Eastern Freightways North Brunswick, NJ

My stories were based on when I began in 2001. Since that time there has been many personnel changes and new equipment purchased. Eastern now has a full time safety manager, a recruiting department, and an agreement with the local Holiday Inn for hotel rooms on demand billed direct to the company for new hires or drivers that have their truck in the shop and need to get rest. The back lot was expanded to accomodate more trailers as well. The EFW shop is the same size but we utilize NEMF's repair shops as needed to keep our equipment maintained. For example I am based out of the NEMF terminal in Camp Hill Pa. This is where my truck is serviced when I go home unless it is an emergency and then I get it fixed at any NEMF shop or even an outside shop as needed.

You claimed I agreed with you about Eatern not paying. The only complaint I had was managements attempt to pocket more of the unloading fees for driver unloads. In essense making money off of the backs of the driver. We, the drivers, stuck together and refused to unload the trailers at that reduced rate. Instead we hired lumper services and the company soon realized they were spending MORE money that way. The driver hand unload freight was eliminated soon after.

I offered a breakdown of what I did get paid for this year and that alone should have convinced you (and others) that you can make decent money at Eastern. I, for one, am more concerned with what I get in my paycheck than a big fancy terminal with a drivers lounge, a big screen tv, multiple on site showers (EFW has 1 available in each restroom), a courtesy car, work out room, wi-fi hot spot, lunch room, etc. I will find my own diversions when not working. Sitting in a company terminal is not my idea of "fun" or a benefit. SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!

You must really hate the big outfits like Yellow, Roadway, ABF, NEMF, Old Dominion, R&L, UPS, etc. EVERY one of these outfits routinely use older, base model, stripped down trucks to continue making a profit while smaller companies trade out their trucks after 2 to 3 years to keep their maintenance costs down and keep their drivers in relatively new equipment (Big hoods, chrome,and shiny wheels do not put money in my pocket). The catch? Lower pay scales and lower benefits packages to drive around in a newer truck.

The benefit of being a subsidiary of NEMF is that we lease all of our equipment from them (a legal requirement seeing we have a different company name and DOT #), get all of our fuel at cost through their network, have our equipment and road service calls handled through NEMF's shop, our pay scale, and benefits package is pretty comparable to the union parent companies as well.

As for the management not caring about the drivers comfort where did you get that from? The small bunk older trucks (2000 model Volvo and Freightliners) the company still uses? Or that I chose to sleep in a truck when there were no hotel rooms available while I waited for orientation back in June of 2001?

As I stated before the company has 60, 2006 Volvo 610's with automatic transmissions integrated into the fleet and several Former Jevic 660 Volvos being used by the cross country teams. I am not privy to the buying schedule of the owner (Shevell) or management but I suspect that there will be another round of truck buying next year which should bump the old equipment out of the fleet.

I know many other companies are cracking down on driver idle time to save money. Eastern has NEVER complained to me nor have I even HEARD of an Eastern driver being sanctioned for idling his truck to stay warm or cool. Eastern even issues EFS fuel cards to their drivers to get fuel at Pilot truckstops when they are away from a NEMF terminal. Granted they do have a $400.00 limit on them per day but at least the driver can fuel and get a free shower. If a driver pays for a shower out of pocket, Eastern will also reimburse that cost back to him.

I found it was better to get in on the ground floor of a small company, help it grow and prosper, than sign on with a behemoth company that really has no clue about you or your family. You are just a truck number on a screen to the mega outfits. I worked for JB Hunt when I first started driving in 1992. I know how they operated and what they offered; Base model trucks, governed trucks set at 58 mph to 65 mph, am/fm radio, basic seats, weak engines, no engine brake, qualcomms that could not be read while in motion, slip seating, uniforms, all kinds of restrictions such as no inverters and even where you COULD and could NOT park.

I have a MUCH better deal now with EFW than I ever had with JB, Shaffer, or TSL. BETTER pay, BETTER home time, BETTER benefits, AND BETTER EQUIPMENT.

