ESTES sucked, I worked the extra board when he was there as well. They treat their drivers like crap, I was at Memphis terminal when the dispatchers were just openly talking shit about drivers right in front of all of us. It was wild, just a complete lack of professionalism. Drivers were treated like less than by the terminal staff, if you can stomach that part this comapny might be for you. ESTES is the only company in 10 years of driving where a dispatcher got belligerent with me, for no good reason I might add. I think the ESTES company culture is; we pay the drivers so well we are gonna treat them all like shit. I left after 6 months.
I just left Estes in june. I went without self dispatch for 14 weeks. Calling central every step of the way, dispatch, arrive, plan, dispatch, arrive, plan. Being on hold SUCKED. 3000 mile weeks turned into running out of time 2200 mile weeks. Lack of support from the TM to the IT dept made it worse. On to better and brighter things.
Yes, Estes has issues and many terminals are a mess, but I have been here so long I can't imagine working anywhere else. I will say the checks keep cashing each week and there is always work and the staff at the Fenton, MO terminal is decent to work with. Some of the equipment is starting to look rough and the I'm not impressed with the Central Freightways tractors they bought, but hearing about issues at other companies it is just part of the game in working in the ltl industry.
@@user-qf9rm9yr2zI am actually getting ready to start at the Fenton terminal June 16th. How often to do you all have to scale those trailers coming out of there or anywhere for that matter and deal with them being overweight? Also, how long is it in Fenton to bid on a run typically coming form xboard?
Thing is, trucking industry in general is full of a holes. Over at Central Dispatch they don’t last very long. We had some rude ones but now we have great ones in the West. One thing I will say is that they are completely going with Internationals. Those are the worst trucks, and as soon as they try to force me to drive one, I’m out.
Im currentlyvwith estes, but i worked for OD for 2 years and left only because of family reasons, OD was great, way more organized then estes, and systems were more up to date.
What does it take to get on with OD? Seems like I keep getting picked over by them. I just hired on with Estes no problem at all. Also, how far does OD go back for accidents? I know Estes only goes back 3 years and so does FedEx freight
I worked for Estes too! I liked the money and benefits were great but, dispatch and management were AWFUL!!!! I was missing the road so, I went with another carrier and went back out on the road!
Hey man. Hope it works out for you out there. Im still over here at Saia in Columbus, Oh. still doing the cinncinnati ,Pittsburgh and back run. 519 miles per day plus drop n hooks. They just bumped us to 81.5 cpm couple weeks ago. Runs in our area have been pretty consistent and also a few guys had to do a 6th day. I did 105 this year on this run and even got to be on dayshift for about 6 months same run.
I finally left LTL forever a few months ago! Running LH was killing me, the money is just not worth my life and my years are getting shorter. It was great in my younger years, but you have to be ready to leave it all behind one day and prepare to do something else. So I hope you are planning for that my friend because that day will come and you need to be ready.I have no problem driving but those long hours of sitting will take a toll on your life.
I have problems with soot level too and the trucks break down alot . My spare truck broke down also. You will continue breaking down untill kag get new trucks. I work for kag
Crazy to hear this about the truck. I spent the same way with my ex company. Peterbilt has a lot of electrical issues. They pretty trucks but not as great as people think. Great content thanks for info
FedEx Freight is a great company but I have seniority which is the whole game in LTL. I have actually considered retiring in 2 years which will give me 30 years and looking at KAG. There is a terminal 30 miles away from my house.
I drive 60 miles to 086 sometimes to cover a bid run there buy a terminal after first of the year that's 30 miles closer to me . Tuesday start extra board understand not getting no rest when the commute is 1.25 hrs each way
I work for kag and our trucks break down alot too. I been offered a estes pd job 20 min closer to me vs 44min one way to kag. I been thinking really hard
@FreightHauler87 I like the hours start at 11am and they offering more money . I guess because I been at kag over a yr and comfortable but the trucks are trash. I'm not sure what truck I will be in tomorrow lol. I have good dispatcher and the atmosphere is relaxed, but I'm not sure what comes with estes lol
@@itisim I’m sure they’ll try to keep you in the same truck, but it’s mostly slip seat. You might drive the same truck all week, or you’ll drive a different truck everyday. At Estes, they don’t care who’s driving what. I thought you’d be in the same truck at KAG, but it may be a similar experience with that at Estes. In Little Rock, they had some guys come in at 0500, and a majority of them had to call at 0700. If you’re getting an 1100 start time, they can work you late.
