Carrier Profiles
Epes Express Service
It wasn't so many years ago that many of the expedited carriers were based in the upper Midwest - Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. That made sense, given expediting's origins and close ties with the automotive industry.
As expediting's customer base has expanded to other industries and regions, along with its diminishing dependence on the automotive freight, the fast freight carriers have been free to locate their headquarters and operations in the Southland of the US.
One such company is Epes Express Services, an expedited carrier based in Greensboro, NC and Morristown, TN.
The operation
Vice President/General Manager David Spence says that although these two locations are both part of the same company, each location is operated as a separate entity; however, both share the other's resources. Spence says that both facilities offer warehousing and cross-docking capabilities.
This privately-owned company was founded in 1997 to compliment its sister companies that are involved in truckload transportation and logistics services, fleets that total over 1,000 trucks. Spence manages the Greensboro facility with an office staff of 12.
Epes Express Service is authorized for all 48 states, with its primary focus on the eastern two-thirds of the US. The company operates a fleet of cargo vans, 15-, 24-, and 26-foot straight trucks as well as tractor-trailers, all of which are equipped with Qualcomm Satellite Tracking.
The company uses a computer dispatch system on a "first in, first out" basis.
Epes customers' freight includes General Commodity, Automotive, Computers and Freight of All Kinds (FAK). In addition, the company makes available Air Ride, Lift gate & Temperature Control services upon request. Its fleet size is currently at 50 trucks, with both owner-operators and company drivers.
The company does require its drivers (within 60 days of lease or hire) to possess the appropriate class CDL with Haz-Mat endorsement.
Some details
David Spence has been in the transportation industry since 1989, coming to expediting from the LTL industry. He's been with the Epes organization for over five years.
He states that the keys to success for an Epes Express Service owner-operator are "simple and straightforward; be available for dispatch and provide fanatical customer service. Our system is proven and our driver retention reflects it."
"Our success in this industry would not be possible without the owner-operators who have been with us since the beginning as well as the owner-operators who join us every day."
He adds, "I believe our impressive retention rate is due to our compensation. Our drivers enjoy an above average earnings potential. Also, the large company resources that we pass on increase their bottom line as well."
"In addition, we have low deadhead miles and we maximize the utilization of all of our equipment. We do not let our trucks sit waiting on freight. And, our typical interstate length-of-haul is around 500 miles."
Spence continues, "We have an advantage over an expediting company that might have 150 trucks, in that, we offer the resources of a combined fleet of over 1,200 trucks."
Company drivers
Epes Express Service is unique in its use of company-owned equipment, but Spence says that it has a specialized purpose:
"The majority of our company equipment is to support the local operations of both terminals," says the General Manager. Our company drivers really don't compete with our owner-operators because the majority of the company drivers are involved in local or temperature-control freight. We have 15 company drivers and 35 owner-operators."
Spence also touches on a concern of expediting owner-operators - overstaffing:
"We lease additional trucks on only as business levels warrant it. We are a licensed broker and utilize that tool to cover surges in business volumes."
Epes offers its owner-operators paid insurance for liability and cargo damage. The contractors are required to purchase the bobtail and physical damage insurance through the company, but says Spence, "We're able to purchase our physical damage insurance at a tremendous savings over our competitors."
"The owner-operator is, of course, responsible for workman's compensation, but we also have an insurance partner company who can offer competitive rates for medical insurance."
This growing company is actively recruiting in the South East, Midwest and Northeast regions of the US. The company is seeking dock-high straight truck owner-operators, especially 24-foot and tractor owners.
In addition, Epes is recruiting straight truck owner-operators with temperature-control capabilities, lift gates and other specialized-handling equipment to service their accounts with temp-control shipments.
For more information, contact David Spence or Bob Pugh, Safety & Compliance at 800-849-8975 or use their Online Application.
Epes Express Services
538-E North Regional Road
Greensboro, NC 27409
1-800-849-8975
[email protected]
www.epesexpress.com