You seem to be caught up on EFW's equipment REELTYME. Here is what I am CURRENTLY driving and have been assigned to for the past 2 years or so; A 2006 Volvo 610 with a Volvo engine (about 400,000 miles on it so far), Eaton Ultrashift automatic (no clutch) transmission (I dont like it but the wife loves it). Governed speed on this truck is 70 mph. It has an engine brake but it is pretty weak. Dual 125 gallon fuel tanks, air slide fifth wheel, dump valve for the air ride suspension, Power mirrors, power pass window, upgraded seats with drivers side heated air ride seat with lumbar, side bolster controls, and arm rest. I installed a satellite radio but the company truck comes with an am/fm/cd player standard. Inside; Factory installed cabinets behind the passenger seat which has a place for a tv and clothes on hangers. Behind the drivers seat is 2 additional cabinets for added storage. I use these for my under clothes and extra supplies. Also has a climate control module in sleeper for adjusting the inside temperature. The cab headliner has several little cubbies for supplies as well as a hollow place under the bunk to slide a full size laundry basket. Of course there is the normal side boxes on either side of the truck plus a utility box strapped to the frame for extra truck fluids as well. The bottom bunk lifts up to access the side boxes from inside the truck as well.

After reading threads on Schneider, JB Hunt, Swift, Prime, etc. I am convinced I am right. Smaller is better. More pay in my pocket rather than fancy shmancy multi millon dollar terminals and a decent company truck assigned to me.

So as you can see the company is in fact changing. Too bad you missed the opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Of course they did expand their operational area as well. They hire drivers from Maine to Florida and out to Chicago IL now. NEMF expanded and so is Eastern.

I should tell everyone that the current economic recession is also hurting us as well. We have been laid over for 1 to 2 days pretty regularly lately. Our normal Roadrunner backhaul out of Conley Ga (Atlanta) has been cancelled and so our load planners have been using brokers to find freight back up north. Normally we would be getting around 4500 to 5000 miles per week but lately it is down to 3000 to 3500 miles. I hear some of our solo drivers are really hurting on the miles too. All I can say to them is hang on as long as you can. At least we STILL have a job and are working while other drivers are laid off completely and companies have gone belly up.

 

Reeltyme... Don't worry about those company guys... I've heard the same things about Eastern from MANY and believe you 100%. There isn't much difference in scumbag trucking companies these days though, I'll admit. Pretty much, they all play the same games of low paying, #####-busting, take advantage of you crap in some form or another. Good luck to you and Happy 2009!

 

Reading the replies here are comical to say the least. The extreme lack of insight, common sense, and inability to spot and intelligently counter a pertinent point is amazing.

Please, note what the above cited response focuses on - and more important, what it doesn't. He/she never mentions the quintessentially obvious issues that truckers face daily such as the amount of pay received divided by the amount of actual hours worked, the torrid conditions of the workplace, constant daily stressors, extremely low prestige/standing/views of truckers in our communities, and massive amounts of time away from our families/loved ones for what amounts to very little compensation and almost no respect. This individual has ignored every single pertinent issue that was raised and instead concentrated on a perceived 'dislike' of the job on my part. It appears he/she never once thought "why would anyone dislike this 'wonderful' industry?" An indice of low intelligence, a complete moron? I think neither. I believe he/she (it?) praises the industry for 2 simple reasons. 1) They've grown accustomed to the abuse, and 2) They can do no better. But, so as not to repeat his/her mistake, I would like to highlight the fact that this is EXACTLY the individual archetype the trucking industry relies on to function and thrive! These desperate, obtuse, and naive individuals are EXACTLY what companies like Covenant, JB Hunt, Werner, US Express, Schneider, Eastern, et al, drool over while simultaneously praying their recruiting ads make them call-in so they can continue functioning. Sadly, there is obviously no shortage of these types of individuals who will perform this job for mere pennies an hour. These drivers have wholly accepted their sorry lot in life to the point of desperately defending their point(s) of view by one of the oldest tricks in the argumentative book - discounting and trivializing facts as merely the fringe opinion of others. With individuals like this in our midst, the trucking industry will never be a place for opportunity or equality/parity on par with other more distinguished industries and we will never see a 'real' driver shortage (not just 150% driver turnover), as long as individuals with inherent mindsets like what is openly and unashamedly displayed above, are in the pipeline.

