EPES TRANSPORT-Greensboro, NC

Thanks a lot FlyingM. I've just applied for Epes this morning but I'm still undecided. Running SE with Averitt is tempting but the no facial hair and uniforms have me second guessing them. Also I've read where the miles average around 1800-2200 maybe less. They run all autos too. Who knows. That's trucking right! Always trying to find that perfect company know it doesn't exist.

 

Lol yeah there is no perfect company otherwise we'd all be there. While we have our issues as well, compared to what alot of other guys are dealing with at other companies out here they are relatively minor and manageable. and I didnt have to shave or cut my hair haha. Moneys not bad either.

It's a good gig.

 

from what I've gotten....the company has a 2 hour window to get you out of there! Anytime I'm at a place and am there for 3 hours I get $10. So, first hour is free and second hour is free...if I'm somewhere for 5 hours, I get $10 p/h.....only $30. The first hour is free, and the last hour is free. Hope this makes sense!

 

another solid week....3045 out 5 1/2 days and 4:08 left on the 70 when i got in early sat AM.....ran it hard every day and deliver 10 minutes from the house on a wide window for monday....so going to sleep in monday and take a well-deserved full and lazy weekend.....yep.....10/hr for detention after the first 2hrs.......not as good as i'd make if i were able to run that time instead of sitting but better than getting nothing at all.....and the main thing is never an issue getting it like i've heard alot of other folks complain about in the othe rcompany threads on here......20 for each intermediate stop on multi-stop loads....

food lion in greencastle strikes again lol just had mentioned a few days ago about those trips you hate to see come in the load assignment....this is one of them....go in there with 5hrs or less time left and you'll be getting your break there......set your watch by it and count on it.....after running to grand rapids monday got a load out of just north of muskegon going to greencastle....

got rolling good at dark thirty and hit the fuel stop at the 15 before leaving michigan and do the walk around and.....####.....right rear inside drive flat.....was pumped up tight and firm on pre-trip.........never heard a thing, never felt anything.....was already short on time for this one so this was not what i wanted to see.....but goes again to the value of doing that walk around and checking everything each time you stop for anything.....luckily a T/A at the next exit down so was able to get the tire changed and on my way within 2 hrs......

get to greenscastle and what a nightmare....already preplanned out of there with a dc to dc....different kind of load out of there than usual have to pick up on the back side and a preload.....check in and i had a midnight to 1800 window to deliver.....snotty chick standing outside the door like she owned the place pointed to the parking area and said "park over there and check in at 4 with the rest of the drivers"....told her i had a drop window.....'we don't do drops park with the rest of the drivers i won't tell you again"....okay whatever.....somebody obviously needed to get laid lol....guess if i had to look at that face in the mirror every day i'd be snotty too lol....and good thing i didn't get there early early....this was at 1300 so i park and go off duty.....1600 so i go to check in and she puts me in a door and says check in with the lumpers.....told her again it's a drop it's not a live unload.....'what part of we don't do drops are you not getting?'.....just ignored her and gave her my outbound info......she said they'd load me when they got to me and my load number was no good.....told her i didn't pick up on that side instructions were to pick up a preload on the other side at door 53......'we don't do preloads and we don't do anything on the other side of the building anymore WE WILL LOAD YOU HERE AND YOUR NUMBER IS NO GOOD GET ME A GOOD NUMBER'.....raising her voice and being a real #####.....i'm so patient with these idiots and put on my best csr face but my patience with this one was just about gone...

go out to the truck and send in the message. phone rings. dm says he talked to c/s and we do this load every single day and that's a canned load number it never changes it picks up at door 53 on the back side. see if there's someone else you can talk to. tell him no, this dummy is the one at the window and the one i have to deal with but see what i can do. go back in and don't even waste my time with her....go and talk to the lumper supervisor to see if he knows anything about it....he knows immediately what i'm talking about.....says it's a transfer load, picks up in back, just sit tight with your trailer and once we unload we'll give you your paperwork and by then that trip will be ready just check in with fleet dispatch on the back side they'll fix you up. said don't worry about that moron ##### at the window....she's one of those people that every day will always be her first day on the job. she has no clue.....looked at my paperwork and rolled his eyes.....said 'this is a drop all you needed to do was drop on the lot and go around back and chill unto 5 then the load would be ready......go figure lol.....

