EPES TRANSPORT-Greensboro, NC

I just had some moron in a daycab sideswipe me on the NJ Turnpike......what's next...oh yeah !uckers cutting me off left and right this morning through Balitmore and DC...like THAT'S outta the ordinary?

 

2 years today.......guess that puts me another rung up on the ladder form all the multitudes who never made it to the first year.

and what is that I hear creaking behind me? it's the gate of opportunity that just swung wide ### open now that I have 2 solid productive years in with a solid rep in the company as someone who takes care of business........ dm would be wise to take note of that if he wants to keep me around. my loyalty and patience is far more than most would give and I don't jump ship at one bad week or even 2 or 3 but I do notice trends over the long term and the trend over the long term really has me wondering if I may be pursuing options later in the year. planning and utilization and attention to where I live at the end of the week sure has to do a turnaround from where it's trending now. bout all i'll say about that for now.....other than i'm still here for the long haul I tend to not believe the grass is greener just painted green until I find out for sure maybe it really IS greener lol

met another crybaby today in Carlstadt. I know he said 'I told them I don't work weekends' 20 times if he said it once in the hour he complained to me about not getting home on Friday. at least he was heading in that direction. I was already 500 from home and got turned another 200 up to northern ct with a delivery in pa for Saturday and preplanned camp hill to Richmond and out of hours in Richmond tomorrow after that. so sunday at the earliest for me to get in if then. the other guy in Carlstadt was a northeast regional guy on his 3rd week forced out and his 2nd week running recap. he was NOT a happy camper at all. can't say I blame him.

getting my share of those tiny ct roads lol....ct 163 this time going to the shipper....good thing it was only a couple of miles on this one instead of 30 like the other night.....and for sure DON'T miss the entrance to the shipper on this one......no telling how long it would take to find a place to turn around on that little goat path. really heavy and top heavy on this one. tall rolls and only 6 of them but 44,500. trailer has a real unnerving sway to it on even the smallest curves. put 3 straps on this one just to make sure everything was snugged in tight.

2 years. doesn't seem like it's been that long already but then some days it seems like 20 lol seen a lot happen in those 2 years, a lot good and some bad but I gotta tell it straight the bad is kinda catching up with the good at this point. guess we'll still see if it's still a good fit going into the end of summer.

 

actually still out on a Saturday. NO COMPLAINTS HERE! I will say this about weekends. The drives are ALWAYS better! Less of a hassle at truckstops. Saw Justin Bieber at a truckstop this morning, NO #####! lmao I'll tell that story later...Only thing about me is I just need to be home to spend time with wife and little dude...she works and he has preschool during the week. That's the ONLY reason why I usually want to get home on the weekends...but I started on Tuesday, this past week and didn't expect to get in until Sunday.....just the name of the game with Holidays. Now if only I could get a preplan! lol

 

that's kinda why I got so #### annoyed with this guy in Carlstadt......it's a holiday week, most of us went out a day late, yeah, we're probably get in a day late. or more. I got to Richmond today and dropped and they got nothing. even though the yard here has a whole line of loaded trailers on it, I sat and sat and sat over at Wilson for over an hour before I finally sent in a message to update my quickly running out clock and ask if I just needed to take my break there? we got nothing. run on to Greensboro empty. nice if you'd have told me that when I had time to now I sat long enough i'm going to have to break in chester and roll or get almost there and break and come on in. so i'm just sitting at chester going to get a shower and come on in in the morning. either way I end up starting the week late again and get in at the same time tomorrow.

the preplans are a big gripe. this time last year i was preplanned 70% of the time. now if it's 10% i'm lucky. especially on these longer runs that go into areas with little or no parking. we used to get 800+ with barely enough time to get them there and really had to push it but now it's 800+ and 2 1/2 days + to get it there. when i'd get those before i'd be preplanned well before I got there. now, I get empty and sit and wait. I mean, come on. you've known where I was going to be and when I was going to be there for 2 days+ you can't plan me out of there? especially in places where we can't park. I have to wonder whether maybe we just lost some freight or hired too many drivers for what we have or if starting up all these regional gigs has something to do with it or if it's a combination of all of those things.

yeah the weekends used to be good runs....now it's run a good one and then sit awhile. hell i'd rather run a bunch of 250's and bang them out back to back to back than run 800 and sit and wait.

