Watkins and Shepard

Regarding the fuel stops and routing.. You are encouraged to use their fuel stops on the qualcomm and if you don't, you don't get your bonus. Same with idling, you can idle all you want, but it kills your MPGs and you take a hit on the fuel bonus in that regard as well.

This guy has no idea what he is talking about and no facts to back it up. The truth is some people do have bad experiences with W/S, and sometimes they do have issues with equipment, what companies don't??? I have found that most of the time there is a problem it is just as much of the driver's fault than the companies, and that isn't just for W/S.

That is all for now...

 

Most companies have an orientation period (which, in W/S case is also basically a job interview). After the orientation, you also then go out with a trainer AT TRAINER PAY. With W/S, you go straight into regular pay which, while lower than some, is pretty decent... and you get a raise at 90 days (basically, after probation).

My class of six who made it through orientation were all driving by the Monday after we finished... not all in their own trucks immediately, but that really speaks of the company (a) having a lot of drivers stick with them and (b) not wanting to put them in the worst of the trucks unless necessary. When I went out with my better half/team driver, we took another driver with us to Georgia... and we all got paid for it.

Who promised you a late-model truck? Those are for the drivers who have proven their worth with the company OR teams who are expected to drive the truck into the ground. A 2007 Volvo isn't bad and 900K miles is reasonable. As far as the condition of the truck, blame the last driver, not W/S. You could have been paid to clean the truck or even have paid someone else to do it. Bald tires? I've seen this company go out of its way to replace bad tires in just two weeks. Missing headlight? Then get it replaced. The companies where you'll get a new truck usually are asking you to do the lease option. Otherwise, you're a newbie. You get a newbie truck because you're going to drive like a newbie.

Hey, if you don't like Montana weather, don't sign on with a company based out of Montana! I loved the weather in Missoula (haven't hit Helena yet). If you were waiting for two weeks, were you being a diva and telling them what you WOULDN'T take? Why didn't you have a choice? You CHOSE to drive home. I had a classmate who had a funeral to go to before he'd actually driven for the company and W/S took care of him. They bought bus tickets for the two men who didn't pass the job interview/orientation.

Small loads are BETTER pay than breakdown pay; why would you complain that they gave you the option to keep running? As far as t-cheks, while I can't verify for certain that Walmart will cash them, I've found a few internet posts that say they will. When I did a search for locations within 50 miles of Billings, MT (just to choose a location), I found 14.

The RPMs are generally within the "best miles per gallon" range. This is to keep those inexperienced drivers from running the RPMs up at 2200 until they figure out how to shift. Saves the transmission, saves fuel, and teaches better shifting.

RE: governed speed. Swift: 60/62 mph. CR England: 62 mph. Schneider: 65 mph (policy?). Stevens: 66 mph. Celadon: 60 mph. W/S is governed at 65 mph. Even when not governed, a lot of trucks choose to run slower because it saves fuel and money.

Idle all you want... you lose a bonus, but a bonus is just that: BONUS. We have a working APU and only idle at freezing temps so we don't gel our fuel.

Hometime?? Seriously? Although the policy is one day per six days out (that means you could technically take every Sunday off), if you have a genuine NEED to be home, they'll get you there. Now, if you try to abuse the system, you'll be a little less likely, but that's your own fault.

Sometimes this is, indeed, true. They may not have a truck in Montana when you do orientation there. Or they may not have a truck they feel is road-worthy yet. Orientation alone pays more than $100 in 2 weeks and I will have made as much in two weeks on the road at probationary pay as I was making as a bookkeeper in my previous life.

Ding a truck with an otherwise good record and you'll get a warning. Seriously dent a truck with a good record and you'll get a pretty decent talking-to. As far as I can tell from everything I've read and everyone I've talked to, if you get fired, you've earned it.

Their equipment is pretty normal for a smaller company constantly expanding. Most of it is older, but they work hard to keep it up-to-par. No, it's not perfect... which carriers have you worked for that have perfect trucks? You DO need to get permission to use alternate fuel stops; fuel is the single largest expenditure for any company and they send you where they get the best prices. If you must go out-of-route, CALL THEM. Curt will get you an alternate location. You can also drive out-of-route if you get a better routing... again, CALL THEM. You are a company driver. Learn to drive the company way.

SOME of the freight is LTL... very little, though, and often that's entrusted to drivers who want those loads. They pay extra for those LTL loads. I /like/ them not having a sliding fifth wheel... one less thing for newbie drivers to mess with and mess up. Load the way they teach you and you will be fine.

If you have to "play the fuel game", they give you the tools to do so. A 1/4 tank of fuel is 60 gallons (roughly), which will get you between 300 and 480 miles. Unless you're really speeding (and you can't in those governed trucks, dontcha know), that equates to between five and seven hours of driving before you must refuel.

Watkins Shepard may be a starter company, but they're a good enough starter company that a lot of drivers choose to stay well past "starter" level. Administration is, by-and-large, former drivers. It's not for everyone... it's for those who appreciate a company that becomes family and, like family, they forgive the flaws while loving the strengths.

Sorry for the long-windedness, but I really hate when someone attacks anything with false information.

 

absolutely correct this coming from a guy willing to work, he got his own truck and signed on as an o/o with them, need i say more?

 

That's my girl

 

No point what so ever proven, he works very very hard andis a heck of an example of hat the younger generation should be, he has no time in his life for your BS and neither do I,while I have made millions by the time I was 38, he will beat me by a few years, I'm sure of it.

 

all these one year cheerleaders for WS are a scary thing - too much koolaid being drunk up there in MT. I'm more glad than ever I turned them down seeing post after post of denials of other drivers gripes.
defending a 4 year old truck with 900k on it? and STILL being passed on to new drivers?
defending a company that makes you go 2 weeks with bad tires?
####, my losers at AAX are looking better by the minute!

 

I have been with W/S for nearly 3 years now, and Trilleth has been listening to me and seeing what I was going through well before she decided to drive on the road.

What's wrong with that? I know plenty of drivers who love their trucks with over a million miles on them. Trucks are built for these kinds of miles. Plus, with the economy the way it's been companies are having to extend trucks longer than they normally would want to without replacing them.

W/S will NOT allow you to drive with tires that aren't legal. In fact they will red flag your truck and not allow you to move until the tires are repaired.

Also, this driver's gripes are totally unfounded, no facts or even an attempt to defend himself, but glad you're happy at AAX

 

Get over yourself, I don't care what you think. You post how you like and I will surely do the same.

 

I didn't even know WS was still in business till I joined this site. They have all disappeared from the Chicago area. I haven't seen a truck in over a year. I do see one occasionally on I-40 heading into memphis, but that is a rarity. Just wondering, are they more centrealized or OTR??

 

We run all 48 states and western Canada, with 750-800 Company trucks + i have no idea how many O/O's.....We run through ####cago all the time...
or at least i do

EDIT: they've also been around 30+ years and are still buying up big $$ companys like Broyhill so I dont see them Dissapearing.


American Trucker