Watkins Shepard 30-Day Training

Hey Noodler,

I'm going out to Conover for orientation for this coming Monday as well!! My contact, Rachel, mentioned that there would be a few others from the Raleigh area that were going along with me. I'm catching the 10:00 bus outta Raleigh this Sunday morning heading out to Gastonia. So maybe we'll bump into each other when we get out there.

My instructors at Johnston Community suggested W/S as a great company to work for and one of my fellow students (Tim P.) just finished his orientation two days ago. Sounds like it's a regular "trucker's bootcamp", doesn't it?

- Serious Sam (aka Jon)

 

Just take a minute and a deep breath... you'll get there soon enough.

 

Hey serious sam, so your taking the bus huh? Thats not gonna be fun, im driving down from raleigh in my beater, they told me i could keep my vehicle at the terminal after orientation, and it will be a means of transportation if i have to wait on a truck when I'm done training or if I go on the road directly after training, when i get home time i can get back to raleigh since ya cant take the trucks home. When did u graduate from JCC? Who was your instructor? I had Henry,Van,Moody,and Sherman. Great group of guys. So are you ready man? This day couldnt come soon enough! How did Tim P like it? Did he get a truck when he was done or did he have to wait?

 

Hey again Noodler,

I finished JCC last month, just a few days before Christmas. And Chris C. was our main classroom instructor, but we were taught by Van, Sherman, Hans, Donald and Andy. And yes, I agree they were a great group of teachers. I think they've prepared me enough to begin the training but we shall see. I'll be the guy at orientation with a "NC Truck Driver School" ballcap. I wear it all the time now!! hehehe

My buddy Tim said he got a truck pretty quickly. He just finished 2 days ago but they've already sent him up to Michigan and back. He said several people got sent home but he made it all the way through the 10 days. He also said JCC really helped prepare him for all the backing exercises at W/S. Most new guys can't back up very well yet. CDL mills, maybe??

That's not a bad idea about taking your vehicle to orientation. I wonder what other options there would be for me to get home (if any) if I don't have my car waiting for me at the terminal. But I also wonder how many days it would be sitting there without being driven when I'm on the other side of the country.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

 

there is no other way home unless you take the bus back or someone comes and gets you. Did u ask your buddy why those people got sent home? I was in the night class that ended right before christmas

 

is anyone else going to the 10 day in Missoula on Feb. 15?

 

i was supposed to be in that one, but my school doesn't finish until Feb 12, so that wouldn't be enough time for me to get all my affairs in order around home....so I'm now in the Feb 25 orientation....

I might see you if you are still in Missoula when I get there. I'd like to get there a day or so ahead to be chilled out and such for the first day of training.

 

I have some business to take care here, but I really want to go to the feb 24
(10 day) Also, I have to wait and see if California Truck Driving Academy is
good for them. Anyway, I'll know in about a week or so either way.
Hey Warp, are you taking the bus or flying?

 

I'll be flying....I checked greyhound and it was something like 26 hours on the bus....I can't do it!

Have you checked out United in Santa Ana? They are on WS's approved school list, so I know they are ok to use, and they are about the same price. The only issue is that when you are finished with the classroom part, you have to drive out to Riverside to the Practice Range and finish up out there and test out at the Commercial DMV in San Bernardino...

 

Yeah, flying sounds like the way to go. I got a CDL for christmas, actually got the
offical card friday. CTDA is a relatively new school and when I talked to the recruiter
she hadn't heard of them. So, I'll be going if they approve my school. We tested in
San Bernardino too. I thought they were pretty fair, everybody in my class passed
the tests the first time. However, there were some people there that were just not ready. LOL