I know what your saying about them cutting your run during the week and having to come in on the weekends. I work for old Dominion and that happens to me. The only thing that a positive is there no gate time and I can run during the day instead of night on the weekend.
Chris, how often did you have to worry about your loads being overweight at Estes with a set or 53 ft? Did you actually have to scale and slide tandems on your 53 ft trailers? I’m getting ready to start Estes in St. Louis and hoping I can get a bid run within 6 months. Also had a job offer with FedEx freight doing p&d, but the future isn’t looking too bright for them it doesn’t seem with the current chatter of being rebranded or possibly sold
When I teamed, I had to slide tandems all the time. I’ve had to do it solo a few times, but I always used the yard scale when possible. Doubles, I was overweight a lot. Especially on bid runs.
@@FreightHauler87 would you just haul it and take the risk when your doubles were heavy or did you have to actually break the set and put them back into doors to have freight taken off before rolling?
150-ish per day is not what I would call wages but, it’s welcoming to see that at least they provide you monetarily during that time, which is above and beyond most others, I’m shocked they have not provided you with another truck, especially with all the trouble this one has given you. I love LTL too but there is no way in hell I’d go back to that load board man 😂😂
@@FreightHauler87 I have the patience of Jobe brother but if the opportunity is present to make 3 to 5 times more than what is offered and I spend more time making the minimum, Jobe will get up and leave the chat room 😂😂😂😂 Appreciate all the content man, stay safe out there bud !!!
@@sonnygreen9698 😂🤣 I’m holding on for awhile longer. We will eventually get newer trucks. And I will get back to making money again soon. It’s all temporary.
@@FreightHauler87 Market is harsh right now for everyone man, I’m just having some fun with y’all, even with all that’s happened I’ve had worse when Yellow was still running, in all honesty I wish we had options to run older stuff if we wanted, put me in a 359/379 Pete and let’s roll kinda options 😎
You do what you gotta do to survive, you can't stay with these companies if they're not taking care of you. Chris, Our cousin worked for yellow. He worked there for 31 years. Yellow filed bankruptcy and thousands of people lost their jobs & retirement, including our cousin. Yellow trucking 😮 took a $700 million federal pandemic loan, plus years of financial troubles and couldn't pay their debt back. 30,000 jobs at stake, it's poised to be the largest trucking bankruptcy in the history of the U.S. You never know when a company will shut the doors and then there you are know no job. It's really sad.
@FreightHauler87 they did for the guys who stayed..I had to take the second round of furloughs bc of my job class seniority..found another job and resigned before they closed.. I now work for performance food service as a delivery driver
Estes pays decent but their benefits suck. They brag about the millions in profit they make but it doesn't trickle down to the workers. I use to think highly of Estes but i have seen some things that make me cringe. They fired a guy who was fighting cancer and had to be out and as soon as his short term disability ran out they let him go while he was in the middle of fighting for his life. They told him if he made it through he could reapply for a job. He did make it but he said he would never work for Estes again. You are just a number with these companies.
Just got my Tanker and hazmat endorsements top of this month . I live in Memphis, I’ve applied for Energy,Specialty,Food but can’t reach a recruiter. I call it goes straight to voicemail, Any help with this ? I haven’t tried emailing yet
I started OTR, but I’ve met a driver who never ran OTR. You may need to check the local jobs in your area. XPO, SYSCO, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and there may even be other local jobs that hire straight out of trucking school.
Though I've never worked for Estes, they are another Central Transport, lack of professionalism, and subpar trucks where you'd hope when you got a good truck you could keep it but that never worked out. And also dispatch and management upholds a culture of drivers are a dime a dozen and its all about us screw you.
Hey Chris,is Kag running all P.B? What year is your truck? Yup Estes did y’all wrong,heck they even chased poor Chuck the Tulsa trucker outta town,lol.
@@FreightHauler87well Chris the thing is that it’s nice to be able to secure a guaranteed pension for the time they ARE in business. Ten years of service will get you about 1500 a month upon retirement. I’ll milk them and put my time in all I can until that day comes.
@@FreightHauler87 as long as they were vested then they will get their pensions when they retire . It takes 5 years to become vested. Now, The mistake they made was staying there after yellow stopped making pension contributions in 2008. I Have buddy’s that left and came to abf, Sysco, UPS,and other union jobs and simply continued to add to their pension time with no break in their timeline to retirement!
