EPES TRANSPORT-Greensboro, NC

Rig, they may work for you. they have what i consider really good accounts for the most part (walmart, sams, lowes, home depot.) and living in dallas you may even be able to run local for them.

which leads me to say that Thursday, i seperated from TSE/Epes. lots of things caused this, but the lack of miles is finally what got me. i averaged @ 1700-1800 the last 4 weeks that i was there. when i asked my dm/fm what could we do to get more, he stated repeatedly.."i have NO CONTROL over you getting miles or not."

if my dm/fm isn't there to help me then i've lost the battle and cut my losses. i had asked before to change dm/fm but my request was denied.

my suggestion to the Epes drivers from the coast. Stay out of Texas for a while. It's really becoming a cluster. Let corporate get things straightened out there before you choose to head there. If anyone from EPES corp is reading this, ya'll are a good company, just you need to send a firm "hand" into rockwall and lay down the law. just my opinion.

as i told the ops manager there before i left, i hold no grudges toward Epes or him in particular. He did go above and beyond what a typical trucking company ops manager would do. it just didn't work out.

I've got an interview with a private carrier in Ft. Worth next week so we'll see.

Best wishes to all ya'll and thanks again for helping me out with directions and tips.

Teq.

 

#### teq......that's quite a change of perspective seeing as you were talking about going l/p couple weeks ago......sorry to hear you're going but I understand where you're coming from.....I talked to a girl from tse this morning and she's telling pretty much the same story.....i'm more convinced than ever if they don't close that dispatch operation in rockwall and centralize the dispatch in Greensboro it's going to be a bumpy ride.....at the very least they just need to wholesale clean house in rockwall and start over with people who don't have their head up their ### and a chip on their shoulder over the merger.

interesting week.......but a solid week.....2970 when I got in today on 6 days out.......pretty mundane until Friday. started out going to pitman then limerick and down to colonial heights.....that place in limerick is really tight. then out to Lebanon and get a load out of Glasgow out of there. get to Glasgow around 0800 and i'm number 9 in line. barely any room to park that place is kinda tight too.....so, in at 0800 and didn't get buttoned up and out of there until 1800. still 3 behind me when I left and I got the last load out...the warehouse was empty.....so those guys had to wait till the next day when they brought more product in.

ran Glasgow to Greensboro and got to sleep at home Wednesday night then run out Thursday headed to Lakeland. get down past Columbia and looking in the mirror and watch the marker lights go out on the trailer. ####. get through Columbia and hit the first rest area for my 30. pop the hood and marker fuse was vblown.....change the fuse and the lights come back on......pull out and soon as I get back on the highway out go the lights again. #### again. hit the next rest area soon as I get on 95 and blown again. change the fuse again. this time it blows soon as I put the fuse in. no markers so i'm not going anywhere now. get service out and he determines the rear markers are the ones shorting and he can't get up there to check them. now, what kind of service guy knows he's coming to do service on marker lights and doesn't bring a ladder so he can climb up and check the rear ones? an unprepared one, that's what kind. I had everything but the rear markers so I made the call to go ahead and run it since it was HV.....

get down to Jacksonville and shut down at 0230 now 3 hrs behind and late on the delivery due to the lighting issue. they make the call to swap in the morning with someone who can get it there on time so I go to bed. knock on the door around 0830 and it's the swap. I'm in a reserved spot so I pull out and stick the load in a empty spot, unhook and pull back over and hook to my empty. he hooks to the load and I walk the paperwork over to him and advise him about the issue with the rear markers.

walk back over and climb back in my truck and watch him pull out of his spot, cut the left and watch the trailer slide off the tractor and into the parking lot. did I really just see that happen? yep, sure did. I walked back over to see if I could do anything to help him get it back up on the truck but it was heavy and the gear was stiff already with no load on it..... no way it was getting back on the truck. turns out he's a 6 month newbie and I guess he didn't tug it before he pulled out. lost it in a really bad spot.....right to the left of the fuel island where everyone should be going through to get out of the lot. he was kinda freaking out and did my best to calm him down and see what could be done but I already knew there was only one way this was getting back up on the truck. he's trying to crank away on the gear and breaks the handle off. of course by now all the rubberneckers are out of their trucks and gawking and have their phones out and taking pictures. several guys tried some very unique approaches to try and get the trailer back up high enough to get under it but it just wasn't happening. when I got my hours back and left 3 hours later the trailer was still sitting nose down in the parking lot and the hook was on the way to pick it up and get it back on the truck. always snatch it good and hard before you leave with it newbies......I had one once that I pulled out with and it wasn't latched even after I heard it click.....but at least I always have one eye in the mirror as I start to move and saw the tractor move and the trailer not and caught it before it even got off the 5th wheel......after that, I bang them pretty hard every time I pick one up and still snatch it really good several times before I leave with it.

