Running With Watkins & Shepard

Chris,

Definitely add some buffer time coming down here. 05:00 is not a walk in the park around the Atlanta area. I'm in it everyday. It moves OK until something happens. Just make sure you leave them plenty of room on I285. The speed limit is 55 but you'd never know it. Trucks and cars are never a good mix, so stay frosty, man.

Hey Amigo, I'm glad your getting your rig sorted out. The shame is as soon as you get all the bugs worked out and tricked the way you want they'll rotate you into something else. Kinda funny how that works.

Good luck on the first leg of your journey. Sounds like you're doing just fine. I'll send you a pm with my phone number just in case you need it.

Can't wait to hear how it goes!

 

Just to clarify, I didn't say they "won't replace them," but rather that they were "not likely" to (pg.33, same thread). After speaking with several W/S Volvo drivers about the problem, I only found one who was able to get the shop to replace his lense covers. And yes, he stressed the safety factor as well, especially being able to avoid hitting wildlife at night on dark highways like MT 200 between Missoula and Great Falls. However, all of the drivers said they met some resistance at having them replaced.

When I approached Mike in Missoula about the issue, he suggested that they try polishing them first. I had that done later in Helena where they did an excellent job and I was satisfied and happy with the results. You and Cage must be a couple of 'silver-tongued devils' to rate new lenses for both of you!!

Hope all goes well with the SFS to Phx gig. You'll both need good headlights out there on that strecth of I-10 at night. I'd rather drive from SLC to Wendover, given a choice.

 

Chris, I have been following you since ORG and then followed you to W/S. I'm enjoying every minute! I start school on the 13th and I just can't wait!!!! Although I don't have the exp. in a big truck, I do have some with the RV hauling through the US and Canada. Loved every minute driving [pay not good]. I'm glad you found a good company and I also have one in mind to start, so keep the shiney side up and wheels goin round. Your going to do great. Stay safe and truliving.

 

Good Luck Chris! Stay safe Driver! I'm glad you had some time home to visit your family, go out, do laundry, etc and get the rig set up!

Keep us posted when you can on how you are doing and you and I will catch up sometime sweetie!!!

 

How long did it take from the time you filled out your App with W/S to get a set Orientation date?

I filled out my app the 3rd week in July, Sent them 2 copies of my MVR, sent them some W2's to verify employment with out of business employers, sent them a copy of my long form from my Physical, talked to my processor and my recruiter, and Roxy my recruiter said she's got me down "For Now" for orientation on the 27th of September. But they still have to verify some employment and call my school, and she said something about the HPE and a phone interview with the safety department.......im confused! lol

It's getting so close to the 27th that im gonna need to give my 2 weeks notice at work, but I don't wanna do it until I have a Definite orientation date.


American Trucker

 

Hey Chralb,

It's good to see you are anxious to get out there, especially while at home. Just a couple of thoughts to maybe help you: except for when you are at home always try to get to your destination asap, or at least the closest truck stop or place where you can hang with some ammenities until they will take you. Reason for this is you never know when someone cancels, or an employee shows up for work early and wants to unload you etc... Also your company may call you in route and see you are haulin butt and have you switch out with a driver that is out of hours or slackin! This is how the experienced guys get over 4000 miles a week! Grab it and haul butt with it! Once you get used to it you can plan 3 or 4 loads ahead with your dispatcher. When you are leaving the dock tell your DM, "I will be there at such n such time". Now can you unload early, call right now and find out if you can reschedule an earlier time. (I think you have already done this) if no, call DM and see if you can drop in a drop yard. Then get them working on your next load while you are in route. Once you start to learn your customers and how long it takes you to get through certain states and cities and also where the freight is your miles will start to really pick-up. You seem like a very smart and ambitious person and I think you will have no trouble stacking loads and running over 4000 a week!

