Watkins & Shepard - Yesterday and Today

I just came from WS did not pass the mountain driving down shifting going down hill. Yes the school is now $5,000 maybe a bit more. No financing program. Starting out at .27 mile. All the employees, office staff took a 5% pay cut. O/O are being paid .90 a mile.
School program is run once they are full. They seam to be a pretty good company compared to what is out there. They are forced dispatch. They make it very clear do not turn down a load. Better be able to drive in snow and ice and use chains.They run the mountains in the winter. Better know how to down shift going down hill at 65. They do not train you to shift down hill at the 10 day orientation.

Hope this helps.

 

And you were summarily sent home? Speed, RPM, Inertia......

 

This is what we were told to do... get your speed up to 65 and start slowing down fast and down shift than once we were in 6th gear to hit the brakes drop your speed to 15 miles per hour and down shift to 5th. Yes I was sent home. Because I could not get it into gear as smoothly and quickly as they wanted me to. Had only 6 hrs. of driving from the school I went to. Was told by WS that they would show us how to down shift going down hill. Well I guess I did not pick it up well enough to pass.

 

The school I went to in AZ told us to get into the proper gear before heading down the hill. But I was willing to lesson to what ever the instructor told me to do and that is one of their requirements. But he was yelling so I got nerviness so did not do as well as I should have.

 

Yes they sent me home for a single issue told me I did great with everything but shifting down the hill and would be a great employee did great on my backing pretty good on the shifting over all and taking corners did not hit any curbs everything was as good as could be expected with only 6 hrs of driving at the school in AZ.

This was for their 10-day orientation.

The only out of pocket expenses was for food. They put you up in their rooms for free and paid the bus ticket. Which I will never do again is ride the bus.
They took us up the hill once showed us what to do then we get into the driver seat and they try and help you through your first time down doing it. Then you are tested the next day up and down the hill. If you mess up and don't make it... did not master it then yes you fail. I know your thinking this sound crazy but I am telling you what they did. Hit the top of the mountain get your speed up to 65 and start down shifting ASAP.

 

So you understand. I went to Southwest Truck Driver Training for 4 weeks. I than applied with WS was excepted for employment. And was told I would need to go through their 10-day orientation. That they would train me to do things there way and that included learning to shift going down a 6% grade 8% grade any mountain I would be able to down shift and never use my brakes. Using the Jake braking of coarse and since I have only had about 6 hrs. of driving experience and with WS training I now have about 10 hrs. of driving and shifting. Maybe some people can master it with only 10 hrs. under there belt. But I need a bit more training I think to be safe out there. It makes since to me just like with anything new you do it takes time to become experienced at it.

I have no bad feelings towards WS. I think they made a professional and safe decision not putting me through. They deal with drivers all the time. No mater what If I could not get it... master it, I feel it is my problem and my responsibly to fix it and get the experience needed to do the job. People need to know how serious of a job truck driving really is. It is not a joke out there.