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nctruckdriver

nctruckdriver

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Hi y'all, I'm new to this board and hopefully new at Estes. I have a road test on Monday, and hopefully hired as an EB driver. The tm mentioned that most of the times I would stay in bunkrooms, so my question is: are bunkrooms shared with other drivers or is it 1 driver per room? Also, do they have bathroom/shower? Do you have to carry your own bed sheets/pillow/etc? Who does the upkeeping of the rooms?

Btw, how's the freight at Estes right now? What am I looking to make, me being new at the company and all?
Thanks in advance...
 
Hi,
Welcome to Estes.

The freight levels are good and getting better.

As to the bunk rooms they are individual rooms with A/C Heater and a bed.One driver per room.The showers are in with the restrooms in most cases.

Personally I don't stay in them.The times when there are no hotels provided I pay for one myself.Most of the time I can find a motel 6 for $35.00- 40.00.I average paying for one or two per week.

I just think that Estes needs to get away from me and I need to get away from them for 10 hours.

What part of the country are you going to be working in?

Hope this helps.
 
thansk for the reply, bubbadog
i'll be coming out of Aberdeen,NC...i've been giving the choice of utility or EB but i think i'll be taking the EB, the tm told me i could make more money this way
 
Bunkrooms are private rooms and the showers and restroom facilities are in a common area. Showers have privacy too with a small dressing area about the size of a shower adjacent to the shower. I carry a fitted sheet, pillow, blanket, small throw rug, and flip-flops for the shower. You will encounter more bunkrooms in the East and Southeast/ more motels elsewhere. Some weeks I never use a bunkroom + some weeks never use a motel. If you tell me about where they may run you then I can better tell you what sort of lodging to expect. Welcome aboard and please ask if you have any more specific questions.
 
Welcome nctruckdriver. I think most folks figured out I run the city now but when I ran the road I didn't mind extraboard. It was a fun relaxing job but I did miss my kids. Things are getting crazy in the city with all the changes. I think i'll be going back to the road soon. Once you've run the system a while you'll figure out how to avoid most bunkrooms. Once you reach top pay, it won't be hard to break a $50 pay for your own motel. Talk to your cpa about per diem and motel stay. It's a big write off.
 
[quote author=nctruckdriver link=topic=82113.msg847692#msg847692 date=1279369438]

i'll be coming out of Aberdeen,NC...i've been giving the choice of utility or EB but i think i'll be taking the EB, the tm told me i could make more money this way
[/quote]
Your TM was right. Here's something to think about. Utility is pretty much on call. Meaning if you are home and get a phone call at 3am to go to Charlotte you need to get to the terminal asap. Normally they will return you back to your terminal and you may run a local or work on the dock a few hours. They ask you to pack a bag though. Some of our utility guys go all the way to Miami when freight is hot. Here's the kicker about the pay. Top pay extraboad .535 per mile. Top pay utility .495 per mile they get top dock pay and top city pay when your doing that work. Utility guys are home alot more though. One more thing..... on the Friday before the 4th of July weekend their was a note on the wall saying, "all utility guys will work either Saturday or Sunday."
 
thx for all the info guys, at the moment i don't mind being gone the whole week if the money is right. i'm currently working for Keystone freight out of Greensboro,nc and usually stay gone the whole week. hopefully in the future i can transfer to city or utility where i can be home more often, but at the moment i need to make as much $$$ as i can.

do you guys get paid weekly or biweekly? how much do you get paid to break a set of pups, is it still $7.50? tm mentioned no company match on the 401k, no personal days, is that right? how does vacation work, 1 week after a year like most companies?
again thanks for all the help...


btw, the tm seemed very interested in finding out how i used to get paid when i was a contractor with FDX Ground in 06
 
Paid weekly direct deposit Thur nite or Fri morning. Take Linehaul Extraboard till a Hub bid comes up. That's less stress than P+D and will get you home every day. Just don't get used to Linehaul money though. Stay away from Utility less you want to try dock work.
 
They quit matching the 401. We get paid every week. 7.50 to unhook or hook $15 a set. They don't pay personal days no more. Vacation pay 1 week after 1 year 2 weeks after 2 years 3 weeks after 8 years. 4 weeks after 15 years. You can still take vacation your 1st year but it won't be paid. You can take all the vacation you wan't at any time as long as it's approved. ...They run everyone I talk to 550 - 680 miles a day. You will make more money on big E extraboard then any other ltl out there. I don't care what they say. :tribe:
 
Mildew is right about making money on EB.

The biggest piece of advice I can give is get used to the idea that they own you while you are out!
Try not to think of any wasted time during the week just take a look at what you made at the end of the week and ask yourself if you are happy with that.

We do not get paid layover or delay/wait time or fueling pay. I think breakdown pay starts after two or three hours?? maybe someone can correct me there?

The shop does a good job with PM's and we have a check bay, so, down time on the road is minimized.

