Trucking Company Reviews
Watkins & Shepard Company Review

Watkins & Shepard Company Review

Watkins & Shepard Company Overview

Watkins & Shepard company logo

Watkins & Shepard Trucking offers less-than-truckload (LTL) and truckload freight hauling throughout the US from about 20 terminals, mainly west of the Rockies. (LTL carriers consolidate cargo from multiple shippers into a single trailer.) The company's fleet consists of about 630 tractors and 1,600 trailers. Standard dry vans account for the majority of the company's trailers; Watkins & Shepard also uses flatbed trailers.

In addition, the company arranges intermodal transportation, which involves hauling freight by multiple methods, such as road and rail. CEO Ray Kuntz and president Steve Williamson own Watkins & Shepard, which was founded in 1974 as Stan Watkins Trucking.

Watkins & Shepard Corporate Headquarters

Map of Watkins Shepard corporate headquarters
N. 6400 Hwy. 10 W.
Missoula, MT 59808
Phone: 1-800-548-8895
Website: Watkins & Shepard

Getting Hired At Watkins & Shepard

Watkins & Shepard Minimum Hiring Qualifications

  • Must be 23 years old or older by date of hire.
  • Must be able to read, speak and understand the English language sufficiently to converse with the general public, to understand highway traffic signs and signals, to report and respond to officials and to make entries on reports and records.
  • Must be able (by reason of experience, training, or both) to safely operate the type of commercial motor vehicle you are asked to drive in your driving position.
  • Must be physically qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle in accordance with the rules of the FMCSR and maintain such qualification.
  • Must be able to sit for extended periods of time in the commercial motor vehicle you are asked to drive in your driving position.
  • Must be able to operate the commercial motor vehicle you are asked to drive in your driving position in all types of weather conditions and on all types of terrain including steep mountainous areas.
  • Must be able to walk, bend, reach, push, pull, stoop, squat, climb, grasp, lift, and handle heavy equipment as necessary.
  • Must be able to read a road map and complete daily logs and all necessary trip reports, fuel reports, damage reports, and other paperwork required by the Company.
  • Must be able to work every day of the week and at any time of the day or night.
  • Long haul OTR drivers - must be able to be away from place of residence at least three consecutive weeks.

  • Hiring Drivers With Felonies

    Case-by-case. Work history, motor vehicle history, and criminal history as a whole.

  • Hiring Drivers With A DUI

    DUI must be over 5 years old

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Watkins Shepard Hiring Area

Watkins Shepard hires from all 48 contiguous states

Minimum Hiring Age For Watkins & Shepard

Watkins Shepard Minimum Hiring Age:
23 Years Old

Minimum Age Comparison

  • Salmon 25  
    .
  • Watkins Shepard 23  
    .
  • P&S 23  
    .
  • Marten 22  
    .
  • Schaffer 22  
    .
  • Swift 21  
    .
  • SRT 21  
    .

Minimum Experience Required For Watkins & Shepard

Watkins Shepard Minimum Experience:
0 Months

Minimum Experience Comparison (Months)

  • AAA Cooper  24  
    .
  • Trimac  12  
    .
  • Decker  3  
    .
  •  Watkins Shepard
    No Experience Required
  •  Swift
    No Experience Required
  •  Super Service
    No Experience Required
  •  Western Express
    No Experience Required

Watkins & Shepard Driver Pay

  • Solo starting pay scale:

    • $.32 - No experience
    • $.34 - 3 months
    • $.39 - 1 year
    • $.40 - 2 years
    • $.41 - 3 years
    • $.42 - 4 years
    • $.43 - 5 years

  • Team starting pay scale:

    • $.35 - No experience
    • $.40 - 6 months
    • $.44 - 1 year
    • $.46 - 3 years
    • $.42 - 4 years
    • $.50 - 5 years

Mileage and safety bonus

Stop pay

Watkins Shepard Average Weekly Pay

Watkins Shepard Average Weekly Pay:
$1154 weekly

Average Weekly Pay Comparison

  • Waggoners  $1307  
    .
  • Watkins Shepard  $1154  
    .
  • K & B  $1125  
    .
  • Wil-Trans  $1000  
    .
  • XPO  $1000  
    .
  • Melton  $961  
    .
  • Covenant  $780  
    .

