Watkins & Shepard - The Adventure Begins October 8th

Will update as soon as I have access to wifi. I've lost entire poss trying to update from my phone.

Things are going well. Small things aren't getting me all flustered as much thus week as they have in the past two weeks. I should get to Missoula tomorrow to pick up my permanent truck. That's the biggest news.

 

So I finished that trip from Myrtle, Mississippi to Lakewood, Washington. I stopped in Missoula on the way out (as good a place as any to shower and sleep), but my new truck wasn't ready. They got me a load going from Oregon to northern Montana, after which they routed me through Missoula to pick up a new truck.

It's a Volvo, just a few years newer than the one I had been driving. They had it detailed, so it was gloriously clean when I moved in. A few minor mechanical things (such as the driver's side utility compartment didn't latch shut) had to be fixed before I could leave. I had time anyway because they were replacing the front two super-single tires on my trailer that day anyway. I didn't leave Missoula until late afternoon (eastern time, which is where my home terminal is and what time zone my logbook kept in). It's clean and it is so maneuverable! And both doors open (and lock!), which is my favorite feature. The fuel tanks on this model are set much further back (just ahead of the drive axle) so that makes a difference when you're making sure your axles are legal. I'm loaded really heavy this trip, so I can't have more than 3/4 of a tank or it puts me overweight on my drive axles (and there's not much more weight I can put on my tandems before they're either overweight or so far forward that I am in danger of swinging my trailer into things when I turn).

It seems like I drove forever... and I still hadn't left Montana. t had been snowing when I left Missoula, but clear in eastern Montana. I was routed through North Dakota (straight through winter storm Brutus). The freezing rain made for some interesting driving. I had to stop every 30 to 45 minutes to beat the ice off my wipers and headlights. The road wasn't too bad if you drove slowly, but there were so many people who slid off the road because they were driving too fast. I kept going because a friend of mine who was giving me weather updates informed me that once I passed Jamestown, ND, it was all clear. I'm glad she let me know that. If she hadn't, I would have just pulled off at a rest stop and bedded down for the night. They were predicting 10 inches of snow overnight, so that wasn't going to be a fun drive the next day either. It was clear and dry immediately after passing through Jamestown. I made it well into Minnesota before my hours dictated had to stop for the night.

When I was leaving the last rest stop before Jamestown, the truck who left immediately ahead of me was an empty flatbed. He immediately floored it. I hung back at around 45 mph. Not ten miles down the road, he was tangled in a ditch with two grain trucks. Sometimes it pays to be a wimp about driving in bad weather!

I've really run out my hours as much as I could. I was routed near home on this trip and I asked ahead of time if it was okay for me to detour a bit to stop by my house. I had asked for a weekend off later this month (because I hadn't been home since I went to orientation the second week of October), but since I got routed near home... I canceled the time off. I didn't really need or want hometime, but I did need to pick up a few things from my house.

My sister brought my CB radio and my 12v cooler when she picked me up from the truck stop. I plugged it in so it'll be nice and cool by the time I get back in a few hours. I get to keep cheese! I miss cheese.

Now I'm at home. Doing laundry, going through my pile of mail, and grabbing some things I need (my Kindle and my winter clothes mainly). My sister's boyfriend is making gluten-free chicken and dumplings for lunch. So great to have a home-cooked meal!

I'll leave later tonight. My destination on this trip is in eastern Pennsylvania. If I do most of the driving tonight, I will be there in plenty of time for my Tuesday morning delivery.

I really like driving so far.

 

It was )

 

I'll have to look the layover pay up and get back to you. I haven't been laid-over yet, so I haven't gotten it. I haven't yet had to wait more than a few hours for my next load, often I get the load assignment as soon as I'm unloaded. They're pretty good about that. I think it's a little more complicated this week since so many drivers are going home for Thanksgiving next week and they're having to plan ahead and route them so they get home in time.

They pay actual miles, to the best of my knowledge. I've been paid for every single mile so far, even out-of-route miles that were due to nothing more than getting myself gloriously lost in a mess of road construction and tiny highways between Toledo and some town in central Ohio where I was doing a drop and hook.

I'm probably averaging around 3k+ per week, I'd get more if I did better at managing my time, didn't get lost, etc. The miles are there if you want them. I'm going to start running my hours out and doing resets as necessary.

You get a week of paid vacation after one year. More per year as you gain seniority. You earn one day of home-time for every six days you are out and that home-time accumulates. For home-time requests, they say they can get you home if you give them at least 10 days notice. I haven't taken any home-time yet, so I can't say for myself. I've already requested time off for Christmas though. Home-time is a first come, first served basis... so get those requests in as early as you can if you want to take a few days off around a major holiday.

Their idle policy is that they want you to do it as little as possible. Most trucks have bunk heaters (it heats just the area where you are sleeping and it takes a lot less fuel than idling). The bunk heater keeps you plenty warm. You can set it to stay on, to automatically turn on at a certain time or to cycle on/off. I find that it's way too warm if you leave it on, so the cycling thing works best.

You do get paid in orientation. You get paid $100 the first day, $100 the next Monday and then $200 more at the end. They take the taxes for the whole $400 out of that last chunk, so it's more like $145. I got my last bit of orientation pay on the first payday after I started driving, so a week out.

I really like this company and I recommend them, especially to someone just starting out.