Finding Yourself

Very kind of you to mention it. Thanks.

 

Thank you. Much appreciated.

 

I started with Watkins & Shepard, and have nothing bad to say about them. They didn't force me to spend six weeks with a trainer of unknown quality, and they always treated me as a full grown adult.

I moved on once I got some experience for a better paying gig, but I'm thankful for the introduction they gave me to the industry.

 

It's matter of confidence. I got my CDL through Southwest Truck Driving Training in North Las Vegas, and while it was a typical CDL mill, I learned enough to feel comfortable to step forward.

Watkins puts you through a 10 day orientation with multiple check rides, and if their trainers are uncomfortable with how you handle yourself, you won't get a truck assignment.

That being said, most new drivers have no problem with it.

 

I'm glad I didn't have to go through all the garbage many of you go through to drive.

It was economic reasons for me. I was making $2/hr after school and all day Saturday working on a nearby farm. The truck drivers working for that farmer got home every day and were making $70 - $80 a day. I asked him if I could drive and he said I could when I got my license (18 in IN).

To drive a truck, all you had to do was take 2 one page tests and they handed you your license. The week after I turned 18, I rode with one of the other drivers to a grain elevator 40 miles away. He loaded the truck and drove 30 miles and let me behind the wheel for the last ten miles to the shop.

I can still remember when he got out he said "LET ME OUT OF HERE". I was on my own from then on. That was 1978.