google watkin shepard, click the first link, i dont know if i can put a web address on the forum or not, but thats the best way, they are out of MT, but they have i think 20 terms all around the US.

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my dream of becoming an o/o and making something of myself is starting to become nothing more then a fairytale

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Thanks B-rord.

Hey folks, just a quick update here, im back at the hotel tonight, sunday may 4th.
i just want to say a few more things that i did not mention in the last post
the hotel is nice that the company has put us up in. breakfast int he am. they gave us a car to get to and from the hotel and term. not the best looking car, but hey, its better then walking or public transit.
there is a wawa across the street, and a dunkin donuts a short walk down the street. a whole shopping dist right down the street.
they have me sharing a room with a nother guy... its... well. its different. not the best room mate. someone who talks, well, a whole whole whole lot. its nice to fall asleep to..
anyway. so far all is good with training, our 1st day we had to sit through the usual videos about saftey, i didnt mind its always good to be reminded of how serious of a job we have. the rest of the week we did some drop and hooks. which, based on what i have been told is most of the job, drop and hook, but we will see. im done trainign on this up coming wed. they will send me somewhere to go pick up my truck, dont know where thay will be yet, this week we are supposed to head up and takle some mountains. im pretty excited about that, last week, we just went out and drove, so our trainer could see how we do with just driving on flat ground.
ok. well thats all for now. im turning in for the night.
ill update on what we do tommorrow when i head back to the hotel.
all and all i have nothign bad to say at all. but its still early
ok, folks
---soon2betruckin will be trucking soon.

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my dream of becoming an o/o and making something of myself is starting to become nothing more then a fairytale

if yer at the helena teminal and im home...ill take you to the best resturant money can buy...WENDY"S!!!!

Hey people, sorry i have not been on here to update anyone about the company, i for my charger for my computer at home last weekend. Anyway, i just want to post on what been going on with me, and the company.
at the begining of the week we did a lot of paper work, i lot of signatures. you go through you usual stuff with starting at a new place. then we just went over the basics, how to operate the quailquam. which, if your able go get to the site, then you should have no problem operating the system. seriously, its self explanitory.
i was out on thursday and friday with a trainer, on thursday the trainer drove most of the day, i drove just about all day up in Long Island NY, driving around up there is not that bad, i talked to a few drivers that hate going up to Long Island, but seriously, i did not mind it, NOT, getting there is a different story. We went over the G.W Bridge, i no the lanes are big enough for the trucks, but geez, it close. but i made it. and then going over the Frogg Neck Bridge, again, looks tight but not too bad. we made 10 stops yesterday, and of course not one of the places we went to had a loading dock. but it all worked out anyway.
* btw, i was out with a local driver *
** also, as far as the loading and the unlading, from what i understand, all we are supposed to do is get the fraight to the doors of the trailer,the reciever is to get it off the truck.
again, i have yet to see anything bad about the company first hand.
and just one thing id like to say here if your thinking about going to school for your CDL, do your self a favor and find a school that is longer then 4 weeks, trust me,it will pay off, take it from me first hand, i did 6 months of school. i thought it was an extreamly long time there. however, after going through the training at this company, and doing it with a student that went to a 4 weeks school, the difference is like Night and Day. there were a lot of things that he was unable to do. and always take your time,its not a race.
ok, well im going to get some rest.
any questions about the job, or even the company, ill do my best to answer any question

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my dream of becoming an o/o and making something of myself is starting to become nothing more then a fairytale

I have read that the 30 day training that Watkins/Shepard gives in Missoula, MT is very good and then you are out with your own truck. Some have said that in the first week of their training at W/S that they are ahead of some of the 10 day students that have come in from other schools.

i guess it would all depend where they went to school, 4 weeks, or shorter, or longer, i no that when i went into the 10 days of training, it was myself, that did 6 months of school, 3 months were in the class room, and the 2 months of doing on the skills, 2 weeks of each, sight side, blind side, ally dock, straight line backing, 2 weeks of each skill, 4 hours a day. and then a month of driving, working on up shifting, down shifting, coming to a stop, right turns, left turns. and backing up at the end of the day in between trailers. the other guy that did the 4 weeks of training at a private school, who was a very interesting person, very smart and all that good stuff, well, he just had a hard time operating the truck.
our trainer had us superintene through light pols in a parking lot, doing it forward, looping around the last poll, and coming back, THEN, he had us do the exact same thing, but in reverse, all the way down, and all the way back up... i had no problem doing it, and the 4 weeker, well, he just could not do it.
I dont no, maybe some people are just better then others, but to me, this is something that i have always wanted to, my entire life, yeah im here to get a check, but its sooooooo much more then just that to me. i have a lot more appreciation for the 6 months of school now. more now then i did a week and half ago. if some one were to ask me whats a good school. i would tell them to find some kind of 6 month program. someone that will teach in depth on how to operate the rig. this is just my opinion keep in mind.
if you read some of my first post, youll see that some guys on here have told me to go into school, listen, and learn what the teachers tell us. and i did that, and im very happy with where i am thus far, yeah, im just starting out, but so far so good, ill keep all posted on how im making out, and where i am, and i have experianced.

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my dream of becoming an o/o and making something of myself is starting to become nothing more then a fairytale

Hey Soon2be I start my 10 day orientation with them at the Sayerville, NJ terminal on July 9th! I must say that of all the recruiters I spoke to so far my recruiter for Watkins & Shepard has been the absolute best! She laid everything out for me, step by step, so even some one of my intellect or lack there of could understand it. Who is your instructor? The guy I'll be working with is nick named "Vern" who sounds like a great guy. Keep me posted as to your progress. Good luck.