Watkins & Shepard Trucking, Inc. - Missoula, Mt.?

Watkins and Shepard Trucking is raising their pay rate, out of certain terminals, up to $1.02 per mile.

http://www.cdl-practice-test.com

 

That has to be for O/O or L/O I'm thinking. That's If they do lease's.
Please correct me If I'm wrong.

 

Over the last year, many changes have come to Watkins Shepard Trucking that affect current employees and those seeking employment. First, the bonus program was changed to add a fuel mileage component. The old program was based on safety, which included logbook compliance, safety inspection violations, and incedents. It also had a fuel stop component. Basically, if you had four or fewer logbook violations and no incidents, as well as hitting 85% of your designated fuel stops, you received a bonus of about $300 a month. The new, bonus instituted in June of 2008 added a mpg component. There are different tiers depending on flatbed or van, super singles or duals, and apu or no apu. When first instituted you had to achieve better than 6mpg to make any money. Most drivers took an immediate paycut because of it. Driver complaints of not having control over parameters such as load weight, routing, or weather eventually caused management to separate the safety, and fuel comliance component from the mpg component. This brought back 2/3 of the money that driver's had previously lost.
Secondly, to cut costs, Christmas or end of year bonuses were not handed out.
Most recently, the company has decided to end its 2% matching funds in employee's 401k plan.
The current state of the economy has resulted in less freight available to all trucking companies. This results in lots of downtime and less pay for drivers. Watkins Shepard has compounded the situation by taking even more money away from its employees, so before you pick a company to work for, due plenty of research in how you will be treated don't believe everything the recruiter tells you.

 

First things first, Coledog: Way to resurrect a dead thread! 2006, wow!

Additional info on WS: They have been impacted by the current downturn in the economy, true. This has led them to cut back on new hires. Several other WS threads cover the various stories of people expecting to go to training getting calls to say stay home. I'm one of them. They may consider you if you live close (w/in 120 miles) to one of their terminals. Just not the MI one, in my case. I am considering two other companies that are still taking MI drivers (one reffer one van). I will consider moving over to WS once I get a year under my belt. My homework on them gives me a good picture of them. After that year however they will have to compete just like all the rest.

 

jfr
Go for the reefer job instead of the van if you can handle the noise. In a down economy everyone still has to eat and drink! The van freight might be a little slow. At least w/the reefer you can haul anything that a van hauls plus it gives you more options. I am currently making one trip and waiting one or two days or more for another load.

 

I have a question about Watkins Shepard. I'm in the process of talking to Sandy to go to the 10 day orientation in NC. I'm a recent graduate with no experience. Sandy said if after the ten day I didn't feel comfortable going it on my own, I could go with a trainer at a salary of 350 a week (which is about the norm). But from what I'm reading on the threads is if you don't pass the mustard after the 10 day, they send you home. So which is it?

 

Watkins Shepard using finishing trainers? Say it ain't so!!!!!!

I went through their 30 day school, got my CDL and was handed the keys to my first truck the next day, being told to go be an adult and do what they taught me to do.

Not a day goes by in the following almost 5 years that I don't thank God for finding that company, for them accepting me and my doing my newbie time with them. Also went through the three day flatbed school and did that for a year for them as well.

They not only taught me how to drive (down a grade, up a grade, in the winter) but how to operate my truck as well.

By the by, in 2005, the school cost was $2,200.00. I came with a cashier's check for $500 and after the first 30 days they took $50 a week until I paid it off. I owned my education in less than a year. I am sorry that they decided to boost the price to rates comparable to the CDL mills, that they went the route of bogus TAB financing, and that too many drivers defaulted on their obligations. It's common in any driving job in multiple industries, that up to 50% of all that try decide in the first 90 days that it's not for them.

Mark, Dick, Kelby and especially Robin Diamond are all very important in my success as a truck driver and I can't thank them enough here. But when I saw their picture on the cover of some glossy corporate trucking magazine, I knew what I had gained and the price I paid for it was long gone....

If you can go through the 30 day training and are serious about a career in trucking DO IT. It will be worth it at any price, but a different experience than I had, that's all.

 

After working with them for a couple of months...I decided I needed a job before next year, and got my foot in the door at a different company. I've heard many good things about them, but they were so slow in processing me that I got discouraged and went elsewhere. If you can learn the techniques, move on to train in flatbed, and garner the kind of experiences LindaLou was discussing...it's a win-win situation, and that's for sure. Good luck with whomever you decide to embark with.

 

I live in Missoula,did the 4 week school in Jan 04,drove for them for 2 years,got out of driving,but I am getting back in the truck.I will start Watkins and Shepard 10 day on the 14th.All and all they are nice folk.