EPES TRANSPORT-Greensboro, NC

How fast do your trucks run up hills when you have a heavy load? With Boyd brothers even if i'm empty, if I go up a hill I can barely do 60mph, which is what it's governed at. They have our trucks down-graded on the power to save fuel... so basically my foot is to the floor the entire time. I get passed by 99% of all trucks!

I applied for EPES today... waiting to hear back.

 

I have another question too... does EPES allow bobtailing at all? Like if you go somewhere and drop your trailer and you have a few hours maybe a day before you can get another load... are you allowed to bobtail to like Wal-Mart or other stores or maybe even attractions while you wait for another load assignment? (I know you can't just drive long distances to wherever you want, but I'm talking about relative close distance to where you unloaded or expect to reload. Please EPES drivers, answer these questions I would appreciate it. Also, if any of you would be willing to give me your phone number or email so I could talk to you more directly I would appreciate it. I would like show you as a referral to help you out. Email me mhhousley@gmail.com

 

you won't be bobtailing anywhere.......to quote my handy dandy epes driver's safety and operation handbook on page 18......"never bobtail unless instructed to do so".......other than being told to to go pick up a load somewhere, the only time i've ever been able to bobtail anywhere was when i ran out of hours at a shipper, the order wasn't pulled yet, and they told me it would be several hours until they started loading and i couldn't stay on the property once i was out of hours.....i had to bobtail 10 miles to the pilot to take my 10.....and only after getting authorization from dispatch to do so......stock your truck before you go out......if you stay out long enough that you have to make a wal-mart or grocery run, you have to incorporate it into your trip. you don't "drop your trailer" waiting on a load.....you stay with it....except in extreme cases like the one that happened with me......

trucks are governed at 63.....actually i think it's 62.8.....and just about the same as any other truck that's had it's nuts cut off of it......although mines broken in good now and does pull fairly well......i can pass some guys on the hills even loaded at 40k or better in 8th.....but 63 is the best you're going to get unless you're rolling downhill lol......get it rolling to 63 punch on the cruise get it the right lane and stay there pretty much lol......unless you're coming up on prime, most company swifts, jb or the company pumpkins......we get around them fairly easily......boyd is kind of 50/50.....had some i could pass good and some blow by me like they aren't governed at all.....crete is the worst.....i think they must be governed at 62.5......it takes miles to get around one of those guys and they don't lift or give an inch.....any of them......they all make you work for it.....must be a company policy or something......but make sure you have plenty of open road ahead and behind if you come up on a crete guy cause you're going to work to get around him.....and they'll hang you out there too if you get out there and then can't get around......you'll have to fight with them all the way or just back off and get back in line and keep slowly running up on him and backing off until you get a good downhill or 5 clear miles to get around him lol........

if you have anything you want to ask privately you can send me a pm i'll be glad to answer.

sitting back in scranton at the same petro i was at last night......got a good run home....or so i thought.....ran up to marcy and dropped this morning then got a pickup in tunkahannock going to shelby for tomorrow deliver and then a quick run home from there and was supposed to be preload and ready for pickup at 7am this morning......get a message halfway back down here and pickup has been changed to 1600.....###### my whole day......and weekend......i'll be out of hours by 1600.....so here it sit and looks like i'll do a split with 5 hours after the 8......run down as far as i can tonight and try to find parking somewhere at around midnight, do a 10 and then roll on to shelby with just a couple hours left at the drop.....hopefully enough to do the next pickup and get home by early evening tomorrow.....not to mention having my sleeping all screwed up now and having to try and force a nap so i can roll tonight

last time i was in shelby on saturday got sent to new hampshire and didn't get home.....guess we'll see.....

 

I see at least 2 EPES trucks roll by the school each day not to mention ones I pass on 85 to/from school.

 

Got me a load to the house last night. Smyrna,de walmart. Dropped the load headed 12 miles to the house. Now at this moment sitting on couch. Went pass Chester to meet my DM. Pretty cool for the most part. We exchanged hello and back out the door I go. Have to get use to driving this slow, but get this, I got 7.5mpg.......awesome

 

Yeah I'm getting 7.2 for the week this week. Must be nice to be home on Friday. I've bout forgotten what that's like I'm usually getting in Saturday sometime. Glad to see you made it through leftdoor. Think you'll like it here.

 

So far I like it, folks in management are willing to open there doors and talk, im sure you have to solve it at lowest level possible first. But believe me i'm always waiting for the bottom to fall....lol. I explained to the DM that i'm willing to run. Use to running about 550mi a day, but he explained we won't run like that. There maybe a few from time to Timmy, but nothing consitant. I hate my truck, it squeaks, rattle and very dirty on the inside. I washed the outside in Greensboro, so today is clean house day. Set up all my gadgets and be ready to roll.

 

You will not be in that one long !

 

i don't know man if they see you'll run and you get the right dm you'll run.....i'm averaging around 530 a day this week they been pushing me this week.....was a little lower last week with those walmart shuttles but my overall average is 2700 a week +/- a little. don't feel like getting up and getting clothes on to grab my notebook to get actual figures but i've only had one this whole week that was under 480 miles.....

so what did they give you? if it's an older one with miles on it don't move in and get too settled you'll get a newer one soon enough....

so i'm STILL in Pa, at the petro in carlilse waiting on 1015am to roll on to shelby......i hate splitting the log like i had to do yesterday.....it makes for a #### long day and just screws things up all the way around but sometimes it's the only way to make it work.....i'll get to shelby around 1900 and better get something home or just run empty home......will only have 7 left on my 70 when i deliver......got a tractor ABS light and TCS light that won't go off started last night so may just tell them i'm bringing it on to the shop and not worry about it.....

how is it that someone could plow into someone making a left turn with the left side of the trailer? the side you can see? and should be watching? fuel stop at the 77 on 81 last night and already i'm ill and it's been a #### day and i'm tired and trying to get out of the t/a.....the lane to the exit is blocked by an idiot who couldn't park correctly in his spot and is stuck half out into the lane with his curtains drawn......and a wrecker hooking up to a tractor farther down the same lane......so i have to go around the back side down the back row to get out and go to make the left around the corner to make the right out of the ecit and there's an owner op who made a tight left......too tight......and drug his trailer into the right front fender of the guy parked on the end with the dead center left side of his trailer......and not just a little he plowed into him.....gotta wonder where his head was at.....right side turn i could give the guy a little sympathy....but not much.....but to drag your trailer into the front of someone's truck on a left turn when you can clearly and should be looking when you turn.......when there was plenty of room to swing wide.....what a moron.....and already running down the clock on the back side of the split tick tick tick goes the elog and now how do i get out? finally ended up backing down the lane and got almost backed all the way down and saw the guy at end who was parked on the curb pull out so i was able to go back down to the end, pull wide around moron who was trying to wake the guy up in the truck he hit......how he didn't wake up is beyond me unless he just wasn't in the truck......and then make the tight right out of there.....

got down to the 52 and that's where i had to stop......at midnight i wasn't going to try to get down to the 5 even though i had enough time to just barely get there.....that one is usually full after 8 or 9 pm and at least i know there's enough spots in carlilse i could park that late.....

i'm ready to get home......about 600 to go and i'll be there......i hope

 

Good luck getting home!

I've still got these guys marked as my #1 choice.