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Estes | Is Estes a good company to work for?

*starflyer59* said:
I think estes is one of the bottom ltl carriers to work for. I can easily spend over an hour in 028 chitown hooking set for 7.50. at that rate I'm doing estes a favor. The yard is a nightmare and I'm sure estes could care less. Southbend 127 horrible space no room same thing can happen. toledo 092 sit for over an hour waiting for hook zero dollars. indy 093 spend over hour looking for empty 53 no pay. hours upon hours waiting past cut times no pay. hours upon hours waiting in motel no pay. estes terminals in my region are too small and dangerous to work in with little or no pay. dispatchers and sups in my region treat drivers like dirt. the pups and dollys are beat up and falling apart because they get destroyed in small terminals over loaded and falling apart. potholes so big you can fit a truck in it marshall 095 grand rapids 068. 055 west middle do i really even need say anything about that place? you cant hook your own set there but you will anyways cause switchers only do half the job and you wait hours for them to do a bang up cuttin' corners job. when you ask for hook pay for finishing the hook you are treated like a criminal. But i guess it all depends on what your looking for or maybe the region your in. Sounds like other regions may be better.
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I'm sorry.....
 
*starflyer59* said:
I think estes is one of the bottom ltl carriers to work for. I can easily spend over an hour in 028 chitown hooking set for 7.50. at that rate I'm doing estes a favor. The yard is a nightmare and I'm sure estes could care less. Southbend 127 horrible space no room same thing can happen. toledo 092 sit for over an hour waiting for hook zero dollars. indy 093 spend over hour looking for empty 53 no pay. hours upon hours waiting past cut times no pay. hours upon hours waiting in motel no pay. estes terminals in my region are too small and dangerous to work in with little or no pay. dispatchers and sups in my region treat drivers like dirt. the pups and dollys are beat up and falling apart because they get destroyed in small terminals over loaded and falling apart. potholes so big you can fit a truck in it marshall 095 grand rapids 068. 055 west middle do i really even need say anything about that place? you cant hook your own set there but you will anyways cause switchers only do half the job and you wait hours for them to do a bang up cuttin' corners job. when you ask for hook pay for finishing the hook you are treated like a criminal. But i guess it all depends on what your looking for or maybe the region your in. Sounds like other regions may be better.
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sorry to hear you are so unhappy with you job if it is yhat bad for you in my opinion i would find another job I understand this is a forum and you have your opinion but i have been with estes over 25 years so that being said i myself am satisfied with my job. that being said if you are that disatisfied with your job QUIT
 
knightrider said:
sorry to hear you are so unhappy with you job if it is yhat bad for you in my opinion i would find another job I understand this is a forum and you have your opinion but i have been with estes over 25 years so that being said i myself am satisfied with my job. that being said if you are that disatisfied with your job QUIT
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He might just be in a bad spot.. Management is everything ya know...
 
If what I posted sounds negative so be it. The name of the thread explains why I gave my opinion and experiences. I hope the person that started this thread is looking for honest answers. I did not lie. I don't see how attacking me or anyone else helps truckergirl. Explain to truckergirl why you like estes knightrider. I will not bash you.
 
Your mileage may vary. I really like it here and don't plan on going anywhere. From what I've seen, they treat teams really well here.
 
That does seem to be trend here at estes. People jumpin out of the sandbox faster than estes can keep up. I guess removing the poop is out of the question.
 
I think its a regional thing.Seems 028 has more than its share of disgruntled drivers but overall,I think its more of an exception than the rule.
 
a9faninnc said:
I think its a regional thing.Seems 028 has more than its share of disgruntled drivers but overall,I think its more of an exception than the rule.
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What are some of the reasons that drivers at the Chicago terminal are "disgruntled" compared to other terminals or other ltl carriers in the Chicagoland area?

I'm currently in the hiring process as an extra board guy there and I'd appreciate if you gave a little scoop of what's going on there.
 
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joews said:
What are some of the reasons that drivers at the Chicago terminal are "disgruntled" compared to other terminals or other ltl carriers in the Chicagoland area?

I'm currently in the hiring process as an extra board guy there and I'd appreciate if you gave a little scoop of what's going on there.
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If I may and I may be totally wrong.. But speaking from experience and not to rehash the "U" word, but it seems as though non-union people have a hard time working in union states... Whether it's because they think they should be union or whatever... It just seems to be different breed of person..
 