As far as your truck condition, I heard you mention dirty mattress. Your company is required to provide you with a new or unused mattress. So chuck that old one and either get one at your terminal or pick one up at a truck stop or volvo dealer and have them bill your company. I also strongly recommend satellite radio. I know it costs a little bit, ebay has some cheap ones. They will really pass the time. There is a channel just for truckers too! Also there is the weather channel which is very handy especially in the winter. On the trucker station they give you updates on road conditions every 10 or 15 minutes across the entire country. As for the CB. Get a decent CB. It could save your life, literally! You just may want to know coming around a corner or down and around a mountain, or up over the hill in front of you, if traffic is at a dead stop or if there is another big rig upside down across your lanes! Plus if traffic is stopped ahead you can buzz off the next exit and either take a break or find a different route. Sometimes you may not think your radio is working or doesn't sound right, it may just need to be tuned up. You need to tune your CB every 3 months or so because the bounce around in your truck and the little springs easily get jolted out of whack. There are CB repair places all over. They even have mobile ones in truck stop parking lots.

Great job man, keep it goin!

 

Found this on another thread from awhile back. Given the nature of this thread I thought folks here may find it interesting and perhaps get a chuckle or two as well. I've hidden the name of the company because, after all, it could probably be any of them:

"The purpose of this post is twofold. First I know there are a lot of students, wannabees and newbies out there scouring the pages of this forum attempting to learn what they can about the various companies and hoping to find information from current drivers. And second there are a lot of students, wannabees and newbies out there planning to make this major change in not only their career but also their personal life and they are uncertain about whether this is the right job for them. So if you can bear with me hear, I want to offer some insight into both the company and the job.

First, the main question my hubby and I both get asked over and over is why did you change to a truck driving job at 47 years of age? Well the answer to that is very simple.....economics, meaning the savings were running out and we had bills to pay.

After 22 years in the same line of work my hubby got the shocking news last December that he was losing his job along with about 300 other people. Over the next six months we got the second dose of shocking news having to learn that mid forties is OLD in much of the workforce. So me being me did what I always do and set out to do some research. I jumped on the net and searched for careers with the highest shortage of workers. Number one was nursing. Ok so that wasn't happening. Number two was professional truck driving. Now we were getting somewhere.

I discussed it with my hubby and him being him liked the idea. There was a driving school within thirty minutes of our house. He called them up, said they were extremely nice and helfpul and gave him all the wonderful details. And so off he went to get himself a CDL. Now at this point it is important for me to say that during that time I had never been on this forum or any trucking forum for that matter. We didn't know about companies that paid for training and we didn't know squat about trucking in general. We had never heard the term "bottom feeder" nor did we know enough to know that there might be such a thing.

So how did he end up choosing XYZ ? Very simple. Recruiters from three or four companies came to the school. He brought home all the glossy brochures and shiny handouts and we spread them out all over the kitchen table to sort out who paid more, who had the better looking benefit package, life insurance, disability etc., .....no different than we have always done for any job he was offered. And out of this group of companies (all unknown to us as bottom feeders) XYZ looked to have the best to offer. So he made his choice.

But before I go into the details of the last three months with XYZ, I have to take a moment to give you a little insight into my personality and into his personality because that is where we get into the "Trucking is not everybody part" of this post.

Me - I'm anal with a capital A. I cross T's and dot I's. I'm usually described as a mover and a shaker. I make things happen. I'm organized to the hilt, the sticky note queen and have list to go with my other list. I can't be late even when I try. LOL I can't tolerate disorganization and don't understand people who do. My glass is usually half empty simply because there is always more to accomplish. And to me....time is money.

Hubby - He is the most laid back, easy going, never met a stranger type of guy in the world. He would give you the shirt off his back, doesn't get in a hurry for much of anything but somehow always manages to be on time. Stress is not in his vocabulary and he will never die from it. Whatever you can't solve today you'll figure out tomorrow. Life is an adventure. The world is his oyster. And his glass is always half full and sometimes completely full simply because he is alive.

