The truth about watkins, my expierence

We liked a lot of things about WS... The wages did stink pretty bad though. That's why we left.

 

Ive run with WKSH since getting my CDL back in November 2013. Heres my take,.. Watkins will give you all the rope you need, if you choose to hang yourself with it, quit crying in the forums about it.
They give you a crash course in their operating procedures and systems and free you into the world of trucking. Whether you survive it is completely on you.
I have seen posts on here, where people whined they only made 4-500$ a week. BS. I run 2600-3600 miles a week, because I constantly communicate with dispatch. If I have a problem with my truck "I" get it into a shop and get it fixxed immediately. If I need Hometime I put in for it, I call the dispatchers in the area Im in, and I get home. Its as simple as that. At Watkins, you need to be a big boy (or girl) and handle business for yourself, not sit back and expect them to cater to your every need, or know what it is your struggling with.
The people are good people. They do care. I graduated cdl school in oregon with 5 other drivers, and I keep in contact with them all. None of them have it nearly as good as I do with Watkins.2 were "bullied" into leases they already struggle to keep up with. 2 drive for companies that babysit them and micromanage EVERYTHING they do, and the other one has already gone back to general labor because of bad experiences with his company.
Now,... I agree the pay is in the lower tier of companies out there. A little better than Swift or CR Eng, but quite a bit under the Big Dogs. And yes, the trucks were outdated. They have fixed that since I started with them. I drive a 2014 Volvo D13 with auto trans. Its drives itself man. Luxury. The trailers and other equipment are old, but I believe they are headed in the right direction.
For me, Watkins was a great choice, and I am glad I am here. But I also understand, not everyone can graduate cdl school, go to a 10 day orientation, get thrown in a truck, and either sink or swim. Alot of people swim here, and I strongly believe Watkins "makes" good truck drivers. I just get tired of seeing the people that "SANK" post here about how terrible their experience was.
Watkins is what You put into it.
I am currently in the process of buying my first truck, and they are working side by side with me to help me transition into an O/O. One of my first questions to the was "How long of a lease do I have to do with you?" Their answer?.. "we dont do a lease, if you dont want to drive for us anymore, theres no reason for us to try and make you stay. You drive for us as long as you want, and when you dont want to anymore, your free to go"
There are alot of O/O at Watkins. I have asked MANY of them "the pays not great, why do you stay?" The answers are always the same. "they leave me alone, let me run when and where I want. I go home when I want, and if I need help, their always there"
Sounds good to me. If you had a bad experience HERE, your probably gonna be a Nightmare for any Company you go drive for. Good Luck

 

I agree with a lot of what you said, however, it should be also stated that W&S is great for solo drivers but not for teams. Every team that I've spoken to has stated they aren't doing well or have already moved on due to the low miles. W&S simply does not have the amount of business to provide all of their teams with consistent team runs.

The companies trailers have a bad reputation so I'm glad their moving in the right direction on that.

 

It really doesn't take much to get into a decent company, there's no excuse for working for lame companies like this. Even if you have to settle because you went to a crap school or something, you only have to do a few months before trading up, to something that at least pays 40+K. I came into this field a broke college dropout who never made more than 10 bucks an hour. I left my first two companies because I wasn't satisfied with pay, and I probably made more than most drivers at WS make. Driving doesn't change that much from company to company, it's the same job. Why get paid less than what you know you deserve, because you see other people doing the same, or easier maybe job than you for more money? That's asinine.

I'm still on my first year and I'm easily running over 3K miles a week at 42 CPM with Crete. They take students. I'm also in a 2014 Prostar that I really enjoy. If my record got me in here, it's safe to say it's not that hard.

Don't defend these companies that haven't updated their wages (or equipment) in 20 years. If they can't keep butts in the seats, they'll raise their wages. The owners are keeping plenty of money in their own pockets by paying you minimum wage rates to run buckets of bolts. Why do you applaud them for that? Companies view drivers as a dime a dozen, even the better ones. It's always you for yourself out here, you need to have your own back. Don't trust that any company cares about anything other than making a profit off you.