TruckergirlMN said:
Is Estes a good company to work for?
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I would say yes and no. I'd imagine its just like any other job out there. Meaning it is what you make it. Show up with a poor attitude or expecting something to always go wrong and that's what you'll get. There is a lot of truth to most of the posts the other guys have said. Small, cramped, dark terminals.. making hooking or breaking sets almost impossible. Trailers sitting too close or high to hook or crank down. Meaning you have to move more than you should have to to accomplish what you set out to. Hell, even just finding your trailers in some terminals like 028 or 017 can be a frustrating nightmare. Its not always that way but it most certainly can be. I think we have a lot of good drivers that are friendly and willing to help and share their knowledge. Lord knows I've absorbed a lot and generously shared what I know. Management at some places do have their heads in their behinds, other places they are in the same boat the drivers are. Equipment is decent.. not the best or the fastest but every truck I've had has been pretty damn reliable, other guys I know.. not so much. Teams are getting new KWs that run 70mph and are supposedly being replaced every 250k give or take. I know teams that run real good miles well over 5000..and others that are essentially solo drivers..bouncing around 150 mile runs.. how much sleep do you think they are getting? However I have heard that they are going to change the way teams run if they already havent.. to assure longer runs giving more miles and more sleep. Over all I can't complain about what I make per mile.. 7.50 per hook or break iisn't great but I can usually do both in under 30 mins. So I made 15.00 for less than 30 mins of work. There again if you spend an hour looking for trailers.. you didnt make much. There is always the chance you will donate a bit of your time. Waiting on freight or your trailers to be hooked.. or looking for trailers. Then again when freight volumes are high.. you'll turn and burn. So overall can you do better than Estes? Yes.. but you can also do a lot worse.
 
*starflyer59* said:
I think estes is one of the bottom ltl carriers to work for. I can easily spend over an hour in 028 chitown hooking set for 7.50. at that rate I'm doing estes a favor. The yard is a nightmare and I'm sure estes could care less. Southbend 127 horrible space no room same thing can happen. toledo 092 sit for over an hour waiting for hook zero dollars. indy 093 spend over hour looking for empty 53 no pay. hours upon hours waiting past cut times no pay. hours upon hours waiting in motel no pay. estes terminals in my region are too small and dangerous to work in with little or no pay. dispatchers and sups in my region treat drivers like dirt. the pups and dollys are beat up and falling apart because they get destroyed in small terminals over loaded and falling apart. potholes so big you can fit a truck in it marshall 095 grand rapids 068. 055 west middle do i really even need say anything about that place? you cant hook your own set there but you will anyways cause switchers only do half the job and you wait hours for them to do a bang up cuttin' corners job. when you ask for hook pay for finishing the hook you are treated like a criminal. But i guess it all depends on what your looking for or maybe the region your in. Sounds like other regions may be better.
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Well said, I figured I have around 15 years to retire, and the place I am there is no go find a empty, hook this set and find the buried trailer,,,etc.... They tell you what trailer and and door, to hook and go into to, and never waste TIME..... As for the ones that say there are no greener pastures,,,well thats your opinion.
 
We are a husband and wife team who have been at Estes 2 years. They really like husband & wife teams. Where you work out of makes a lot of difference in your situation. Different terminals are like different companies. We have spent a lot of unpaid time waiting, but Estes hasn't been as pushy as other LTL's we have worked for. The main problem has been short hopping. It's supposed to get better. Time will tell.
We are still in a Freightliner. It's spent so much time in the shop, we haven't got to the miles to turn it in. We drove a new KW for over a month. It didn't run 70. Company is putting teams in very new trucks. But thanks to all the govt. mandates new trucks have lots of problems!
Teaming at Estes is better than teaming for a TL company. Don't be afraid to complain about short hopping. I think they are finally ready to listen.
 
knightrider said:
yea your right but i just get so tired of the negative post just sayin
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And why are there negative post? You did not see all the changes the last 6 years, you have been there 25 years, well look outside your own room and see what has happened to others and maybe you will see what is wrong with Big E... just saying. But I will say its better then a Truck Load job, or most of them, but this whole industry has taken a turn for the worst the last 20 years.
There is not alot of great places to work so I think ones settle for at least I got a job.
 
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