The bottom line is this; hypothetically one makes $900 gross (avg. company driver pay) for working one's guts out for a week. That is, even when one wasn't driving, one was in possession of, responsible for, and dwelled within, company property. Therefore, realistically one worked 168 hours that week and averaged $5.35 per hour- $1.20 BELOW minimum wage! Therefore, getting a job where one would be asking people "would you like fries with that shake?" is a major step UP! Being prepared for a typical trucker reply such as "hey, I support a 2 kids, a wife and a house on my salary," I respectfully submit that if you spent 168 hours a week working, sleeping only feet from, and relaxing next to the fryer located within McDonald's or Burger King’s property and going home for 2 or 3 days every 2 or 3 weeks, by law, you'd have to be paid $1519.60 per week based on the $6.55 mandated Federal minimum wage with time and a half (overtime pay) after 40 hours. In the real world a scenario like that is impossible - except in non-union trucking, of course. And no, unionizing is NOT the answer in most cases either...

But, I forgot, I just don't "like this job" because "it's not for everyone." Grow up! Stop being a shmuck and respect yourself for God's sake! You deserve more/better/higher! Swallow lame retorts such as "this job isn't for everyone" before they cross your ignorant lips! This job isn't for ANYONE until the compensation is increased, waiting/idle hours drop, on-duty time drops, health benefits are affordably available to all, and drivers are respected and recognized as THE most important part of the transportation equation!

This is an excerpt taken from the front web page of “The Trucker’s Report.” It says it all – perfectly!

“The only way things are to change is if we actually do something instead of just talking. We absolutely must have the motoring public's support in achieving these goals. We intend to show through our forum that the way to change things is not more stupid laws and regulations but rather to hold the shippers/receivers and trucking companies to account for their transgressions. The trucking industry is basically a slave industry with truckers working on the average over 70 hours per week. Many of which are not paid while sitting in shipper's parking lots sometimes 8 hours or more after specified load time (a whole workday for average Americans!). Truckers are not paid overtime as others. Yet the Democrats and others, who say they are for the working man, turn a blind eye to this because there is a lot of money involved and a lot of it shows up in their coffers at election time!”

 

It seems to me that one driver had a bad attitude and now he is transferring the bad attitude to a driver from that company since the company themselves tossed him out like a stained mattress.

 

seanoleary1979,

YOU KEEP TELLING THESE people THE WAY IT IS PAL.REMEBER THIS MY NY FRIEND-THE PERSON WHO SPEAKS THE TRUTH OFTEN WALKS ALONE.....AND YOU SPEAK IT MAN.....I'M WITH YA ON THIS ONE

ITS COMING TO AN END FOR GUYS LIKE US IN TRUCKING MY FRIEND...I DONT NO ABOUT YOU BUT I COME FROM A GREAT NICE MIDDLE CLASS FAMILY IN NY AND LIFE AS A DRIVER WAS GREAT AT ONE TIME...VERY NICE,RESPECTED,GOOD GUYS AT ONE TIME AND MADE GOOD MONEY AND WE HAD SOMETHING THAT RESEMBLES A GOOD LIFE...

KNOW:::

ITS TURNED INTO A TRUCKING MILL,SLAVORY,NO LIFE,LIVING BEHIND A STORE SO NO ONE SEE'S YA,A COMPLETE MESS THIS HAS TURNED INTO PAL..I AM WITH YOU ON THIS..

