RIP Watkins Shepard

The other company they bought was the one that did the actual final mile for WS. So they did have all the pieces, they just couldn't figure out how to use them effectively.

 

Thanks for bringing the correct information forward. I am curious on how the freight system worked for them. Obviously not good enough to keep their heads above water. Either way, Schneider ruined a perfectly good company.

 

They just came in like buzzards.
There is lots of revenue in this business if you know what you're doing.

Read that last sentence once more.

They saw revenue.

 

Remember when Schneider started hauling fuel in 2008? "Schneider National announced today, March 17, that it has added fuel-hauling capabilities to its bulk division. Schneider says the new service stems from the emergency fuel supply chain Schneider managed for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation during the Hurricane Katrina recovery." - Cybergal

Well, that venture was botched by Big Orange. Because, in 2011 all fuel hauling, including deliveries to operating centers was ended as of November 30 and that all the fuel tanker trailers were put up for sale.

With that being said, just goes to show that the brass at SNBC has a history of bungling acquisitions.

 

Leave it up to Schneider to create unemployment in a industry that is short 150k drivers.

 

Megas swallowing up smaller carriers never seems to have a happy ending .

 

Just here to second this. For sure the best paying job in the area. Without all the BS hand holding and micromanagement that Schneider implemented.

 

Amen.
Do your job and you never hear from them.
Sometimes I go close to a week without speaking to them.
I have my assignment... if you don't hear from me everything is A-ok.

And if you can't make money here...
YOU'RE LAZY.

 

Schneider failed because they don't care about people or try to treat them right. They are on a downward spiral. It takes good workers for a business to succeed a Schneider has lost lots of good workers that once worked at Watkins Shepard.

 

A little more info -

Schneider shut down the "Watkins" operations/freight not because it was unprofitable by itself but due to the final mile portion.

A lot of the Watkins freight SNI lost was because they tried to bundle in using Schneider box trucks for the final mile. Because Schneider had no clue how to run a final mile service and because they tried to go from having no assets to everything all at once there were a lot of errors/stupidity - particularly with the sales department making promises they couldn't keep at a price point that was well below cost. The final mile company that thry bought in MI had flaws in it's practices which SNI copied to other locations. Some of these were hidden and some were unknown. A business model that works in MI doesn't necessarily work in Chicago.

Schneider also saw increased competition from the likes of Amazon and Uber. Both companies can easily run their freight services at a huge loss to gain market share where Schneider (or any other current trucking company) cannot.

Without the final mile the Watkins freight isn't profitable by itself to continue as a seperate division, thus the whole thing ends.