EPES TRANSPORT-Greensboro, NC

I got jammed up in a truck stop a few weeks ago because so many trucks were there when I got up to leave at 5 AM. Had to sit there and wait! Luckily I had some extra time and was close to my destination. Keep me posted.

 

I know what you mean about those ###### e-logs! It's saturday, less than 3 hrs from home, and here I have to shut down for 10 hrs before proceeding! What a crock!
I agree with you though, I don't know what pisses me off more, the e=logs or them idiots that park in the driveway of every frigging truck stop! If you'll notice, the driveway and beside the scale always fills up first. Usually theres oodles of parking where "normal" people park, but the rookies fill up those driveway spots first! Guess they don't teach backing in schools anymore. I'm sure you've noticed too, the "privelidged" drivers that park in the middle of the ###### driveway in front of the drivers lounge at our greensboro yard too? Almost always the same ones. Owner Ops that think they are better than every one else, I guess.
Whenever I pull in and pull out, I lay on my airhorn as I pass them and HOPE they get up and holler at me on the radio so I can tell them how I feel! LOL

 

you're more right than you think charliewayne......they really don't teach backing in most schools anymore....just the 45 and the straightline just enough to pass the state test.....if you saw some of my previous posts, that's what got alot of the students in my orientation and the couple of classes after mine that some of the guys i went to school with were in......they all said that's what got the students in their class as well.....my disdain and contempt for these 'schools' is well documented all over the forum so i won't jump on my soapbox again haha.......when i tested out for my own truck after training, one guy hit the trailer on the backing part of his intial roadtest right before i tested out......as did one in my orientation class......the roadtester that tested me out said he was going to start doing that part of the roadtest first from now on because it seems like very very few students can back at all.....and sadly, he's right.....

at least the school i went to was a good one (did my homework before choosing one) and they backed us in every concievable combination of scenarios until we could do it almost blindfolded and till we were sick of it lol....and it's helped me immensly in the 'real world'....even though i've been backing trailers of all types for years before i ever started pulling a 53'.....and it shows favorably on the school, considering that all the guys i went to school with that came to epes made it through to training and are out there now.....but, sadly, most schools ARE very lacking in what they're teaching these days.....

I won't comment on the greensboro thing other than to say I know what you're talking about lol....at least they don't block the fuel island lol.....or, haven't yet in my trips through there or trying to get out of there.....don't ever see it happening at chester though, everyone usually pulls right in and parks and stays out of the way......

 

Yep...fluying musician is right. I am one of the guys that hit the trailer on the test. I was only taught a 45 and straight back (but not into a slot...just start backing up when you are straight. ((sigh)) I fired off a letter to my school to display my displeasure of the training (or lack there of) that I received in backing. I lost an opportunity to be hired by a company because of it. I suggested they add all kinds of backing scenarios to their curriculum. More than sure that won't happen. They got my money and many others who were just plain happy to have a CDL. Anyway, on the road with my trainer. Sitting over night at a USX terminal in MS. Out tomorrow at 5am to MO. Ya'll take care.

 

Well now......2780 miles coming on this weeks pay......with an elog no less.....so it is possible but #### I ran hard for it lol......but I like it alot better than sitting still.....came home Friday and got a 34 and already 923 gor this week when I deliver tonight.....Greensboro to grand rapids to meltone, in and finishing up in Summerville, SC by 945 tonight. At the pilot just outside orangeburg taking my 10. If I hadn't gotten slowed down by fog in the wee hours in Kentucky this morning I'd have made that 923 with just a 10 and had 16 minutes to spare.

As long as they let me keep the door closed and the wheels rolling like this I'll be pretty happy.

Not to bad for a rookie huh? lol

 

So I woke up in orangeburg this afternoon to find a preplan out of north charleston all the way back up to the Chicago area.....another good haul and I'm loving the night schedule I've got myself on.....make alot better time and miles that way and no hassles getting in or out of the truckstops.

But, I woke this evening to find Wiener backed in on either side of me....sure glad I wasn't awake to see that happening lol.

 

How much do their local drivers get paid? I may be getting laid off from my local job here in Greensboro in January and notice they have some openings for shuttle drivers.

 

not sure what the local guys get but if i remember correctly it's an hourly rate. prehaps some of the older hands on here can chime in on this one and let you know.

was going to wait and go out monday but dispatch called saying they had stuff backed up on the yard so i'm leaving out again tonight for pennsylvainia......not thrilled with the prospect of being up there to start the week because I have that old feeling that I'm going to run the northeast at least first part of the week but by getting that 450+ in by cutoff i'll do just over 3000 miles for the pay period.....and that's for only 5 1/2 days out.....can't say they aren't running me and I like it that way.....got 3 last week over 800 miles back to back and got some really good milage days in because I was able to run all day and i'm getting better at learning how to run that elog down to the last few minutes and still find parking......by putting myself on a night-time schedule i'm seeing less traffic, able to stay moving and not having any problems finding parking early to mid-morning by the time that ##### q/c starts saying "you have zero hours and 30 minutes of drive time remaining" "you have zero hours and 15 minutes of drive time remaining" lol......

pretty good planning last week on someone's part because I ended up with only 4 hours left on my 70 by the time I got in friday night.

have to say i saw the worst roads i've ever been on last week.....Gary, Indiana.......not too bad to manuever in considering where it is but ####......almost jarred the teeth out of my head the roads are in such bad shape....and what a dismal place.....can't imagine having to live there.....some of the biggest ######## i've had to deliver to as well but i just played the politician and put on the nice face and the smile and got in and out lol.....for a born and bred country boy like me i guess i can see where having to live in around or near the big city like that would make me have a bad attitude too lol......same thing going into michigan last week with the roads....and grand rapids wasn't as forgiving as gary as far as room to manuever....the little road going into the consignee might as well had been the tail of the dragon lol at least it was only about 1/2 mile long but that was a loooonnnggg 1/2 mile coming down and around and around and down that hill to get to the consignee and then back out of there.....any of you that have been there know where i'm talking about....

finally got my laptop setup so we'll see how it goes getting internet access on the road.....tv is mounted and working just have to get a better antenna after having to build a half-assed stand to mount it to inside the volvo.....but got it mounted now and spring loaded the mounts so it won't jar the tv to death on some of these roads.....of course, when i was buying things for the truck i did so with the assumption i'd get one of those 30 or so brand new cascadias sitting on the yard with the plastic still on the seats and got a 24' flat screen which would work great in the f/l but just wasn't happening in the vulva....but got it mounted now at the end of the bed against the wall and it sure came out alot better than having a tiny 13" stuck up in that cabinet lol......i had to completely rethink how i was going to setup the inside of the truck once i ended up with the volvo.....but, i think i've got it livable now.....cut some shelves for the non-existent storage space in the thing and just about good to go now.....slowly making friends with it and got the rpm range finally figured out for the shifts and we're getting along just fine now

so far nothing but positives to report.....good miles, very little waiting time between loads and home every weekend as advertised.....

 

What do they run for trucks / transmissions ? Are most of their trucks fairly new?

Thanks

 

frieghtliners and volvos, all 10 speeds most are new. there are some older ones but they are all being phased out.

I got a 2012 volvo with only 24k miles on it and i was fresh out of school. one of the guys that went to school with me got a 2011 frieghtliner with about 100k on it.

whatever you get it will be fairly new and well maintained