WHEN YA GROW UP WITH NOTHING IN A TRILER COURT OR A REFRIDGERATOR BOX AND SOMEONE OFFERS YOU 300.00 A WEEK I GUESS THAT MEANS YOU STRUCK GOLD.NOT TO MENTION THEY GIVE YA HEALTH CARE FOR 100.00 A MONTH THAT AINT WORTH CRAP...TO FUNNY..
BY THE WAY I NO A DECENT COMPANY FOR YOU TO CHECK INTO BUT I KEEP GETTING YELLED AT BY THE MONITORS ON HERE SO I DONT THINK I CAN POST IT.TRY TO SEND ME MAIL AND GO CHECK THEM OUT.GOOD EQUIPMENT,GOOD MONEY,GOOD BENI'S AND HOME EVERY NIGHT...

TRUCKING HAS TURNED INTO HOMELESS TRUCKING I SWEAR....

 

I hope Seanoleary1979 was not referring to me with his blanket statement;
quote seanoleary1979:
"Reading the replies here are comical to say the least. The extreme lack of insight, common sense, and inability to spot and intelligently counter a pertinent point is amazing."

I believe I have answered EVERY one of Reeltyme's charges every step of the way (as well as yours). Reeltyme never answered my questions about when he was employed with Eastern, how long he was employed, what company he works for now, or even a breakdown of the pay, benefits, and equipment he currently uses. All he did was post a scathing diatribe about a company I have worked at for over 7.5 years and then "disappeared" for several months. It would have been better if he offered an alternative company and expounded on that alternative company with comparisons between the two. Maybe even an account of the time he was employed, what type truck he had to drive, where he had to drive it, how much money he earned while there, did he get home regularly, how often was the truck in the shop, or how many trucks did he slip seat into while there.

You challenged the veracity of my account and attempted to impugn my reputation with comments such as;
Quote:
"jlkklj777” sounds like a "company man" touting the unrealistic virtues of a rundown company. He's either a recruiter/representative in disguise, or a driver who used to be homeless and lived in a refrigerator box so he now thinks receiving mere crumbs are the Lord's bounty. I'm REALLY not so sure I would believe in the 60-70 grand line either...

I posted my year to date earnings as of December 13th 2008 (MSG 13 of this thread) which clearly demonstrates I was in fact telling the truth as well as a time line of my job history from high school forward. You were WRONG on both counts. Of course you don't know me so you just "assume" things. Clearly you are a rather foolish individual. You never learned the basic rules;

"Never assume anything"
"Believe NOTHING of what you hear and only HALF of what you see"
"don't bite the hand that feeds you."
"don't crap where you eat"
"give your employer a fair days work for the agreed upon rate"
"put your time in and more pay and benefits will be your reward"
"treat everyone with respect until they demonstrate they are unworthy of it"
etc.

The problem (as I see it) is you do not care for the current state of affairs in the trucking industry. Attacking a company that YOU never worked (and a person you never met) at is a bit of a stretch don't you think? I know I have encountered many disgruntled drivers from other companies who bash their employers and former employers relentlessly. Then again I encounter just as many drivers that are content with their employer, pay, and benefits. It all depends on the individuals perspective.

Sean goes on to say;
With individuals like this in our midst, the trucking industry will never be a place for opportunity or equality/parity on par with other more distinguished industries and we will never see a 'real' driver shortage (not just 150% driver turnover), as long as individuals with inherent mindsets like what is openly and unashamedly displayed above, are in the pipeline.

Hmmm. What "industries" are you referring to? Medical (Doctors? Nurses?) Legal (Lawyers? Judges?) Or were you referring to actual JOBS such as; Computer Programmers, Diesel/Auto mechanic? Welder? HVAC tech? Plumber? Electrician? Carpenter? Contractor? Heavy Equipment operator? CPA's? Politicians? Pilots? Train Engineers? Hotel management? Stock broker? Last time I checked EVERY one of these "jobs" was listed as "skilled" work and therefore subject to the federal minimum wage standard. Of course all these "jobs" require many months and even YEARS of training. You want to equate an industry that trains drivers in as few as 8 weeks and cuts em loose on the road to other jobs that require significantly more training and certification/licensing to make a "decent living?"

