Eastern Freightways North Brunswick NJ (Better Than Average)

Only heard about the Caton ave yard.

They have a huge terminal in northeast Md off of exit 100 behind the truck stop which will probably cover all of Md, DC, De, and northern Va.

 

Effective 01/01/2010 Eastern Freight Ways personnel will see a slight increase in their weekly medical insurance premium. The last increase was back in February of 2007.

The new weekly pricing structure will be as follows;

Single: $25.00
Husband & Wife: $40.00
Parent & Child: $35.00
Family: $50.00



Doctor visit deductibles will also go up:

Primary care office visit: $30.00
Specialist office visit: $50.00



Prescription costs will go up to the following;

Tier 1 $15.00
Tier 2 $30.00
Tier 3 $60.00

These increases are pretty minor and are still very competitive with what other companies are charging their workers.

 

Not sure which accounts we currently have. My wife and I are pulling NEMF line haul freight from Camp Hill Pa down to AAA Cooper In Ellenwood Ga and returning with broker freight.

 

Let me first say that it has been a rough year here at Eastern. We have lost some accounts and had some terminals closed on the NEMF side. Office personnel have had to take mandatory unpaid days off in a cost cutting effort. In short, we have survived and are hanging in there.

For the followers of this thread I am submitting my pay records for the past year. This info is offered as proof of a stable company and consistent pay (albeit at a lower level than last years earnings).

My last pay stub dated 12/26/09; $62,387.39.

The breakdown is as follows;
Hourly pay 121.37
Mileage pay 54,150.50
Breakdown pay 249.50
Live unload 11.00
Layover pay 88.00
Drop pay 775.50
Hook pay 737.00
Sick pay 531.92
Skid pay 225.50
Holiday pay 1595.76
Vacation pay 2427.84
Personal pay 545.60
Safety bonus 927.90

Last years earnings were over $68,000. so I took a $5500.00 hit over all.

The above does not include my spouses earnings. She makes a little less than I do per mile and makes less for the paid days off so she only made $58,500 for the year. Even so that puts us a little over $120,000.00 for the year together.

Total days worked (including partial days counted as a full day) 305.

I know there are other non union company drivers out there running team that do in fact make more money than we do but we do not run 24/7 and we do get home every week. For most of the year we were actually home 3 nights per week.

I think this illustrates why I am still driving here at Eastern after 8 years. Hopefully next year will be better than this past year.

 

The small bunk trucks are being phased out slowly but surely. Over half the fleet consists of the auto shift, Volvo 610 model, which does have more room to move around inside. They have cabinets behind the seats for storage as well as under bunk space for supplies. Yes there is a slot for a TV behind the passenger seat. I am 6' 2" and can stand straight up in the sleeper area. Have to duck a little bit when standing in the front beside the driver seat.

Of course it all depends on what is available when a driver is hired. Some drivers do get the older (smaller bunk) trucks when they first start but are usually moved into a newer (larger) truck within 6 months. Kind of a probationary period to prove you can hang in there before they give you a nicer truck.

The toughest part of working for Eastern is the shorter runs. They are a northeast regional truckload carrier and the average length of hall for this area is around 350 miles. This means a lot of loads are dropped at a NEMF terminal and re powered later on when the load is closer to the scheduled delivery appointment.

Of course if you have a job right now and are making money then by all means stay. If on the other hand you are looking for a job and want some stability then maybe Eastern will fit the bill.

With 8 years in with Eastern I can honestly say I have made over a half million dollars with these guys so far. By the way my best years earnings here showed over $75 grand as a solo regional driver with regular home time and the entire month of December off.

Hard working drivers that are flexible and have good time management skills can and will do well here.

 

I am familiar with JB (worked there for 6.5 years). They are so big you become a number rather than a person and are expendable.

As for manual labor here at Eastern there have been some loads I have handled in the past such as lesco loads (palletized fertilizer and seed) that had to be dragged to the back of the trailer but have not seen one of these loads in a couple of years.

When we do get a load that is supposed to be a driver unload (as in a grocery warehouse) we simply get authorization to hire a lumper (provided there is 1 available that is). The company does not pay much in the way of unloading so it is not worth messing with it in the first place.

As long as you can pass a physical and have a release from your current doctor I would think Eastern would be willing to give you a shot.

Nemf does have a terminal in Concord NH so you would probably be based out of that yard if they hired you. I do not know if they are actively seeking new drivers but it can't hurt to follow up with a phone call. You can find the number on line or I can pm it to you.