Watkins Shepard Starting Pay For Solo Drivers

Watkins Shepard Starting Pay For Solo Drivers:
32 cpm

Solo Starting Pay Comparison

  • Maverick  55 cpm  
    .
  • Crete  35 cpm  
    .
  • MTS  33  cpm  
    .
  • Watkins Shepard  32  cpm  
    .
  • Dillon  0:0,6:38,12:39,18:43,24:45  cpm  
    .
  • Martin  0:36,6:38,12:40,18:41,24:42  cpm  
    .
  • Wilson  0:34,6:35,12:36,18:37,24:38  cpm  
    .

Watkins Shepard Starting Pay For Team Drivers

Watkins Shepard Starting Pay For Team Drivers:
35 cpm

Team Starting Pay Comparison

  • Waggoners  67 cpm  
    .
  • Koch  42 cpm  
    .
  • Watkins Shepard  35 cpm  
    .
  • Rush  0:41,6:42,12:44,18:44,24:45  cpm  
    .
  • TransAm  0:0,6:41,12:42,18:42,24:44  cpm  
    .
  • Central  0:41,6:42,12:44,18:44,24:45  cpm  
    .
  • Falcon  0:36,6:38,12:40,18:41,24:42  cpm  
    .

Watkins & Shepard Driver Benefits

  • We offer Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurance after 90 days.
  • Our Health insurance also includes a dental and vision plan at no additional charge.
  • We offer a company funded HRA and employee funded FSA.
  • Company provided life insurance.
  • 401(k) retirement savings plan.
  • Employee wellness plans
  • Paid vacation

Watkins & Shepard Operations

Driving Opportunities At Watkins & Shepard

Driver Types:

  • Solo
  • Teams
  • OwnOp - Lease

Freight Types:

  • Dry Van
  • Specialized
  • LTL

Route Types:

  • Local
  • Regional
  • OTR
  • Dedicated
  • LTL
[["State","Hiring"],["US-AL",1],["US-AK",1],["US-AZ",1],["US-AR",1],["US-CA",1],["US-CO",1],["US-CT",1],["US-DE",1],["US-DC",1],["US-FL",1],["US-GA",1],["US-HI",1],["US-ID",1],["US-IL",1],["US-IN",1],["US-IA",1],["US-KS",1],["US-KY",1],["US-LA",1],["US-ME",1],["US-MD",1],["US-MA",1],["US-MI",1],["US-MN",1],["US-MS",1],["US-MO",1],["US-MT",1],["US-NE",1],["US-NV",1],["US-NH",1],["US-NJ",1],["US-NM",1],["US-NY",1],["US-NC",1],["US-ND",1],["US-OH",1],["US-OK",1],["US-OR",1],["US-PA",1],["US-RI",1],["US-SC",1],["US-SD",1],["US-TN",1],["US-TX",1],["US-UT",1],["US-VT",1],["US-VA",1],["US-WA",1],["US-WV",1],["US-WI",1],["US-WY",1]]

Watkins Shepard Operating Area

Watkins Shepard operates all 48 contiguous states

Watkins & Shepard Terminal Locations

Watkins & Shepard terminal locations
  • Berea, KY
  • Helena, MT
  • Vancouver, WA
  • Santa Fe Springs, CA
  • Denver, CO
  • Modesto, CA
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • Taylor, MI
  • Dalton, GA
  • Indianapolis, IN
  • Austintown, OH
  • Lakewood, WA
  • Las Vegas, NV
  • Billings, MT
  • Sayreville, NJ
  • Missoula, MT
  • Fontana, CA
  • Myrtle, MS
  • Spokane, WA
  • Conover, NC

Watkins Shepard Yearly Miles

Watkins Shepard: 66,672,324

Yearly Miles Comparison

  • Swift  1.87B
    .
  • Knight  435M
    .
  • Celadon  290M
    .
  • PAM  178.6M
    .
  • Watkins Shepard  66.67M
    .
  • G & P  65.14M
    .
  • Oak Harbor  3.89M
    .