Bieber huh? that's funny. i'd loved to have seen him just to tell him what an idiot he is. everytime I see him on tv in that studded hat he wears I just want to slap it off of him. no wonder the world is going to hell when those are the role models lol

 

WE HAD THE SAME DAY!! hahahahaha I sat an waited for 4 hours before I got a load assignment! Even sent in message, I'll take break and check in with a preplan...I have 4- hours left to roll and counting down. I was at WalMart in Monroe, Ga. No problem....had a diner to eat at, shower, "throne" lol.....then 10 minutes later...get a preplan up to Pittston, AGAIN, due tomorrow....picks up 240 miles away...I have 3:40 left AND counting down, now...no way am I gonna make Fort Mills for pick up today! Call in and let them know. They said to get as far as I can and drop at Greensboro when I get there tomorrow. OK....get load assignment and start rolling....have 3:30 left....get about 30 minutes down the road and phone rings...it's Brian....I got the load I really wanted to put you on...do you mind changing.....UH OK....BUT there's nowhere for me to pull over on 78! haha So, NOW I go into Atlanta, around 1500, at the WalMart there off of 285 and pickup.....made it there with 1:56 left on the clock. I think I lost weight how fast I D and H'd! lmao(not that I'm fat.....flying, you'd probably think I'm a Holocaust surviver by now! lol) started rolling out with 1:30 on the clock and got STUCK IN ON 285.....don't tell me any of you reading this is surprised? haha so made it out of Atlanta and ran over my hours by 40 minutes....but I'm on my way home in the am....oh well....better week than the past month has been...even though wait,wait,and,more wait for preplans....I watched 2 movies waiting.....even saw an old Crete driver that was a lady that made ME look fat! She was sooooo skinny I just couldn't believe it...almost wanted to give her a dollar to get something to eat....yet at the truckstop she was chowin' down in the diner.
The "Bieber" story....well here goes.....
I go into fuel stop around 0700 this morning....Pilot I-20 ex 92 in SC...WE ALL KNOW THE ONE! lol It's deader than a doorknob! lol I start fuelling up...then all of a sudden 2 tour buses pull up, side by side, into the fuel lanes. The one to my left opens it's doors and a bunch of guys just run off into the truckstop.....I'm like, "That doesn't really look like a band at all....huh." So the other bus is on the other side of that one...I finish up and pull forward and go inside for "business" and a snack. Come out and looking about for a snack when I see these 5 guys just lurking about talking, I KNEW they were in a band by what they said! "Oh man, that new chorus just sucks...it's so ####### cheesy....but it pays the bills, I can't wait to be the #### off of this tour! yada,yada" then one guy blurts out, as I'm walking to the counter to pay for my snack(s), I was hungry, hehe. "shhhhhhhh here comes the 'talent'!" I'm like WTF?! Look over towards the fuel lane entrance and in walks Justin Bieber. He was 'disguised'...but you would be an idiot NOT to recognize him...since the band pointed him out.....he grabs a Mountain Dew and stands behind me! I just turned around, like I was looking for something, and laughed my ### off! lol Even had my Zappa shirt on! Probably rolled his eyes thinking I was high as hell, when I was really laughing at him/the situation. Funny thing is....he looked REALLY depressed. Should've asked him how hot Selena really is without her clothes! hehe I'm going to jail! And NO...I didn't ask him for his ####### autograph...like everybody I've talked to today asked me! Wife even asked if I "fainted" lmfao!! But, that IS what gave him away, for me...that #### sideways turned studded hat and wannabe "ray ban" sunglasses. He did have PJ pants on and a hoody spring jacket. By his clothes, you really didn't know.....until you saw that chin! It needed a good knockin'! lol

 

so I get in late yesterday morning.....go into dispatch...they tell me to call in the am and DM would hook me up. So I call around 0730 and NEVER heard anything back! So I call, AGAIN, at 1500 and talked to DM. "I got the message...I'll call you right back." NOPE This waiting on a load thing is total BS! I was also told, July is our "slowest" month? REALLY??!?!?! I was rolling pretty hard last july. Ok I think I get the point......looking away I go, then!

 

well....got in around 0600 this morning and had 2 preplans! YEAY! But, the second goes to MA for a 0500 appointment. Well, if I heard about it I would've started earlier....now a rework at P & G! What fun....guess that's why I'm on the computer! lol So, thought POPS would check in and let us know how his new gig is working out?

 

Been a week so far , 2 inspections , 3 tires , 3 shop visits in 3 days . See what today brings! But still a good week so far ! In the 1800 s besides the other stuff . Thursday just starting . Hope you all are good!

 

Forgot to post this, but got a new 2014 last Saturday. Rides like a dream. Really like the tractor.