EPES TRANSPORT-Greensboro, NC

Alright, I haven't posted in a long while but want to offer up my opinion. And that's all it is, my opinion. I have been with this company for a year. There are good and bad with any company and this one is no different. I have tried about everything I can to work hard, take the good with the bad, take what's given to me, not say much until absolutely necessary, run as hard as they will let me etc. I have a good week about one out of every 3/3.5 weeks. I average about 2100 miles a week, maybe. And that's all over the board, anywhere from 1450 to 3200 with most on the lower end. I gave up trying to get home on Friday because it never happened foe me. I usually work from Tuesday to back home sometime on Sunday. A very occasional late Saturday night comes my way every blue moon.
Does it bother any of you or do you get paid for waiting 18/19 hours to pick up your next load or get dispatched to pick up your next load 15 miles away with a firm appointment time that's 3/4 hours later than the current time? I never get paid for that stuff. I had one last week, sat 9 hours waiting to get loaded, got paid $60. Do the math to figure out how much per hour THAT is....
i also had a planner is morning that tried to dispatch me on a load, I was going home after a 5am delivery, or attempting too. No empties available. I was 80 miles from home, 6 am, he wanted me to go 170 miles to browns summit, pick up at 1200, firm. Deliver at jonesville, sc, 100 miles away tomorrow, open window. I live in Columbia sc. I called in, was told I could pu today, take it home and deliver tomorrow. Rather than them lose money bob tailing me home. Okay, so drive 170 to pu, 170 back plus the 80 to get home plus the 110+ back to deliver tomorrow. Then you've still got to get me back home and what about my 34? Makes absolutely no sense to me. He offered no other option. Said, bobtail home and he would cal my dm in the morning. Wow, scared the crap outta me! Lol I bob tailed home. They send me home from Charlotte a pretty good bit bob tailing. I usually have MUCH better communication with night/weekend dispatch. It's guy must have been new or something, never remember hearing his voice before and never will listen to his attitude again.
Just another perspective. Every company is not perfect, this one included. They are above average but may not be e best foe me.

 

well at least glad to see you're still around pops, was wondering since i hadn't seen you on in awhile....

i can concur with most of what you're saying......the $10/hr wait pay is pretty standard and was explained during orientation and it's after 2hrs after appointment time....it does suck, but it's better than alot of companies that either don't pay or you have to fight to get it and at least we do get it with no issue.....or i've never had any issues getting it anyway don't even have to ask if i have to wait soon as i send the loaded/empty call my dm always sends it right away.

there are a couple of new folks on nights/weekends so far i haven't had any issues with them. i have noticed some changes in the way things are done the last 6 months and over the last couple of weeks especially with planning not really having a clue.....cancelled preplans, sending me somewhere far away from where i actually am to pickup, long wait times between pickup and delivery. i was even at a cons with a preplan out of the same place and hooked to it when they cancelled it and sent me 80 miles to pick up something else. made no sense and cost them money when i was right there and would have cost them nothing to take the one i was already under. who knows?

have you been or been able to utilize the split on some of these loads that have too much time on them between empty/loaded? it doesn't work for all of them for sure, but about 50% of the time if i get one like that i'll split the log 8/2 or 2/8 if i can and it helps utilize my time best and keep me rolling within the timeframe and best maximize my hours. some of them it just doesn't work out that way but if you can it will help maximize times and miles, unless the load asignment says otherwise, even if i have 3hrs and 30 miles between loads i'll roll on over anyway. sometimes they take me sometimes they don't but i always give it a try anyway.

in some ways i see signs of trying to grow too much too fast but i'm trying to wait it out and see if things stabilize. there have been some things that haven't changed for the better in the last 6 months for sure. some of it i attribute to that moron getting re-elected and the business community just being #### scared to do much and then you have to factor in the time of year it is as well. i've looked at a few other opportunities in the last year and even seriously talked to a few, but have held out and stayed put for now just to see what happens in the spring when freight picks up again and see if things stabilize and planning gets back on track with how they're utilizing ( or under-utilizing ) us as the case may be.

lengthy bobtails are rare but do happen. they've sent me 180 miles once bobtail to get something when there weren't any empties and a couple of times less than that but well over 50 miles.

friday home? hahahaha that's funny with the elog. usually just doesn't happen but you can bet the guys that are still lucky enough to be on paper are getting in then. once they get the babysitter they won't be either. i'm getting in friday maybe once every 5-6 weeks. the rest of the time it's saturday or maybe even sunday. just a consuequence of having the babysitter in the truck. many weekends i've been able to get close on friday but time ran out. just the regulatory world we're operating in now. nothing we can do about it just be gald we are getting in every week when alot of companies don't. and this is living 10 minutes from the yard. you'd think being so close i'd get in every friday but sometimes they forget where i live at lol

still happy here though. my average miles are a little higher than what you're seeing....not sure what, if anything, i'm doing that you and some of the others aren't or are.......ive talked to guys averaging more than me or less than me not sure why there's such a big disparity across the board on our averages but there does seem to be a big difference in what we're averaging driver to driver.... and the money is good and still feel they are a good company and better than most out here.

