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Estes | Two years experience coming up June, 3 2022. Considering Estes

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Brandonva804

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At a local home daily company. Contractor fedex making $1500 gross a week. More if I work sixth day.

My problem with my current job is way to many set hooks ups just to make $1500 gross. I do three set hook ups a night and I break them down three times at each location. I also do a 53 footer empty hook up once. drive 10 miles to location. Drop empty in yard once at location. Another 53 footer loaded trailer hook up at the dock door. Another drop from dock door of loaded trailer in the yard. Hook back up to my empty. Drop the empty on Dock door. Hook back up to loaded trailer. Leave.

Then head to same location I left from 10 miles away and back 53 footer on dock door. Then hook up to empty pup. Take it 29 miles to Richmond and drop empty pup in yard. Hook up to loaded pup on dock door. Drive 29 miles back to Chester, Va and this is where my sets begin with loaded pup trailer.

So we’ll say right now I’m making 78K-82K a year. Home every day and weekends off. Health insurance is with United Healthcare and my deductible is $2500 and max $7500 out of pocket. Working 12 hours every day or sometimes mostly 11 hour and 40 minute days but never less or more unless something goes really wrong.

In a couple of months I’m considering changing as the pay is great but I feel there is better with company’s like Estes and Old dominion. Saia and Fedex Freight.

My miles a week is 2245 and settlements say I make .67 a mile. But all the drop and hooks it seems like I should be making way more. We’re paid for drops but the miles are to short. And I can’t get higher being local home daily.


At 78K-82K a year can you guys sell me on Estes?


Would it be worth switching is it true I can make 95K-105K if I work 12 hours everyday and run 2400-2800 miles a week?

Would you be home every weekend like how does that work? Would I get home Friday or Saturday morning and if I do when am I expected to return back to work. I run hard and I’m interested in a lot of stuff Estes has to offer. I need to make more money so I can pay my house off much faster and be done with it. Another 15K or 20K would be an absolute banger for me. I have no kids. Free to work hard and grind.

How’s Health insurance also. Will ask more questions from reply’s. I plan to change and choose a company June 3, 2022
 
You probably don’t have to wait until June. If you have doubles experience they might be ok with 1 year.

100k a year easy. We’ve got guys who hit 100k before thanksgiving. 5 nights on, 2 nights off. Depending on where you are, it could be Monday-Friday, but some terminals have different start days available. Miles are plentiful right now. We get $8.50 to hook a set and $8.50 to split it up.

Insurance is ok. It takes effect the first day of the month following 60 days. If your wife has insurance available thru her employer Estes won’t cover her.

2 weeks vacation after 60 days.

If you want to run and make money they’ll let you here.
 
drummerforhire said:
You probably don’t have to wait until June. If you have doubles experience they might be ok with 1 year.

100k a year easy. We’ve got guys who hit 100k before thanksgiving. 5 nights on, 2 nights off. Depending on where you are, it could be Monday-Friday, but some terminals have different start days available. Miles are plentiful right now. We get $8.50 to hook a set and $8.50 to split it up.

Insurance is ok. It takes effect the first day of the month following 60 days. If your wife has insurance available thru her employer Estes won’t cover her.

2 weeks vacation after 60 days.

If you want to run and make money they’ll let you here.
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I qualify for them now but cant make switch just yet until my house is set up and girl has her license. Are you guaranteed to be home weekends
 
When I was on the extraboard they would ask you Friday night if you’re headed home or not. I’m in the east so it’s not like I got that far from home but the miles were decent. You might have the chance to jump right on a bid instead of going on the extraboard.
 
Slabslayer said:
When I was on the extraboard they would ask you Friday night if you’re headed home or not. I’m in the east so it’s not like I got that far from home but the miles were decent. You might have the chance to jump right on a bid instead of going on the extraboard.
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May i ask which state you from and whats the farthest you got? (Interested in extraboard im in NJ)
 
BronnWins said:
Doesn't sound bad at all. Dont really wanna go to nyc but might not be that often from nj. Wonder why they don't dispatch up to Maine.
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You won’t get NYC proper but you’ll get plenty of the George Washington and Cross Bronx, North Bergen and Jersey City.
 