Get over yourself sean. Society (in general) and our lawmakers believe driving a truck is just not THAT important compared to these other jobs. EVERY ONE OF US IS REPLACEABLE in their eyes. I cite the Mexican driver pilot program (part of NAFTA) as proof of the above statement.

seanoleary1979 Quote;
"Therefore, realistically one worked 168 hours that week and averaged $5.35 per hour- $1.20 BELOW minimum wage!"

There you go again trying to get paid for EVERY hour you are AWAY from home. Are you really that obtuse??? NO JOB PAYS YOU FOR ALL YOUR TIME. Your commute back and forth to work is UNPAID.. The lunch break you take is UNPAID. In some, so called, "normal jobs" employees even have to clock out for 15 minute breaks. As I stated before you also do not get paid to SLEEP at a normal job so why would you expect to get paid to sleep while in a truck? The HOS limit our driving hours and so we shut down and get rest wherever we happen to be at the end of our shift. I suppose YOU expect your employer to put you in a hotel room every night. That is clearly not profitable to the carrier nor realistic. You want that kind of a job then become a teamster and work your way up through the system at whichever carrier you choose (or whichever one will accept you). Based on your comments I doubt you would last very long at a teamster run company either.

If you really want to make a difference then start writing to your congressional representatives. Write some editorials for your local paper. Suggest to your local television news network that they do an investigative report on "sweat shops on wheels."

 

Funny. Considering the 4 companies I have worked at I have found errors on my pay at each one. I got it fixed each and every time at each and every company I worked for because I track EVERY load I turn. Trip number, pick up and delivery info with times, AND mileage as well as any "extra" pay I should have received as in; stops, drops, hooks, detention, etc.

Talk about ignoring the facts. Reeltyme is like a broken record. Offers no detail about how long he worked at Eastern before he left (I doubt I ever said you were fired). Says he was "cheated" but again offers no detail.

Reeltyme claims: "I work cheap." As a solo driver I earn .44 cpm. I earn $18.50 per hour for detention and local pay, As a team driver we split .48 cpm plus split the accessorial pay. Go back and look at the breakdown I offered for an exact breakdown of my earnings. Could I make more elsewhere? Sure. I have a list of companies I have on file such as Sherwin Williams, Walmart, Frito-Lay, Tri-State Motor Transit, New Century LTL division, etc. I stay at Eastern because of the respect and seniority I have as well as the decent pay and benefits. If Eastern fails I have enough skill and experience to get into any carrier I select. This comes from having a clean dac and MVR.




There you go. A picture of me from my profile standing beside the truck I STILL drive. As a matter of fact I am sitting here at the Pilot in Ga at exit 51 Bouldercrest road. My return haul from Roadrunner in Conley Ga canceled so I have to wait till morning for another load.

Face it reeltyme you are a failure plain and simple. I have succeeded here for over 7.5 years as a DRIVER and been very profitable and you did not. BOO-HOO get over it. I took the time to illustrate EVERY company I worked at. I have spoken of each throughout my posts. You have offered next to nothing. Another whiny pathetic crybaby is what I am getting when I read your posts here.

For others that read this thread I leave it to each and every one of you to review my posts and decide for yourselves whether I am a fair and reliable source of information or an office worker as reeltyme claims.

 

QUESTION....

I THOUGHT NEW ENGLAND MOTOR FREIGHT OWNED EASTERN AT ONE TIME?

ONE OF MY 1ST JOBS WAS LINE HAUL WITH NEMF MANY YEARS AGO....IN NY...UNION OUTFIT....CRAPPY EQUIPMANT