Looking at Watkins & Shepard to drive for, have a few questions

Hi,

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to help me out here. I currently live in North Carolina but am planning a move to Rapid City, South Dakota probably around April. At that time I am hoping to begin a new career in trucking. I already have my CDL A, having gotten it in January 2012. When I got my CDL I was thinking I would be going directly into trucking but it turned out that I got another job (which I am still at as of this writing). So, the last time I drove a truck was the day I passed my test for my CDL A in January. With my move I need to be in Rapid City, SD in April and I while I am open to non-truck driving jobs and will be looking for those over the next few months, I am thinking with the economy and all I may end up going with trucking as a way of pretty much being able to almost for sure get a job. I have a great driving and employment record with no issues. In my research it looks like Watkins & Shepard is a good company to drive for that treats their drivers with respect (someone correct me if this is wrong please). So, on to my questions:

(1) In light of the fact that I have not actually driven for almost a year and don't have any actual driving experience beyond my CDL schooling I am assuming that I will need to do a refresher course. Would it be a good idea to do this through Watkins & Shepard or to do it on my own in your opinion?

(2) I noticed on the Watkins & Shepard website that they are hiring drivers that live within a "reasonable distance" of the many terminals that are listed. The closest one to Rapid City, South Dakota is in Billings, Montana which is about 5 hours away. Would that qualify as a "reasonable distance"?

(3) How many miles and how much money per year can a first year driver realistically expect to make?

(4) How much home time per month is reasonable to expect to be able to have driving for Watkins & Shepard?

I may have more questions but thanks in advance for any answers! God bless!

 

Thanks Keyster, I appreciate the honest reply.

 

Thanks everyone for all the replies. It sounds like South Dakota is not a big area for Watkins & Shepard so it may not work out. I'll have to check with a recruiter and see what they say about it. I'm not sure it would be such a big deal for me to travel 5 hours to Montana to pick up my truck when I'm ready to work. If I'm gonna be out for 30 days or so at a time anyway then I could just leave the truck there, drive home and stay home and just have to leave in time to get back. Cuts out a little time for my home time but not much. Anyway, thanks for all the replies so far!