Best of luck and be safe :thumbsup:
 
Currently on extraboard, it has its goods and bads. Bunkrooms are as most people described however you will run into problems if you are tall. The beds are all twins on frames so you're feet are going to hang off.

I would like to reiterate the comment said related to central dispatch owning you while you are out. It won't always be this way, but it will definitely happen and it won't be a suprise if you expect it. Also take the days you can get 650+ miles because they might be followed with a 350 mile day. These can be rare, but understand it does happen.

You will grow to love going to certain terminals and deathly loathe others. It is what it is. They aren't all the same or even ran the same.

I am from the midwest so I don't get out east often, but when I do, I rarely get break and hook pay. The hosslers usually do this for you.

The bunkrooms are a place to sleep, but don't think it is going to be a good sleep. Maybe I just see them often enough to get used to them, but I have never slept a good 4 hours in the bunkrooms.

Other than some of the minor issues, extraboard money is good. Be careful. It is almost too good
 
i would say out of that terminal you will run north to pn and nj, then over to ny ma ct
then back down. you may not go south much. cause no return frt.

request to go to nj when you can, most people dont want it cause they are afraid they will get sent to long island, but they all have hotels. up there.

probably spend a lot of time in elkton and harrisburg.

youll get between 2400 and 2800 miles a week. when at small termianls call central yourself, they dont care about linehaul at them only city. like if you are at a hotel call central before you check out.


hub is what you need to get on later not much future for linehaul out of there.
or stay in linehaul till you get a few years then transfer to another terminal.

hey why we are talking about 401 and pers days. did the tm say we was never getting them back?
 
thx for all the replies; running the northeast is not a problem for me since it's what i've been doing for the last couple of yrs (i thought i could get away from it, but oh well)...
about how long do you guys usually sit at terminals? i'm aware that it'll vary terminal to terminal, but what's the average? once you're in bunkroom or hotel for that matter, how does it work? do you get a call from dispatch or do you have to keep calling them to check?
 
You generally call the terminal dispatch when your 10 hours is up. They will either take your ell or tell you to call back. Or tell you come in. That's the game.
 
I have had 15,17 and 20 hour layovers.
These are not the norm but they do happen.

I have found that getting out early really isn't beneficial.If you get out at 9 or 10 pm you will get done around 10am or so and then be off rest around 8pm.Most terminals start doing there line up then and the loads are usually ready around 9 or 10 pm.

So, if at all possible don't try to get out to early at the start of the week it will just set you up for a long layover down the road.
 
Another word of advice- when I was doing the "bunkroom boogie", if I happened to be laid over at a motel, I would call either central or the terminal for my hook, and get an idea of when it would be ready. I wouldn't leave the motel until I knew it was ready. Got burned once heading in on my 10 without calling in, only to sit there and wait another 4 hours. Grrr!

Other than that, this can be a pretty good place to work and make some decent money. Just make sure you watch your own back, and make sure everything is good to go, particularly hazmat. I've repeatedly found mistakes with billing/manifesting/etc., so don't take anyone's word for it. Do your own legwork!

I wish you the best!
 
[quote author=rjjr link=topic=82113.msg848085#msg848085 date=1279427919]



:thumbsup: 10-4 on the haz-mat, have seen so many problems, it's not even funny anymore !!!
[/quote]
:biglaugh: Now c'mon, ya'all aint insinuating that our multi-billion dollar outfit are a little too relaxed about playing the d.o.t. game are ya. It could be worse, I delivered to a ups terminal once. I had to read 2 pages of bla, bla then sign it. Had to put a red vest on. I then was handed this big orange cone I had to put it in my daycab with me. I aint never
 
[quote author=cpk2112 link=topic=82113.msg848081#msg848081 date=1279427322]
Another word of advice- when I was doing the "bunkroom boogie", if I happened to be laid over at a motel, I would call either central or the terminal for my hook, and get an idea of when it would be ready. I wouldn't leave the motel until I knew it was ready. Got burned once heading in on my 10 without calling in, only to sit there and wait another 4 hours. Grrr!

Other than that, this can be a pretty good place to work and make some decent money. Just make sure you watch your own back, and make sure everything is good to go, particularly hazmat. I've repeatedly found mistakes with billing/manifesting/etc., so don't take anyone's word for it. Do your own legwork!

I wish you the best!
[/quote]

Good advice for sure :thumbsup:
I have been told upon arrival to come back in on my 10, but, decided to call anyway..... wasn't ready till 11 1/2!

If I were asked what would I change about this Co it would be how disrespectful they are with wasting your time.
It is only because our time has no value to them. Put a dollar amount on our time and watch how differently things would work.
 
Don't sit and wait on a phone call also Estes won't call you unless you are a trucking God and then your phone may ring once. Estes is what you make it. They won't and don't beg anyone to work. If you want money don't say no, call in on your 9th hour, turn on your 34 @ home, don't worry about staying out 2 weeks, if the term won't turn you on your 10 call central, and don't bitch. You will at top pay make over 100 k. Good luck !
 
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