EPES TRANSPORT-Greensboro, NC

didn't mean for that last post....thought it was a PM.....sorry! OK......hope all of you guys have great weekend....now if only I can get final to take me early.....I'm sure they will....never had a problem. Then off to home I go!

 

just to make light of your comment.....I STILL haven't had a lot lizard knock on my door....even if I did.....why do people think we make MILLIONS, when we don't? haha

 

I was at the yard in Greensboro today and did not seem to be more trucks there then any other time. There were a lot there that were turned in for replacement due to mileage. I'm not saying there is not problems at Epes and a lot of changes that could be made. I think most if not all large truckload company's have major issues. I'm not here to bicker and not here to call other drivers a liar. I just stated my mileage for the past years, if you go back to my older post you will find I posted the same mileage around the end of last year. I hope the miles pick up for those that are low or figure out why they are low.

 

that's probably a fair assessment. the 11's are all getting close to 500k. when they boxed up my stuff and moved me out of my '14 with no notice ( never got half my stuff back either but that's another story in itself) they stuck me in an 11 with only a couple thousand left before trade in that had a host of issues with it.

there really is no consistency between drivers. it's either feast or famine and the politics play a lot into it depending on the dm. I had a dm that almost every driver I talked to couldn't stand. I had no issues with him ever and attribute that much to good communication and just taking whatever I was given and running with it whether it was 13 miles or 1300. I never had any issue getting miles and maintained a consistent 2900 average before the rules change and 27-2800 after.....but what a difference in the way things worked between before and after. miles never were my issue with them. I most likely could have stayed there and been content and just mildly annoyed from time to time but why settle for content when you can be happy? lol I wasn't even looking when I found the gig I'm at now it just kinda fell into my lap from nowhere and I always said from day 1 that would be the only reason I'd ever leave. if anything were to happen where I am now I would go back to epes and was told when I left I could come back at any time. they still are a much better company than most out here....but with only a 9% turnover where I am now that's not likely.

in the scheme of things they aren't really a 'large' company. if they had 10,000+ trucks I could understand being so slow to get a grip on things and get the ship back on course but with only 1100 they should be able to react quickly. I think it was a perfect storm of events that converged that threw a wrench in things that they never really got a grip on. the rules change, the poorly managed integration of tse and several large customers that went from an average of 30 weekend deliveries to 300+/- all happened within a couple months of each other and I think caught them napping.

I've noticed some company trailers at some of the customers I'm running to now that I had never been to when I was there and I always ask and they tell me they just picked up the business so at least it shows they are still growing and picking up new accounts.

 

hey lonely think I got a pretty good idea who you are lol.....but don't need to know

did you get one of those purty new autos when you came back?

 

I'm sure they picked new accounts when they acquired Clay Hyder Truck Lines (CHTL). I also noticed when I was on the yard they got in low deck box trailers. Looks like for high volume light weight.

 

NC , those low deck trailers are for CAT. I worked with Paul some to design them. Really odd spec. Had to have 110 inch rear door opening , a gravity feed roller bed system. Special made for the CAT track hoe cabs. CAT refused to let straps be used to tie load down . Had to come up with a automatic system to lock the load down.

 

yeah flying, I figured if they meet what I need, I'll meet what their new 'standards/policies' are. 'Middle of the road'....it's only fair. So far so good, tho. Finally, after 3-4 months of 1600-1800 miles I landed 2500 for the week. Just hope it stays there....I know there will be 1800 mile weeks, but every week for 3 and a half months is totally absurd. Especially when I was staying out 7-8 days at a time. Now, I'm getting in on sat. leaving out on monday and got 2500 for the week....since pay cutoff is now mondays at noon......I kinda like that better. That's just me though. As long as my average is around 2000-2500 I shouldn't complain about my paychecks.....since I got 2 raises.

 

which reminds me.....the one week I was with Hilco, we went out to Omnisource in Smithfield, NC. There was a small little CAT warehouse right there on the east end of town. Had 4 of our trailers there in the docks.....I don't even wanna tell you how fun that one looks to back into. haha Didn't know if you guys had been there or not. And NC I had one of those CHTL trailers......better than the Cargo Logistics trailers but, not as good as our trailers.