Watkins shepard

furniture loads are always like that. not my cup of tea. Too many chances to mess up my day

 

Ya--i never dealt with furniture before--not sure I would wanna push around hundreds of pounds everyday--not sure my 100 pounds would be enough to withstand it! I prefer to sit and watch jerry springer while i get unloaded. LMAO

 

What is W/S turnover rate? Safety rating? Do they allow inverters in the trucks?

 

I am not sure but I know if you read the W/S thread you will find out. I think you can only have the inverters that plug into the lighter if i am not mistaken. I think they are a safety conscious company though.

 

These mostly go to the local drivers. I have yet to get a multiple stop load. I have taken trailers of multiple drop loads but I always drop them at a terminal for a local/dedicated driver to do.
Another guy I trained with has done one but there were only like three stops in cities that were hundreds of miles apart, so no biggy.

 

Not sure what the turnover rate is but it doesn't seem too high.

Not sure the safety rating exactly but I do know that there has not been a driver killed in a long long time. There is a website out there that can tell you detail on the different companies safety ratings but I don't remember what it is.

Yes they allow inverters. They even install the direct wiring for them. The truck I was assigned has the wiring already in place, I just need to hook one up, just haven't needed it yet. I have an APU so I already have a 120V household-like adapter.
I plan on getting a 2000w inverter though since I'm going to install a microwave and get a new fridge/freezer and don't want to have to fire up the apu to use it.

 

No, you can have high wattage inverters and they will hardwire it for you if the wires aren't already there.

 

truckin--how much movin of the furniture you actually have to do?

 

If you miss home after a three day fishing trip you'd want to find a local trucking job that gets you home everyday probably.

A typical day for me is wake up and drive alot of miles, then find a place to park, generally a truck stop, get/cook a hot meal, get a shower, talk to the family on the phone, check my email and go to bed. Then get up and do it all over again. It's a fairly simple life.
During my driving hours I listen to my satellite radio almost constantly, pull over every few hours to stretch or take in some scenery etc....
You see alot of beautiful country out there that is for sure and it's one of the things I love the most.
When going to deliver or pick up a load, you are a bit more focused. Generally you are not in an area that you are familiar with so you have to pay attention as to not take a wrong turn etc....
You deal with stress too with bad weather being the main cause for me. I don't care too much for driving on snow/ice covered roads but you just take it slow and careful and you get through it.

 

Well it's the end of day 4 and we pulled empty trailers for the first half of the day and did some class room stuff on backing techniques the second half. I did confirm with Dick that after you finish the 30 day class you need to put in 90 days on the road before requesting to come in for training to drive a flatbed. That is my plan. I have not met a single person here, driver or company employee that has been un-pleasant to deal with. Quite the opposite. This is a good sign that people are generally happy with the company. I have learned more in the last 4 days than I thought was possible. I had never driven a tractor or pulled a trailer in my life and I did both today, in the snow, and without grinding to many gears! I believe its because of the way I am being taught. Do yourself a favor and take to heart the posts of the experienced Watkins drivers. I did, and am glad I did.