 

well dropped EARLY this afternoon at North Vernon and load won't be ready until 0800 tomorrow...got 19 channels on the tv (YEAY!!!) so guess it's LOADS of NON alcoholic beverages(BOO!) and chicken wings for the super bowl...GO COMMERCIALS!!!!!! Yep, we all know I'm more of a baseball fan...but I am a fan of the commercials of the super bowl! Oh yeah....MORE FREAKIN' SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol wife wants to be with me....I tell her....you wanna be roadkill? lol

 

GLAD TO HEAR FROM YOU POPS! I gotta agree with Flying, as always, hahahahaha he is right. I did bobtail about 2 months ago 240 miles to pick up an empty and that was from Uxbridge to Marcy(MalWart...haha)....once I got my empty...kinda forgot about having a trailer attached to me for about 5-10 minutes! haha But, I, like flying, am dealing with these LONG ### wait times as well! I've NEVER had a problem like this before. Considering I started in March 2012 and haven't been through, "slow months of freight", here at EPES....so I'm just thinking it's just that "time of year". When I FINALLY got my truck fixed...talked to DM and they said "there's PLENTY of freight...just nothing over 500 right now." Ok, so now I know ALL dispatchers truly BURN IN HELL!!!!!!!!!!!! lmao because I got a run from Carteret out to North Vernon...yep 694 miles. Think I should start bringing my lighter into dispatch and watch 'em all scream! lol "This is what's gonna happen when you LIE!" haha but...that was the first LONG RUN I've had in about 3 weeks. Even when they knew my truck was f'ed up would still put me on runs, risking the truck getting more and more into serious issues...thankfully that didn't happen. So, you were here last year at this time, as was flying, so was it like this last year for you guys?

 

lol not always, just most of the time.....my wife hates that about me too lol......all those years in management taught me to pay attention, be observant and quickly spot trends and patterns is all....

no, last year this time wasn't like this.. i kept rolling and didn't miss any miles and sure a hell didn't have these long wait times. it's a whole different story this year. I'm so thankful for my rental properties that income has certainly proved useful this year....normally it's just money in the bank but been having to dip into it this year.

yeah, more snow. wytheville to charleston tonight was no fun. manageable, but no fun. one of those turn off the radio, stay away from the cruise, and leave yourself some pedal kind of nights but once i got to charleston it cleared up until i got well into ohio. if you do the grove city walmart trip there's a supercenter next exit up at the 5 and they've got parking. even got one end of the lot marked off with cones for the trucks to park behind. about 15 of us parked here tonight. get up in the morning and go 7 miles to the drop and have full hours to go for the day.

 

hey POPS....just reread your post....I had a problem with a weekend guy about 2 months ago. They sent me a load and I only had 6 hours left on my 70 and was about 3 hours away from the yard, where i t-called it......called them up and said, this preplan won't work, when I t-call I'll only have 3 hours left on my 70 and I can't go to Wilmington to pick up......no hours. So this bonehead starts getting an attitude with me then tells me I'm NOT SUPPOSE TO BE ON THE PHONE WHILE DRIVING! I just said, look here...it's 100% legal for me to have a blutooth(Blue Parrot! YEAY...they rock!) and talk on the phone #######....I'll see you in about 3 hours! And hung up. When I got back and went into dispatch to turn in paperwork I saw Curt and John, whom I've NEVER had a problem with, and told them what was said. They just said he's a new guy and doesn't really know the laws on CMV's. Told them he better have a better attitude or I'm gonna report him to somebody...no driver should be badmouthed to...especially since this company is hard to get on with and we're the ones out there bustin' our butts for you guys!

 

you guys have any issues with the low voltage cutout killing your power in the sleeper after only a couple hours?

mine only makes it about 10 hrs or so and the beeper starts going off and then it kills everything and i have to start it for a few minutes to bring the batteries back up. seems like it shouldn't be doing that in a new truck. i know the volvo never had an issue with it. i've even been killing everything before i go to bed and shutting down the inverter but i keep getting the warning and a cutout after what seems like way too short a time period.

blowing the power outlets on the dash too....pops the fuse soon as i put them in. definately an electrical issue there. just what i needed trade one electrical problem for another

sure hope io get sent south out of here and quickly. calling for another 2-4 then freezing rain and ice on top of it.

 

As far as the 10hr cut out goes I've had the same problem with another carrier on a brand new 2013 cascadia was wondering the same thing but its how the truck is manufactured.

 

they are made in MEXICO! That should be MORE THAN ENOUGH to tell you what is totally wrong with Frieghtshaker now-a-days! lol

 

oh look it's an Abilene....uh...USX....uh....Arnold.....uh Link America....what the hell company do you work for now, anyways? lol I gotta buddy that works for Arnold and even he can't figure out what company is what! lol