Eastern Freightways North Brunswick, NJ

been driving for over 23 yrs .... we as a driver have to bite the bullet when it comes to time. we do not get paid to sleep, eat, breaks or any other real life activities. we only get paid for time driving and unloading all other time is just our unpaid time. that's the way it is and they way it's always going to be like that unless you go to a local job.

 

What you need pal is a tall tree and a short rope, you have no clue what you are talking about. You say just take it to the shop and make the mechanics fix it, like you are the boss. What if they are all busy and you are not in their schedule? Are they supposed to just drop their jobs and take care of you. You wont outdrive me or out think me and yes i am a former mechanic who has dealt with people like you.

 

If a breakdown occurs on the road (brakes, lights, tires, etc) we hire an outside vendor to come out and repair the defect. The company cuts an efs check and the vendor is paid. For the drivers unsure of breakdown procedures here they can contact the NEMF shop in Elizabeth Nj and they will act as go between for the road service vendor.

As for in house repairs at a NEMF terminal you are right. They do have a schedule to go by but will (and have) "drop" what they are doing to change a flat tire, burned out light, or swap out a bad defective brake chamber. Serious defects will place the truck out of service and (if another truck is available) another truck assigned. Sometimes even a NEMF truck will be utilized if no Eastern truck is available.

One of the nice things about working here is I never have to go through a long drawn out process with breakdown/dispatch to "approve" a repair while on the road or wait for a PO # to be issued to pay for the repair once it is completed.

Of course I have a GPS with the national breakdown directory built in so any time I have a "problem" on the road I make contact with a repair facility directly (after contacting dispatch to apprise them of the problem) and get the "problem" fixed.

 

Well I see Mr JLKKLJ 777 is still kissin ___ for Eastern . I left there months ago .
I am leaving the country for good in a few months . Tommy got the boot , Brian got the boot and a few others got the boot .Gary was the first to get the boot when Campo got there . The new safety girl doesnt know the first thing about what she is supposed to be doing . The last time I was at the Eastern yard , they had so many flat beds sitting there, stacked on top of each other , you couldnt even find a place to park .If you choose to stay or even go there for a job , good luck . SEE YA

 

Just whose ### am I supposed to be kissing? As you stated Brian is gone, Tommy is gone, Jim Gavin is gone, Jimmy is gone, Cindy is gone, Lee is gone, Ray is gone as well as practically every other person I knew in the office at one time or another.

Please, explain to all of us (especially me) how a fellow (me) can remain at a company for over 10 years, go through a dozen different office personnel and STILL be making a decent paycheck???

Could it be that "I" simply do my job to the best of my ability and make the company money?

Face it bkrnj you simply couldn't cut the mustard here. I don't know you nor do I have any desire to. I suspect you are one of those drivers that are never happy and have a sour outlook on life in general.

By the way, I think you leaving the country is a wonderful idea. Perhaps you will find happiness somewhere else. You obviously haven't found it here in the USA. Good bye, Good luck (and good riddance)!

 

hey jlkklj, do you know how the flatbed division is doing.....i have orientation on monday...from what the website said it was 50cpm for the first 1500 miles then 45cpm after that...i talked to laura in recruiting and she said flatbed is booming,,any info from the veteran?

 

Yes, the flatbed division is growing. Since the demise of LJ Kennedy Eastern has been able to grow pretty rapidly. Many former Kennedy drivers jumped ship and landed here at Eastern.

Sorry, I have no information regarding the pay scale or current miles per week for the flat bed guys (and gals) but they seem to be pretty happy.

Feel free to start your own thread regarding Eastern's flatbed division and let others know what you think. I have not seen any threads about Eastern's Flatbed division so you could be the first.

 

are you still working there? Would you still recommend working there?

 

Yes, I am still employed with Eastern Freightways. Lately the wages have stagnated and the routes have gotten shorter. The company seems to be in transition and is unsure which way to go. Here is a look at the company today;

Most of the trucks are 2006/07 610 model Volvo's with auto shifts. The company bought several white Internationals (former Heartland express trucks I believe) a couple years back. A few Blue (former Jevic trucks) Volvo 670 models and most recently 12 new white Volvo 670's.

Eastern tried pulling reefers for a while but as of 1 month ago has suspended the reefer division. The reefer trailers were returned to the rental company.

The flatbed division is continuing to grow and seems to offer better freight rates than dry van lately.

Linehaul loads that we used to pull for NEMF out to California, Chicago, and Georgia have been cut off. Not sure what happened or why we lost those routes but it has had an impact on my earnings as well as everyone elses here. Our operational area seems to have shrunk as well. We operate between Maine and Virginia and out to Ohio fairly regularly now. Longer trips are few and far between.

The medical insurance carrier is now United Healthcare.

The pay has not changed in the past 3 years for senior drivers. The company suspended all bonuses, stopped 401k contributions, and reduced everyones pay by 5% across the board. Drivers are hopeful the company management will restore the pay cuts but at this point I am not holding my breath.

Last year I made about $70,000. My weekly average was around $1350. This year my weekly average pay is down to around $1200.00 per week. If this continues I will be lucky to make around $62,400 this year. A potential $7600 reduction in earnings. The sad part is I am working harder for less money than I used to.

I intend to ride things out for now and see what happens. Would I recommend anyone joing Eastern at this point? No I wouldn't. There is not enough freight to keep the dry van division moving consistently. I cannot speak to the flatbed side of things but it seems the company has been adding more flatbed drivers than dry van regional drivers.

 

Well, that sucks. It seemed a god fit for my needs; I'm not interested in going to California......thanks for being honest. I'm making 50+ now, just looking for a change because I think my income is gonna start shrinking as well and I dont want to wait till I have to go around with my hat in my hand looking for a job.BTDT. I do have some flatbed experience......I don't know. I sent in an app with them online; they seem honest...who knows, right?
Thanks man.