Empire Warehouse sticks with PrePass. It’s all about saving time.
Refrigerated food and candy distributor, serving five Rocky Mountain states
INDUSTRY
14 company drivers
COMPANY SIZE
Denver,
CO
CO
LOCATION
Since
1993
1993
PREPASS CUSTOMER
When a trucking company has been around more than
50 years running regular routes in five Rocky Mountain
states, you soon realize what works best and you stick
with it. For Tom Lee, the owner and vice president
of operations and safety, at Denver, Colorado-based
Empire Warehouse, this means sticking with PrePass for
more than 25 years.
Both Lee and Empire were involved in the Crescent
Project, a demonstration project involving five states
and one Canadian province that began in the mid-
1980’s. This project resulted in the PrePass bypass
service we know today. At the time, Lee recognized
the value of saving time
when traveling into one
state that participated
in the project. Because
of Empire’s good
safety record, officials
approached him and the
fleet. And it was soon after
Lee received the benefits
of bypassing.
“The value is the time savings we see crossing the various state lines, and it allows you to stay mobile.
“When they opened up the Trinidad, Colorado port of entry in the program [which operated under a joint agreement with New Mexico at the time, according to Lee], we were able to save 10 to 15 minutes each time our trucks came through there because they were able to bypass the weigh station,” he says. “And we’ve stayed with it [PrePass] all these years.”
Today, with PrePass now in every state Empire serves (plus many other states), Lee is able to get even more time savings. That’s especially important because he operates in a region where he says there are backups at most every weigh station his trucks come across. And
that time savings also translates into other benefits.
“It’s important for our drivers to meet our schedules. If you can save 45 minutes on a trip that allows a driver, when he gets to the other end, a chance to get that much more rest, that’s important,” Lee says. He added that it is also less stressful on the driver not having to get off and back on the highway. This is because often truckers have to take a winding route to get to the weigh station.
“The value is the time savings we see crossing the
various state lines, and it allows you to stay mobile,
Lee says. “Any time you don’t have to exit the highway
and then get back on the highway, slowing down and
speeding up, it’s better for the drivers. It’s also better for
the motoring public. If you can continue along the way
at highway speeds, it’s just
better for everyone from a safety standpoint.”
While less stress and better rested drivers is no doubt a huge benefit of PrePass, according to Lee, there is also another advantage of having PrePass – good
customer service.
“Whenever we call PrePass with an issue or we have any questions, we get answers quickly. They’ve been honest and open with us over the years.
“Whenever we call PrePass with an issue or we have any questions, we get answers quickly. They’ve been honest and open with us over the years.”
In fact, Lee said he’s had offers to switch to other weigh station bypass services, but he said, “It doesn’t make any sense to make any changes. That’s why we’re sticking with PrePass.”
PREPASS SERVICES
- Weigh Station Bypass
BUSINESS NEED
Long wait times of up
to 45 minutes at weigh stations causing the company to miss its scheduled pick-ups and deliveries, putting more stress and strain on
its drivers.
BUSINESS SOLUTION
PrePass allows trucks
to keep on traveling past weigh station facilities
saving them time.
BUSINESS RESULTS
Empire Warehouse is able
to meet its schedules while
drivers are able to do
their job with less stress,
while getting more rest
and improving safety.
We want to help.
Call and speak with one of our U.S.-based
customer service representatives to get started.