What's the starting pay for a student at W/S?

Not anymore. There are a few older trucks around that still have them, but they are being slowly phased out.
The new volvos have a bunk heater, but not an APU.

 

Well I'm glad our school was not on their "preferred" list because no APU would have been a deal breaker.

 

An APU is a ridiculously expensive piece of equipment for a company to instal on a truck nowadays. With all the regulations they are hitting $14k or more. You will find that everything about trucking is a compromise.
Bigger paycheck, or more hometime? more pay per mile, or more truck luxuries? ect...
I ran without an APU for Dec/Jan in the 2014 volvo they gave me when my old truck wore out. A deal breaker? no, but I MUCH preferred to have one. Watkins and shepard gives their drivers everything they "need"to be safe and productive drivers with decent paychecks. They also try to give drivers what they "want". But $14k is a bit much to ask them to fork over because a rookie wants his/her luxuries.

That being said...I just purchased a truck....and yes, It has an APU. lol.

 

We would like to have them but they are just cost prohibitive plus maintenance becomes an issue as well.

 

I googled it and was unable to find a definite answer..

What is an APU?

 

Auxiliary power unit.

 

In big rigs, the APU (Auxiliary power unit) is a small diesel engine (or huge stack of batteries) that runs to provide A/C, heat, and electrical supply to the truck, so that you dont have to run the main engine.
It allows for extra driver comforts, with less fuel use than the main engine.
However, it is expensive to both get/install originally, and to maintain regularly.


http://www.na.thermoking.com/tk-innovation/global/en/products/apu.html

 

What are newbies averaging a week? If it's not too much of an imposition. Thanks

 

Safe to say $750 / week

 

Deal breaker? I worked at WS for 2yrs, I just never turned off truck, never got grief for it and ALWAYS qualified for fuel bonus!

I have nothing bad to say about Watkins...If they still have the runs, if you're a newb, request LTL runs, they pay the best and develop your NEEDED skills the fastest as you will be hitting many many docks a day, some seemingly built for horse and buggies(which help you the most)...After a few weeks of those, you'll never look at a dock and feel concern, just the thrill of the challenge knowing you have the skills to make it happen!..