 

And this garbage about paying your dues. Screw that. None of these trucking companies are gonna be loyal to you. You're only fooling yourself if you think that your loyalty would be repaid. We're not even viewed as people. We're less than, we're drivers... Home, money, comfort... those are luxuries for "people". You need to strive for what's important to you in this industry right away.

There's no reason for these companies to treat drivers as lousy as they do, so if you're stuck with one, there's no reason you need to stick with them for any longer than necessary. They're not charitable, you are with them because they profit off you.

If we stop working for the Swifts and Werners and the like, they'll shape up or ship out. You get low pay and no respect because you don't demand it.

 

For the amount of work we put into this job we should never settle for less than what we feel we are worth.

It doesn't matter if the company treats you good or gives you your space if they aren't doing what's good for you and your career.

Swift recently stated that they would have to increase wages because they were having trouble attracting new drivers due to their substandard pay rate compared to the industry average.

This is the kind of positive change we can create if we collectively refuse to settle for less than our time and efforts are worth.

 

Agreed Truckduo. Admittedly, I have not driven teams for Watkins, and dont know how many miles they are getting. The few teams I have talked to seem like they've been there a long time, but that doesnt mean new teams are getting miles. I have No idea.
As for jumping through three companies in your first year, good luck with that Brandson. Im not sure where in my post you got the impression im settling for anything. I make Good money at Watkins. Its not the best. But if I want to work two weeks and go home for a week, they let me. I typically stay out for 4-5 weeks, and come home for 10 days. cents per mile isnt the bottom line for me, like it is for some. I get respect at Watkins. When I walk into corporate in Missoula, everyone knows my name, even people I havent met.
Im not saying they are the best company out there, They are just like any other, and I know that. I have heard very good things about Crete as well, but Watkins is a good fit for me. I dont feel like a number, when dispatchers call me we BS, about hunting, fishing, the weather. They know the corridors I hate, and do their best to run me where I like.
All of that said, the ultimate goal is to go O/O and sign on with Landstar, or one of the bigger O/O outfits. Insurance companies, lenders,and potential employers will be looking at my work history. I know "company drivers" hop from one company to the next,like flowers to a bee. Maybe Im just trying not to be a "Company driver" any longer than I have to be.
I suppose everybodies different. and in the end, your just driving a different colored truck. You make a couple (3 to be exact) cents more than me,.. I have a good relationship with my employer. Win/Win

 

Watkins will always have freight for a good driver. Their internal processes are terrible. None of the staff speak to each other. The pay is on the lower side of mediocre. They are in the middle of a major equipment and computer upgrade. I drive a new volvo d13. Trailers are getting better. The real plus is this: They tell you where you have to be and when. That is it. Know a faster way? Do it. Wanna fuel at this place cuz they have good food? Do it. Wanna call your stops and set things up to go easier and quicker? Have at it. Like to sleep with the A/C blowing on your tootsies all night? Idle your fuel bonus away all you want. If you drive and act like a pro you are treated like one. In this industry, working as a company driver, that is worth its weight in gold.

 

Pretty well sums them up. Although I'm not gonna lie, I was lucky to make $400-500 week take home when I ran for them back in late 2011/early 2012. It was my first trucking job and I was glad to have it and learned a ton from them about what it's really like out there, but facts were facts: $.25cpm to start and a beat up 2005 Volvo 670 that had seem some bad stewardship (to put it politely) that spent more time in the shop than it did out on the road. And I do distinctly remember having way too much downtime in between loads at times. I would take whatever crap load they were offering just to keep rolling. (Although hanging out at the terminals and talking shop with the other drivers was often a fun time...)

Nice people though and I passed their 10 day orientation right out of driving school 3 years ago...was one of only like 2-3 guys that survived the driving tests and background check. They don't do L/P's but most of the better loads go to their O/O's I imagine. Some of them ran some nice rigs too. (I'm sure REAL O/O's who don't turn the key for less than $2.00/mi would laugh at what they pay, but everything's relative.)

 

Oh yeah that's another thing that kept me off the road way too much with them...junk trailers that were unfit for a DOT level 1. Occasionally you'll get a stinker with mechanical issues with any carrier, but that was like a once every 5 loads deal with them if I had to guess. I saw the inside of way too many truck and trailer repair offices all over the country.