sure enough, 3 hrs later when they finally unloaded the 10 pallets on the truck go around back and lo and behold, there's about 30 trucks in the doors back there.....the same place where remember, 'we don't do anything on the back side anymore'.....lol...what an idiot she was.....check in at 53 and the girl there was just as nice and helpful as she could be and i hooked and finished out my break and rolled around 0100.....and the 2 company guys that came in after me were still in the doors waiting on the front side....

food lion greencastle.....beware lol...one of those you hate to see coming.....

picked up campbells soup in maxton after dropping that one......heard alot of bad things about this place and rolled in there with only 3hrs left but pleasantly surprised to find after being 10th in line to get in that once i got in only took 30 minutes to get loaded and out of there....and there were 24 lined up waiting when i was driving out.....

pretty uneventful rest of the week....was able to run my time out every day the way the trips fell with good miles on each only a couple shortys and got 2 of those in one day.....on night shift all week and pretty much was able to roll and no real issues....

 

Thanks again for these posts!! I'm sharing them with my fellow students to let them see a real world example of trucking and of course Epes.

This week for me was pretty good! We got driving time every day except Friday. I got to pull a loaded trailer 2 more times this week for a total of 3 loaded trips. I have approximately 15 hours behind the wheel so far. I'm also feeling much more comfortable driving now. Getting much better at upshifting and downshifting too. Still practicing pre-trip inspections and getting ready for that test as well as our logging test.

We had a truck drop a trailer Thursday. It was still on the lot and it wasn't loaded. It also landed on the frame so there was no problem getting the gear down and getting it hooked up again. We all got a "Talkin To" from our lead instructor about it. No one in class will ever pull out of that lot again without getting underneath the trailer and checking the king pin and release arm!! I was in that truck the day before so it looks like someone came through and pulled the release arm that night. There is a night class but they haven't started driving on the road yet. Doesn't matter who did it, only that whomever is driving off that lot is responsible for it! Even though there are 3 of us getting in a truck at a time it is that person who is driving who has the burden of accountability. As I said, it was a great lesson for all of us!!

Next week I'm scheduled to do my night driving on Wednesday so I can sleep in. I have to be there at 2:30. I'll get one hour driving in the afternoon and another that night.

All in all it was a great week!! Painting the deck, watching football and grilling today and doing NOTHING tomorrow!!

Have a great weekend!!

 

yeah that's a big big big one....and the one thing you ALWAYS check if you don't check anything else any time you stop the truck before you move again.....and don't just look at it.....test it as well.....always

yellow button in, put it in first gear, give it a good tug....don't be shy give it a good pull, then red button in and away you go.....every time.....without fail....just like doing the walk around and checking everything that matters every time you stop.....

and make sure you get out the flashlight to check the jaws even in the daytime...don't trust your eyes or the limited daylight under the trailer. if it happens with 40k in the box you'll find it's #### near impossible to jack it up high enough to get under it even with the gear in low range lol.....i fortunately don't say that from experience but from the next case which has happened and more than once.....

on a related note, you will get those trailers from time to time that a yard driver dropped too low and you just barely can't get under them....loaded and heavy almost always.....just drop the air on the suspension and usually you will lose that inch or 2 you need to get under it and get it up on the 5th wheel.....one of those things they don't teach you in school lol

i read somewhere that only 1 in 5 will make it to or past the first year otr.....this has proven true with my class that went to epes....5 of us went within 3 weeks of each other....i was the first and the others followed.....i'm the only one left still running otr......one left after 3 weeks....young guy with a hot little girlfriend who decided he didn't like the idea of leaving that hottie alone for a week at a time.....bs reason and if he couldn't trust her any more than that shouldn't have been with her anyway but he's still young and dumb and don't know any better..... the other i know left after 6 months and doing local for food lion now, one i don't know where or why but didn't see his name in the newsletter for his first year anniversary.....the last one i'm pretty tight with hadn't seen his truck in the parking lot in a couple weeks and just talked to him and he came off the road too and doing yard dog at p&g....still with epes but just came in off the road.....thought that might be a good gig till he told me what it was....2 days on, 2 off, 12hr shifts and i was shocked to find out the pay is less than half of what i'm making running the big road.....thought it would be much better than what it is....he's not sure if he'll stay with it said he may come back out on the road the pay cut was a little more than he thought it would be.....

always do that walk around and always make sure you check that 5th wheel....the one time you find that enroute flat tire or find even though it clicked it didn't lock, you'll be glad you did.

 

This is the first Epes thread I've found. I recently graduated from a Virginia CDL school...nothing special but apparently acceptable to Epes. Got my CDL with all endorsements. Applied last week and got a call from Epes recruiter "Jessica". Said orientation is 2-3 days. Followed by 6 weeks with a trainer. (Driving as a team ... bummer.) Training pays $.25 mile, (need to find out how many paid miles to expect?).