Watkins Shepard Driver Unload Percentage

Watkins Shepard: 30%

Driver Unload Comparison

  • Trimac  95%
    .
  • Watkins Shepard  30%
    .
  • Lone Star  10%
    .
  • Prime  5%
    .
  • SRT  0%
    .
  • Millis  0%
    .
  • MTS  0%
    .

Watkins Shepard Drop And Hook Percentage

Watkins Shepard: 35%

Drop And Hook Comparison

  • Covenant  95%
    .
  • Carter  80%
    .
  • Koch  80%
    .
  • Maverick  75%
    .
  • Watkins Shepard  35%
    .
  • Melton  15%
    .
  • Central  0%
    .

Watkins Shepard Company Policies

  • Watkins Shepard Home Time Options

    Watkins Shepard has the following home time options available:

    • Daily
    • Weekly
    • Monthly

    Depending on location, drivers average 2 weeks out

  • Watkins Shepard Rider Policy

    Eligible after probation period, 90 days for recent grads 30 days for drivers with over 6 months experience.

  • Watkins Shepard Tuition Reimbursement

    Watkins Shepard does not offer tuition reimbursement.

  • Watkins Shepard Pet Policy

    1 dog per driver, $500 deposit, no size limits. Eligible after probation period, 90 days for recent grads 30 days for drivers with over 6 months experience.

Watkins Shepard Programs For Military Personnel

As long as you have a CDL-A Watkins-Shepard can get you working without private sector driving experience. They pay their drivers on a sliding scale depending on their years of driving experience and your recent verifiable driving experience with the Military counts towards that time.

Watkins Shepard Company Equipment

Watkins Shepard Number Of Trucks

Watkins Shepard Number Of Trucks:
865 Trucks

Number Of Trucks Comparison

  • Swift  25,685
    .
  • USA Truck  2,649
    .
  • Roehl  2,090
    .
  • NEMF  1,364
    .
  • Watkins Shepard  865
    .
  • Beelman  707
    .
  • Lynden  198
    .

Watkins Shepard Number Of Trailers

Watkins Shepard Number Of Trailers:
2,500 Trailers

Number Of Trailers Comparison

  • J.B. Hunt  87,150
    .
  • Saia  10,000
    .
  • MVT  6,000
    .
  • Stevens  3,500
    .
  • Watkins Shepard  2,500
    .
  • CT  1,015
    .
  • Wil-Trans  300
    .

Watkins Shepard Governed Speed

Watkins Shepard Speed:
65 MPH

65
  • Millis  70 mph
    .
  • MTS  68 mph
    .
  • A&R  67 mph
    .
  • Watkins Shepard  65 mph
    .
  • CRST  65 mph
    .
  • J.B. Hunt  65 mph
    .
  • Schneider  60 mph
    .

Watkins Shepard Tractor Brands

  • Watkins Shepard

  • Stevens

  • Crete

  • Dart

  • MTS

  • Super Service

  • TMC

  • P&S

  • J.B. Hunt

  • Wil-Trans

  • Celadon

  • MVT

Watkins Shepard Transmission Types

Watkins Shepard has automatic transmissions

  • Standards
    • Crete
    • MTS
    • Covenant
    • Prime
    • SRT
    • J.B. Hunt
  • Automatics
    • Dillon
    • AAA Cooper
    • Millis
    • Maverick
    • Koch
    • Averitt
  • Mix Of Both
    • Ozark
    • Schneider
    • Melton
    • Trimac
    • Navajo
    • Wil-Trans

Watkins Shepard APU Policy

Watkins Shepard does not have trucks equipped with APU's

  • APU Equipped
    • Jim Palmer
    • Melton
    • Prime
    • Lone Star
    • Celadon
    • Marten
  • Without APU's
    • Central Transport
    • Quality Distribution
    • Lynden
    • Groendyke
    • Hub
    • Crete
  • Mix Of Both
    • K & B
    • TMC

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