so on up to port wentworth and pick up bicycles for walmart in hope mills. get up there this morning and only one empty there and I hook up and do my walk around and everything looks good until I hit the air for the trailer and I can hear it hissing. loud. get out and look and someone had cut the red line right under the glad hand. it wasn't torn or worn, it was a clean cut with a sharp blade about halfway through the line about a 1/4 inch below the glad hand. so, sit there and wait on a service truck again. at least this guy only took about 45 minutes to get there and had me rolling in about 15 minutes. all the things we have in our repair kit and that's one of the few lines and connectors we don't. might have to make sure I've got one or two in there if we're going to have to start dealing with this ####. somebody said awhile back they had caught someone messing with out trailers at a lowes I believe.....this was clear vandalism and/or sabotage no denying it was done on purpose.

so back at home and settling in with momma to watch the race. heading back out 0800 monday for Illinois.

 

I have read most all the post on this thread. I enjoyed the tales and stories. I have noticed this question asked before, but as time passes, opinions change. Fresh out of school but not too gull-able, would Epes be a good company to go to? Do I need a TWIC card? I have tried to set realistic goals for entering the job at/near the first of the year. Is it a good time to go with Epes?

 

i'd till recommend it as a good place. if you've read through the posts then you know i'm no recruiter or cheerleader and tell it like it is......but it's still overall a good gig and much better than most. if you read through the other company threads and some of what those guys are dealing with, the things we deal with are manageable in comparison. there is no perfect company to be sure.....but there are a bunch of places you could go that would be much worse than here lol

you don't need a twic, hazmat or anything else as we don't do much of that kind of thing. the few ports I've been into are no issue generally just register and fingerprint and photo to get in and there's only on I know of that we go to regularly in philly that requires an 'escort' fee of $50 if you don't have the twic....but it's always reimbursed with no issues.

i'd say it's a better time to get in now than later. much rather get some winter experience with a trainer in the jumpseat than like some of us who started in summer and then got into the white and slick stuff and had to figure it out as we went. don't let too much time lapse between leaving school and getting in anywhere you go. the more space you get between you and school the harder it's going to be to get on anywhere.

 

lol, even with my experience, if your living in NC and run with their dispatch i'd say go for it. Like I said earlier, I don't really have anything negative to say @ Epes, North Carolina. Now, Epes/Texas Star Rockwall.......

 

Balterm in Baltimore is another that you have to pay for escort. It's not really an escort, but rather you drop your trailer and they take it the dock door for you! Flyings right about getting in now instead of summer! It's nice to have experience in the jump seat to give you good pointers in winter weather conditions! The best advice I can give about driving in snow/ice is, If the sphincter tightens up, it's time to park it!

 

haven't been to the one in Baltimore......and hope I never do lol

Baltimore is one of those places for me like philly is......I never have a good experience when I go there no matter how much of an open mind I keep and tell myself this time will be different lol it never is

 

Nitemare , I have been here 9 1/2 years . Wish I had came here far earlier in my 22 years of driving . We have a great training program. Let us know if you got any other questions.

 

Finally got hotspot back up running . Sold only at walmart , refill cards at walmart . Go in to get one , no we never had any thing like that , while I am resting my hand on the sign above the shelf for it . 4 by 5 foot sign , get it only at walmart . Not! Can refill online , but as normal toke 3 days!

 

I hope to not waste any time between school and a job. Training in the winter sounds like a great learning tool and my current job just isn't cutting it. I have been in touch with someone at Epes already, just wanted the view of people already with them. Recruiters let you know what you CAN do, real employees let you know what you will be doing.

Are miles coming regularly? I have a need to make $5-600 a week and figure that is reasonable as long as you get miles. And, no, I don't expect to turn any trip down as long as it can be made legally. Staying out is no problem as long as I am moving. If I gotta sit, just like everyone else, would rather it be at home.