BronnWins said:
Doesn't sound bad at all. Dont really wanna go to nyc but might not be that often from nj. Wonder why they don't dispatch up to Maine.
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Slabslayer said:
NY.. furthest I got out west was Illinois
Furthest south was Virginia.
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I live in West Central Illinois. We're still trying to think about how to cross the Mississippi. Still fighting savages and wild animals way out west here.
LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
 
Slabslayer said:
When I was on the extraboard they would ask you Friday night if you’re headed home or not. I’m in the east so it’s not like I got that far from home but the miles were decent. You might have the chance to jump right on a bid instead of going on the extraboard.
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Please explain what a bid run is. How many miles a week does new extra board drivers get. Is weekends off 48 hours or shorter. How many sets and splits a day can you expect to do M-F.

Are there times when Estes starts new hires at .68 cents or higher near Richmond, VA. They’re now paying .6550 but i saw last year they were hiring at .68 a mile
 
Bid runs are regular schedules. Out and back
Extraboard runs 5 days. If you leave out Monday night you're normally back early Saturday morning. Then back out Monday night
Start pay is negotiable but don't expect them to start you out at top pay unless you're superman or something. Wouldn't be fair for everyone else.
You'll get cola in Jan if it is .655 you'll get the 2½ cents or whatever it is.
2750 is about average on extraboard. Over 3k when busy. Hooks vary. Some weeks I'll have 10+ some I'll have 0 on a schedule
 
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mildew said:
Bid runs are regular schedules. Out and back
Extraboard runs 5 days. If you leave out Monday night you're normally back early Saturday morning. Then back out Monday night
Start pay is negotiable but don't expect them to start you out at top pay unless you're superman or something. Wouldn't be fair for everyone else.
You'll get cola in Jan if it is .655 you'll get the 2½ cents or whatever it is.
2750 is about average on extraboard. Over 3k when busy. Hooks vary. Some weeks I'll have 10+ some I'll have 0 on a schedule
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I see they cover cell phone reimbursement. And uniform allowance how does that work. Both of them. Can you expect to get 2750 miles a week a good majority of yhe year. Are you ever forced to work weekends.
 
Brandonva804 said:
I see they cover cell phone reimbursement. And uniform allowance how does that work. Both of them. Can you expect to get 2750 miles a week a good majority of yhe year. Are you ever forced to work weekends.
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They gave us $150.00 last year to search around on the company's store. I'm assuming it's still that way. It shows we're eligible for another at the end of the month. They gave us $85 boot allowance. Not sure if that's something they're going to continue or not. Think cell phone is $30 tax free a month. They'll have mandatory weekend work when it's very busy but it's rotated. It's normally for bid drivers. When I first hired on they told me to figure 2750 for the week. I ran extraboard for years. By the end of the year it was always averaging around 2750 based on W2 ÷52 weeks
 
mildew said:
They gave us $150.00 last year to search around on the company's store. I'm assuming it's still that way. It shows we're eligible for another at the end of the month. They gave us $85 boot allowance. Not sure if that's something they're going to continue or not. Think cell phone is $30 tax free a month. They'll have mandatory weekend work when it's very busy but it's rotated. It's normally for bid drivers. When I first hired on they told me to figure 2750 for the week. I ran extraboard for years. By the end of the year it was always averaging around 2750 based on W2 ÷52 weeks
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Very nice! After my house is protected and set up I’m gonna make the jump around june. Big thanks
 
So I’m being laid off at Ground. Can I ask you guys can you be home every weekend or not?

Like what time do most drivers get home on the weekends. Does Estes ever force you to stay out at Richmond terminal location on extra board.

How is working out of Richmond Terminal.
 
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You will probably have a Wednesday or Thursday start on the extraboard in Richmond when you hire on and work every weekend. Normally not forced to work more than your 5 days out, occasionally when things are heavy at certain terminals you may have to work an extra day 0-4 times a year or so, not sure if Richmond forces that or not. If a terminal has enough volunteers they don’t force it. But just keep in mind that if you do have a start day that you don’t like, it’s not forever. Richmond has a lot of old hands. Friend of mine has a good bid and he’s only been there 3 years. It’s been fairly slow here lately for extraboard from what I hear, but even a slow week doesn’t pay too bad.
 
Also, Richmond guys go northeast more than south, and there is not really a normal time to return. You could have a good week and get back the night before your day home, or have a lousy week full of holdups and get back at noon or later in some cases on your go home day, really just depends on how the freight is moving and your personal pace.
 
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