So off he went to orientation at XYZ. It lasted two and a half days during which they fed him lunch and put him up in a hotel. I've read posts on here saying negative things about the food and the accommodations but to him the food was hot and free and the bed was clean and comfortable.

By Wednesday of that same week he was home again waiting on a trainer. Two weeks later he was STILL waiting on a trainer.
Me -
Him - Relax honey it just gives me time to finish up all the things around here I need to get done for you before I am gone.

Finally gets a call to hook up with a trainer and takes a nine hour bus ride in the middle of the night two states away to hook up with the guy.
Me - NINE HOURS!!!
Him - WHOO HOO! I'm on my way.

Gets the trainer from HELL. You can read my "tolerating trainers" thread for more details on that.
Me-
Him - Baby it was tough but I'm tougher. I figure once I dealt with that I can take whatever they throw my way.

Finally gets off the truck from the trainer at the Oklahoma City Terminal to do his upgrade. Stays there two and half days during which they put him in a hotel.
Me - I'm still over the trainer
Him - Baby I'm in a hotel room all by myself with a shower, a microwave and a fridge. LIFE IS GOOD!

After day three he takes another eight hour bus ride to recover an abandoned truck.
Me - EIGHT HOURS!!! Don't they have any freaking trucks on that lot??
Him - WHOO HOO baby I'm getting my own ride.

Gets there after dark in the middle of night in the middle of nowhere and has to take a cab from the bus stop that he has to pay for to find this abandoned truck at a truck stop.
Me -
Him - SWEEEEEET! It's all mine!!!!

Next morning in the light of day he discovers truck has been wrecked, passenger side fender completely smashed, headlight busted. Not so sweet, but drivable enough to get to a terminal. Or so I thought until I got the news they had him pick up a load to take to the terminal in the truck with the busted fender and broken headlight.

Me - They're gonna make you run a load like that??
Him - WHOO HOO baby got my first load.:smt049

He gets his first load delivered and then gets the news that he can bob tail home in the truck with the broken light and the busted fender.

Me- Why don't they let you take the truck and leave it at a terminal to be fixed while you're home?
Him - I've been gone five weeks and I'm coming home to see my baby! Can get the truck fixed later.

Comes off home time and you guessed it, he sits at a terminal for three days while they fix the broken truck.

Me -
Him - WHOO HOO Baby she's looking SWEEEEET!

And since then he's been off and running. He averages about 2500 miles per week. His pay so far has always been right. He has seen Texas stadium, been over the George Washington Bridge, figured out what a lot lizard is and has eaten things you couldn't pay me to put in my mouth. He loves his FM, thinks free showers at the Pilot ROCK and gets home whenever he has asked to. In his words, "the coolest job I've ever had!" To this day I've never told him I discovered he is working for a "bottom feeder" and that after a year or so he can go elsewhere if he wants. I just wait for his call and listen to the adventure of the day.

So short story made long.....LOL....the moral here is that before you worry about what company you are going to go with you better figure out who you are. Are you me? Or are you him? Because the truth is this job is not for everybody. If you're a ME the company probably won't matter because you will want to kill them all. LOL!

And If you're him. Get out there and enjoy the ride!
__________________
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. "

For any who may wonder, this was not originally written about W/S. The fact is driving a truck presents a unique set of challenges regardless of whose name is on the door. I think what makes this thread so engaging to follow is watching, and cheering for someone like Chris who has an indomitable spirit and positive attitude, a 'git er done approach to life that all drivers have to have to remain drivers.

My first delivery with W/S was 1400 mi in a five day window. Four breakdowns, three tows and a borrowed day-cab later, I finally delivered within an hour of the appointment. To paraphrase Forrest Gump: Trucking Happens!!

And to borrow a phrase from The Grateful Dead, KEEP ON TRUCKING, brother...(and keep us posted on your adventures).

 

I LOVE THIS...Great post Thank You..