up and wait today but was only half right. There was plenty of wait but not so much hurry. We were picked up at the hotel at 6:40 am to begin Orientation at 7:00 am. There are 10 people in class and after starting the day filling out paperwork we waited in line for our drug test, another line for the DOT physical, and finally waited to take a strength and mobility test. The last couple of hours were spent going over Hazmat and hours of service.
The physical was not bad. I would recommend letting your hair grow out on at least part of your body to make the hair test easier. Even more important make sure you bring any prescription medications with you in the original bottle. And remember some medications may require a letter from your personal doctor stating that you can drive on said medication.
A bagged lunch was provided for free consisting of a sandwich (I had turkey), brownie, and chips. We were also given an $8.50 voucher to be used at a nearby restaurant for dinner. Throw in Breakfast at the hotel and all of my meal were paid for today.
Tomorrow we are suppose to work on yard skills in the morning then more class work in the afternoon.
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
DWI:
Driving While Intoxicated
OK .... keep 'em comin'... I love hearing about school experiences.
Day 2: Backing, Safety and Maps,
I started the day with breakfast at the hotel before catching the shuttle to the terminal to begin training at 7:00 am. Training kicked off by going over pretrip procedures for about an hour before starting work on alley docking.
The instructor showed us Roehl’s alley docking method then we took turns practicing. I was a bit nervous on my first attempt but got threw it pretty well and the instructor were all pretty laid back and really helpful. We continued working on our backing skills until lunchtime at noon.
Bag lunches were provided at the terminal then we hung out for a while until the instructor returned at one.
The afternoon consisted of classroom material starting out with several safety videos with heavy emphasis on not using your smartphones while driving. The last hour was spent going through our road atlases with class ending around 5:00 PM. Oh, We also received our medical cards right after lunch.
Once again the pace and atmosphere was pretty relaxed but we got a lot accomplished. I am really enjoying training so far. Looking forward to working more on alley dock in the morning then hopefully some road time in the afternoon assuming our drug test results come through.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Day one is complete.
I would recommend letting your hair grow out on at least part of your body to make the hair test easier.
Hair from your @ss crack acceptable?
Sorry for missing a day. The Hotel internet connection has not been the greatest lately
Day 3:
We once again started the day practicing our alley dock throughout the morning followed by lunch and then a pre-trip exercise. Best of all though our drug test results arrived meaning we could finally drive on the road! I went out with two other students in the truck where we each took turns driving a short loop. I did okay, grinded a gear or two, but nothing unexpected.
Day 4:
Started with pretrip inspection and backing practice again (notice a trend yet?). I am feeling really good about backing at this point which is pretty sweet considering I failed the alley dock portion of the CDL exam twice. Now it is starting to feel like second nature.
I wish I could say the same about my road drive in the afternoon. I mean seriously WTF! The trucks have 10 speeds and I could not downshift to 6th gear to save my life (was trying to shift at to high of speed). To make things worse I let myself get frustrated and need my instructors help getting into a gear (several times). The good part is my instructor gave another short drive after the other students took their turns. The good news is I corrected my shifting problems but totally ran over a curb making a right turn. By far my worst drive in a long time. Hopefully things will be better tomorrow.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Day one is complete.
I would recommend letting your hair grow out on at least part of your body to make the hair test easier.
Hair from your @ss crack acceptable?
Haha, Sure why not. Go for it.
I'm scheduled to go for training August 25th driving my personal vehicle from New York tout Missouri for their company training. Most definitely nervous, absolutely zero experience with trucks... I've read a ton about other companies and decided on Roehl due to a freind of mine driving for them for a few years. They sound the most solid, the most helpful, My concern is the more recent blogs about companies force feeding lleasing. The future? Who knows, but. Obviously a noob like me would want to run far away from leasing... Any experiences with that aspect so far?
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Well, after doing my research and earning my CDL through a private school I find myself setting in a hotel room waiting to begin orientation with Roehl Transport tomorrow morning. This thread will probably not be anywhere near as epic as Wine Taster's Roehl Training Thread but It should hopefully give a different perspective for those coming from a private school and/or looking to drive as part of Roehl's dry van fleet.
So far, all is going well. I was given a rental car to drive from Columbia SC to the hotel in Georgia which is an awesome start considering I was in no way looking forward to riding a greyhound (which is also an option if you prefer). The hotel is pretty nice and has an indoor pool. I do have a roommate however the rooms are pretty good size so at least we should not be tripping over each others stuff.
Tomorrow I can expect a lot of hurry up and wait. Most likely just Drug test, DOT physical, and other paperwork. I do not expect any issues long as my blood pressure behaves. I will update as I can but please let me know if you have any questions.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.