Watkins shepard

warp... you should be kind as to whom you laugh at.... flatbeders have a hard time backing cause of thier trl... they can tip that trl really quick due to the lack of support like we have.( the box )

also.. i see your off to indy... im in IN now, picking up in the AM, heading down to Ga, who would have guessed....
when you get here and get your next load let me know where your off too...

 

<~~put the reading glasses on...
COMPANY INTRODUCTION

• 1. Family owned and operated company for last 30+ years; operating authority in all 48 states including the western provinces of Canada; considered a mid-sized carrier w/ approximately 800 trucks, 21 terminals (13 in the 11-western states), company driver opportunities in the dry van division.

• 1. Truck types

• • Volvo and Freightliner conventionals, over half are double bunk condos, all are stand-up sleepers that come equipped with Qualcom satellite communication system, AM/FM cassette radio, CB radio, PrePass

• Standard 10-speed transmission (not super 10)

• Cummins and Detroit diesel engines (370 – 430 HP); governed # 65 mph.
  

• 1. Freight types

• Specialized carrier in the distribution of new carpet and furniture; also haul

• Contract Freight (Walmart, Pier 1 Imports, Conlins Furniture, etc.) and

• General Commodity Freight (lumber, beer, etc. anything that moves by truck)
  

• 1. Driver Miles

• Solo: Avg. approx 9,000-12,000 miles/month; over. $40,000 first year

• Team: average 20,000+ miles/month
  

1. DRIVER COMPENSATION (see attachment)

• 1. Solo Driver Pay Scale (See separate sheet)

• • Please make note that new school graduates receive 1 cent/mile pay increases at six months and again at 1 year while working towards a top pay of 36 cents mile per mile.
    

• 1. Team Pay Scale: .27 up to .43 cents per mile.

1. ORIENTATION

• 1. When/Where/Length/Cost

• • All recent school graduates are required to complete a 10-day orientation in Missoula, MT or Conover, NC. Transportation (bus) and lodging (double occupancy per room) is provided. If an alternate means of transportation is preferred, this must be set up and paid for by the individual. Watkins and Shepard Trucking will refund their transportation costs only for the amount of a bus ticket. The driver facility in Missoula has showers, laundry facilities, a complete kitchen, dining area and a large TV lounge. Missoula has two vehicles for use by drivers while in training. Trainers in Conover will assist students with local transportation while in orientation. Daily food and personal expenses are the individuals’ responsibility. It is wise to bring at least one week’s worth of clothing for working around the yard and equipment, as well as their bedding and pillow since they will be leaving in a truck immediately following their orientation.
    

• • During your orientation you will receive a stipend of $40 per day:

• • • $100 on arrival at orientation
    • $100 on day 5
    • $200 at graduation

Total: $400

• • Additionally, you will be able to take a draw against future earnings in the amount of $350 per week for the first two weeks of employment after graduation.
    

• • It is imperative the students understand that upon completing their orientation they will be assigned a truck and dispatched as a solo driver. They will not have a “driver trainer” with them in the truck. For that reason, it is important that the student does a reality check and personally assesses their emotional ability to handle things on their own. It is a fact that some student graduates should be with a driver trainer. However, it should be stressed to those students that believe they have the ability to go out on their own after having completed the 10-day orientation, that Watkins and Shepard Trucking will have them prepared for over-the–road trucking such that they can go out on their own and be Safe, Successful and Productive.
    
    

• 1. Training and Curriculum

• • The 10-day orientation is divided up into a series of road tests and in-class training. The road work comprises approximately 20 percent of the students time and consists of 1) an initial road skills and backing skills assessment 2), in-town, city driving where we assess the students ability to shift, corner, and safely adjust to changing traffic conditions and 3) downhill operations where we train drivers how to properly downshift while ascending and descending steep mountain grades (6%) with a heavily loaded trailer (80,000 lbs.). Please note that during one’s orientation, the training trucks and trailers are available for unsupervised after hours backing practice in the terminal yard (Missoula only).
    

• The in-class portion of one’s training consists of:

• Company and equipment orientation Routing/Trip Planning/CityDriving

• Shifting Safety Review

• Backing Compensation & Benefits Brief

• Downhill Operations Licensing/Permits/Canadian Ops

• W/S Logbook policies/procedures Hazardous Materials

• Log Recaps Dispatch/Voice Mail Procedures

• Trip Envelopes Qualcomm (Explain its use)

• Loading Accident & Claim Procedures

• Winter Driving and Chaining Maintenance Procedures/Shop Brief
  

1. BENEFITS

• A. Medical Benefits

• • Watkins and Shepard Trucking has an excellent employee benefits program that offers medical, and life insurance for the employee and dependents on the first of the month after 90 days of employment. First year driver have a company-funded FSA account to be reimbursed for prescription, dental or vision expenses. After the first year, during open enrollment, the employee may change to one of two other plan options.
    
    
    

• 1. 401(K)

• • All driving employees are eligible to participate in the Company’s 401(k) payroll deduction retirement program after 6 months of employment with the Company.
    

• 1. Vacation Pay

• • Vacation pay is compensated at $600 per week. Drivers are entitled to 1 week of vacation after 1 year of employment with the Company; 2 weeks of vacation after 3 years of employment with the Company and; 3 weeks of vacation after 5 years of employment with the Company.
    

• 1. Rider Program

• • Watkins and Shepard Trucking does have a passenger policy in effect allowing drivers to transport one passenger per trip. A driving school graduate must have completed the 90-day probationary period prior to being eligible and must get prior approval and written authorization from the Driver Safety Department in Missoula. Also, the passenger must be at least 10 years of age and insured for the duration of time in the truck. Passenger insurance costs $28 per month. Other restrictions may apply.
    