Solo starts @ $.31/mile and increases to $.34 @ 1 year. To expect 2100-2300 miles per week.
Benefits start after 90 days: Healthy ins. copay @ $25/$50.
Operate east of Mississippi River.

My comment is I've heard Epes referred to as a second tier company but what has been described to me above by the recruiter is not that encouraging ... especially when recruiters are known to exagerate! And quite frankly, she was a bit pushy to sign me on.

My concerns:

1) No more than 3 days (max.) orientation before hitting the road.
2) Training is the typical "team driving" method as used by the bottom feeders
3) Pay is no different at the 1 year mark than the botton feeders
4) LOW miles

I'm comparing to Roehl (recruiter is "Allen"):

1) 8 days initial training (classroom, yard, local road)
2) Hire offer includes a $300+$300 signing bonus
3) OTR training: 9-13 days- No team driving ... work no more than 14 hours (total) per day @ $90/day
(True instructional training, trainer not sacked out in sleeper.)
4) Rookie solo @ $.30/mile and 1 year @ $.36
5) Average 2400 miles/week

I realize its been said that any company that will accept driving school graduates should be looked upon as a starter company ... get at least a year and move on. I just want to do as well as I possibly can with selecting a company with good training and, hopefully, might have a good future.

Admittedly, I do not have enough information on Epes at the 2 year or more mark. I suspect Epes begins to outshine their competitors as a drivers experience grows (more years under the belt).

I have preHires from Werner, Schneider, Swift, Central Refrig, Western Express, Roehl and Epes. (Pretty much everyone to whom I have applied that were hiring in my area.)

Any of you experienced Epes drivers have any words of wisdom? Other comments?

THANKS!

 

i'm a little shocked to hear the numbers they're quoting and the fact they actually told you you'd be team driving....they stressed there would be NO team driving when i was hired....but we did anyway......trainers are top notch and on their game and you'll get good miles and good checks during training.....my recruiter (not the one you are taling to) was straight up and i got no bs from him and they've produced on everything he said they would....in fact, they were quick to point out the hardships and downsides to otr and living on the road just to make sure i knew what i was getting into and would be a good fit....

do you really need more than 3 days to fill out payroll and benefit paperwork and go over policies and do a road test? did your school not train you to be road ready to go out with a trainer for further training and finishing? if they didn't you won't make it past the road test.

the final 2 days of orientation is done with a local driver and you go out and run stuff between local customers and back to the terminal and then you get your trainer and then you're on the big road. my checks during training averaged between 5-600 for the 6 weeks out. NO epes trainer is going to team with you until he is satisfied you are safe and competent and can handle the truck and arent' going to kill him and you in the process. that just isn't how it's done.

my rolling average is 2750 / week as far as milage....there are guys getting those low miles, but i don't really know why....the miles are there if you are willing to put in the effort and establish yourself as someone who can work the elog to your advantadge and someone who can be depended on....don't turn down the short trips or be will to run whatever they give you even when you know it's a bs load or there's going to be a wait involved or you know the customer isn't a fun time when you go there lol.....i'm on 3 weeks now over 3000 and while we all have our short weeks, i have very few of them.

they are very family oriented and if you have any need to get in, they will jump through whatever hoops they have to so that you get in....or at least have and did in my experience.

i'm at .35 first year and who else is giving a .07 bonus running north of dc? that's .42 on more than half my runs....first year.....and as much as we run up there it adds up quick....

2nd tier my ###......go take a look at the threads for the other companies you listed....if you really think wiener or western is going to be a better gig you have alot more research to do....haiving sia dthat, only you know what will best suit your needs and which company you will be a good fit with....

hopefully sdaniel and a few others will see you post and weigh in on things as well.....

while there is no perfect company, compared to what other guys are dealing with at other companies on here, our issues are few and manageable....take care of them and they will for sure go the extra mile for you....

 

before i get accused of being a 'cheerleader' lol...go back and read some of my posts back several weeks to months.....i also call out the bad as well as the good.....if something isn't right or some other kind of bs goes on, i call that out just as critically and bluntly as i say the good things, which far outwiegh the bad....

overall my experience here has been good and i'm happy....and made 43,890 first year, which far exceeds the numbers they quoted you....it is possible but you have to go get it, they aren't going to drop it in your lap....

good luck with your search and i hope you find a company that is as good a fit for you as epes has been for me...and many others....