Personally, I never had much of a problem with Lee either. I have heard MANY other drivers complain about him and his phone manners. I know several drivers threatened to quit the company rather than have Lee as a dispatcher. I was under the impression that is why Lee was repositioned to Recruiting and Orientation (a job that Ray had been doing).

It doesnt matter to me who has what position provided they do their job and leave me alone to do mine.

As for Brian he is pretty laid back. Always has been from what I could see. He and Tommy have been friends for a long time and I doubt they would let a job get in the way of that friendship.

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Adapting to an ever changing world.

you are correct about LEE. some drivers went to Mike at the time he was in charge so it was switch or get fired. Problem is with Gaven gone now , there is nobody there controlling things. You have seen what goes on in that office so you know what im talking about. Bellino isnt strong enough to control them. Tommy and especially Brian are very smart trucking people but dont have the drive or sense of urgency to get things done where the company is going to be in the black. Richie got a raw deal getting canned. They wanted to move Ray to nights to discourage him so they can move him out too. You are right about him as a driver. none better. He has a loyalty to the company and the ownners which some of the others dont. His temper and way he talks to some of the drivers gets him in trouble but he tells it like it is so you have to respect him for it. With Apex and Carrier also losing money,NEMF needs to carry a big load until this crisis ends. Look for other carriers to go out, (Yellow?). NEMF needs to pick up more volume,especially in the midwest to fill lanes which they are obligated to.

I guess the biggest complaint I have is about the relationship between the 2 divisions (NEMF and Eastern). Everything from the restrictive fueling policies; No fuel available at any NEMF terminal (except Elizabeth) on the weekends. Camp Hill fuel attendant will fuel your truck if you are there between 330 and 9 pm. Otherwise you can get the key to the fuel pump from dispatch which is fine. The Pennsauken fuel attendant won't fill up an Eastern truck and will direct the driver to the manual pump which is very slow.

It is also a hassle having to look through dozens of trailers for an empty trailer and then asking permission to use it once you find it from NEMF office personnel.

The 2 divisions are definitely treated differently. For example I have seen many NEMF drivers run their bobtails through the Camp Hill truck wash even though there is a huge sign posted "NO BOBTAILS." Let an Eastern driver run through it bobtail and if the Camp Hill manager sees him he will start chewing the driver out.

Some terminals are better than others of course but Camp Hill has got to be one of the most irritating in the system.

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Adapting to an ever changing world.

NEMF personnal always treated Eastern drivers like they were ######. To get anyone from NEMF to do anything, Gaven or Rich had to get involved. I guess nothing has changed. Its like Eastern is just there to service NEMF accounts that they cant handle because of capacity. They never cared if the company made a lot of money or not. Bellino has the NEMF mentality ,coming from a large terminal as manager. He never showed me the real interest in learning the entire operation of Eastern. He never took an interest in the day to day stuff.

I don't know much about Camp Hill, only been there to pick up trucks. But South Plainfield on the other hand is no picnic. Baltimore! now they are absolutely pieces of ))###.

NEMF looks down on Eastern because they're Union and Eastern isn't. Most union members think there #### don't stink!, you're beneath them, not a professional, far from equal, in there eyes you're nothing but a scab.

On the other hand there might also be some annimosity because Eastern's trucks (although nothing to brag about) are nicer than the wrecks they have to drive.

I wasnt just talking about the union members. The management in almost every terminal and maintenence depts and central dispatch would go out of their way to ignore you on the phone and to minimize your issue that you need their help with. It always sounded like its an inconvenience having to talk to someone from Eastern.

I couldn't agree with you more.

I cant reply privately to you because the site wont let me post. I worked for Eastern and Apex for 4 years till I got let go. You have a lot of good people at NEMF and some hanger ons. Ive always spoke my mind and they didnt like that. What they did to Rich Soloman was a sin. The guy showed up every nite and had to fix the mess that the day people left him. Hes not the quickest in the bunch but he was a company man. As long as you have the same mentality the place wil never make money and they will keep losing whatever good people they have left.

I forgot this site had restrictions on private messages until you hit a certain number of posts. I am sure you will rack up your post count soon enough though especially due to the size and variety of topics and companies discussed within.

I am running through the many drivers and office workers in my mind I have dealt with over the past several years but am no closer to really knowing who you are. Did you work as a driver or office worker?

Of course I filled out my profile here and even included a picture so there is no doubt who I am. It still amazes me that there are some that still believe I am a recruiter or office worker for Eastern despite all the information I have offered.

At Ritchie's age he may be eligible for retirement. I know he went through that divorce a couple of years back and now he got fired as well. That is what really sucks about this industry; You put your heart and soul into your job and bust your tail for the company but in the end we are all replaceable. Very little honor or fellowship anywhere anymore.

I know I am becoming disenchanted with the way things are going at Eastern lately. My wife is furious and I have to talk her out of quitting almost daily. She is not nearly as easy going as I am.

When Kim and I agreed to become a team operation with Eastern we had a serious discussion with Jim about what we could offer in way of service based on her medical conditions (several abdominal surgeries that have left her with no muscles left in that area). She is unable to get any rest while the truck is moving.

We agreed on a dedicated run from Camp Hill pa to the Los Angeles Ca area and straight back. One round trip per week and that would permit us to run 16 to 18 hours per day and shut down for 6 to 8 hours. We would get 24 hours off each week as well for a staggered 34 hour reset. Needless to say it lasted about 6 months and then we were replaced due to customer service stricter requirements from RR Donnelly. Jim then devised an alternate route from Camp Hill Pa to Ellenwood Ga and a return trip from Roadrunner up north. That lasted several more months but then Roadrunner started canceling our return trips and Eastern had to scramble to find broker loads to get us back north for our next round trip.

Apparently NEMF decided they could save money by laying off the driver that shuttled our Ga load from Montgomery NY to Camp Hill PA for us several times a week so now we go to Montgomery to get the load and take it to Ga. More miles for us yes but also much more stress especially when we are out of position and expected to run 24 hours a day to "catch up."

Of course It has been speculated that I am the force behind this team but even I need rest and will not operate this truck if I am tired regardless of the so called "appointment times."

I am compiling a list of potential alternate carriers we may be better suited to based on our "limitations." Of course buying my own truck is looking more and more appealing but I will hang in at Eastern for as long as possible in the meantime.

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Adapting to an ever changing world.