• 1. Pet Policy

• • Watkins and Shepard Trucking does have a pet policy in effect allowing drivers to carry pets with them in Company owned trucks. A driving school graduate must have completed the 90-day probationary period prior to being eligible and must get prior approval and written authorization from the Driver Safety Department in Missoula. A $500 damage and cleaning deposit must be paid prior to approval being granted. Other requirements and restrictions apply.
    

• 1. Monthly Bonus

• • Watkins and Shepard Trucking offers a monthly bonus to all eligible drivers based on meeting the qualification criteria: safety, logbook violations, trip envelope violations, Co. policy violations, routing, fueling at designated fuel stops, fuel conservation and safety review compliance.
    

• 1. Tuition Reimbursement

• • Watkins & Shepard Trucking offers tuition reimbursement at $100 per month, limited to $4,800 or the cost of tuition, whichever is less, after completion of the 90-day probationary driving period, under the following conditions:

• • • The student has paid for their schooling. Tuition paid by third parties such as VA Funding, Vocational Rehabilitation, WIA Funding or any other program are not eligible for tuition reimbursement.
    • Watkins & Shepard Trucking is the first company orientation the student attends after graduation.

1. HIRING CRITERIA

• A. General Requirements

• • In order to qualify for placement in a training or orientation class or to maintain continued qualification as a Company driver for Watkins and Shepard, the driver’s motor vehicle record:
    

• - Must not include a DUI/DWI or possession of a controlled substance or possession of alcohol conviction in a commercial vehicle.

• - Must not include a DUI/DWI or possession of a controlled substance conviction in a non-commercial motor vehicle within the last 5 years.

• - Must not include a conviction for death by vehicle, hit and run, or racing in either a commercial motor vehicle or non-commercial motor vehicle.

• - Must not include any more than two moving violations in the twelve months prior to the date of the application and no more than three moving violations within 5 years from the date of the application.

• - Must not include a reckless, careless or negligent operation of a motor vehicle driving conviction within five years of the date of the application.

• - Must not include any Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) recordable, at-fault collision within three years of the date of the application and no more than one D.O.T. recordable, at-fault collision during your entire commercial motor vehicle career.

• - Must not include any more than two non-D.O.T. recordable, at-fault collisions in any motor vehicle within three years of the date of the application.

• - Must not include any felony conviction within seven years from the date of the application, and, if beyond seven years from the date of the application, the driver must obtain a waiver permitting entry into Canada prior to the completion of 90-days of employment unless the driver is applying for a position that will not include travel into Canada.
  

APPLICATION REVIEW

• A. DUI/Felony

• • As you can see, Watkins and Shepard has some fairly stringent hiring criteria, particularly with respect to the number of moving violations a driver may have within a 5-year period (a maximum of 3 violations). Most trucking companies use a 3-year review period of one’s MVR and may allow a greater number of moving violations.
    

• • In general, if an applicant has a prior DUI or felony but meets the respective criteria, we would not automatically preclude this applicant from consideration, but would require that all other areas of the application be exemplary in order to proceed with processing. For example, if an applicant had a felony or DUI 10 years ago, had a clear MVR and his/her employment was strong with good references, we could move forward if the applicant met our needs and, in our opinion, was a quality candidate in all other aspects. If, on the other hand, that same applicant had any one area of the application that was weak, we would not want to act on the application. In other words, the application must be superior in all areas if the applicant is to be deemed “hireable” after having a prior DUI or felony conviction.

there is some more information, but looking at it i saw something was wrong... once its corrected ill post it on here.

 

Wait...a stipend of $40/day and tuition reimbursement? When did that start?? I was told NO reimbursement, and was never told about the $40/day....this must be something new

Oh, also, it must be stated that some of the trucks do have automatic transmissions, not 10 speeds.

 

Very good posts. I see O/O's go into FL and not many company trucks. Is this common???

KH

 

yup... this is all new... funny how things work huh warp...
also.. have some 13spds as well.... oh.. and 2 kw 18spds

 

I can haz automajic!! LOL...

Im going to start telling them my milage is like 200000 instead of 434000 So I can keep this thing alot longer. haha...

Im in Billings for the night, I brain farted though, I was backing in and kept on doing retarded stuff, it was actually kinda fun and funny but at the same time not. Took me a good 15 minutes to back up into a hole haha.... Then again I did do a victory lap around the yard before I backed up.

 

I was told by a guy from another company who claimed to have left Watkins and Shepard that they were forcing people into Leasing and/or owner operators, like CR England. Is there any truth to this?

 

as far as i know this is correct, with the exception of our conover terminal, we deliver a lot of furniture all over fla. but they have their own " dedicated " so to say, that go to fla. not many of the otr drivers go to fla, but yes, most of the time its the o/o

dont know where/who told you that, cause this is something they are not doing...?
they did, at one point, give the company flatbed drivers a chance to l/o, but think that was short lived.

 

Thanks for the info on WS. I like the new plan. Maybe I can get some help with my schooling then. The tuition reimburesement is a real plus. Looking forward to getting things started and getting on the road with you guys.

 

Talked to Sandy this afternoon on the infomation s2b posted earlier. With the tuition reimburesement and the pay during orientation I think it just sealed the deal for me. Thanks to all you folks here who have posted here and keep it up. Valuable informaion in what's here. See you on the road some day.