ESTES sucked, I worked the extra board when he was there as well. They treat their drivers like crap, I was at Memphis terminal when the dispatchers were just openly talking shit about drivers right in front of all of us. It was wild, just a complete lack of professionalism. Drivers were treated like less than by the terminal staff, if you can stomach that part this comapny might be for you. ESTES is the only company in 10 years of driving where a dispatcher got belligerent with me, for no good reason I might add. I think the ESTES company culture is; we pay the drivers so well we are gonna treat them all like shit. I left after 6 months.
I’ve had the same experience, mainly in Memphis. That place was toxic!
I just left Estes in june. I went without self dispatch for 14 weeks. Calling central every step of the way, dispatch, arrive, plan, dispatch, arrive, plan. Being on hold SUCKED. 3000 mile weeks turned into running out of time 2200 mile weeks. Lack of support from the TM to the IT dept made it worse. On to better and brighter things.
Yes, Estes has issues and many terminals are a mess, but I have been here so long I can't imagine working anywhere else. I will say the checks keep cashing each week and there is always work and the staff at the Fenton, MO terminal is decent to work with. Some of the equipment is starting to look rough and the I'm not impressed with the Central Freightways tractors they bought, but hearing about issues at other companies it is just part of the game in working in the ltl industry.
@@user-qf9rm9yr2zI am actually getting ready to start at the Fenton terminal June 16th. How often to do you all have to scale those trailers coming out of there or anywhere for that matter and deal with them being overweight? Also, how long is it in Fenton to bid on a run typically coming form xboard?
Thing is, trucking industry in general is full of a holes. Over at Central Dispatch they don’t last very long. We had some rude ones but now we have great ones in the West. One thing I will say is that they are completely going with Internationals. Those are the worst trucks, and as soon as they try to force me to drive one, I’m out.
No detention pay is insane. We all really need to come together against these companies
I couldn't handle what local driver do. hats of to anyone who does that.
Gotta be on freightwaves and keeping an eye on operating ratios. I almost went to KAG also. They got angry when I told them I chose ABF instead
Im currentlyvwith estes, but i worked for OD for 2 years and left only because of family reasons, OD was great, way more organized then estes, and systems were more up to date.
What does it take to get on with OD? Seems like I keep getting picked over by them. I just hired on with Estes no problem at all. Also, how far does OD go back for accidents? I know Estes only goes back 3 years and so does FedEx freight
I worked for Estes too! I liked the money and benefits were great but, dispatch and management were AWFUL!!!! I was missing the road so, I went with another carrier and went back out on the road!
Hey man. Hope it works out for you out there. Im still over here at Saia in Columbus, Oh. still doing the cinncinnati ,Pittsburgh and back run. 519 miles per day plus drop n hooks. They just bumped us to 81.5 cpm couple weeks ago. Runs in our area have been pretty consistent and also a few guys had to do a 6th day. I did 105 this year on this run and even got to be on dayshift for about 6 months same run.
Nice. Go Blue 〽️〽️〽️
81.5 cpm from what? also whats a drop n hook pay now?
@@abcdgump616 It was 78.3 cpm. drop and hook are about $15. I'd have to double check.
@@jackwagonjay holy moly thats a big cpm increase. very nice.
is the $15 drop and hook for a whole set?
I finally left LTL forever a few months ago! Running LH was killing me, the money is just not worth my life and my years are getting shorter. It was great in my younger years, but you have to be ready to leave it all behind one day and prepare to do something else. So I hope you are planning for that my friend because that day will come and you need to be ready.I have no problem driving but those long hours of sitting will take a toll on your life.
It depends how you live your life. Work out regularly and eat light when on the road. Chicken salads, nuts and fruits.
Why you didn't go P&d?
@@itisim I already did city, tired of that too.
@JoeSmith-nu8oo Why are you tired of it?
@@JoeSmith-nu8oo what made you get tired of it?
I have problems with soot level too and the trucks break down alot . My spare truck broke down also. You will continue breaking down untill kag get new trucks. I work for kag
Crazy to hear this about the truck. I spent the same way with my ex company. Peterbilt has a lot of electrical issues. They pretty trucks but not as great as people think. Great content thanks for info
Pretty, but problematic for sure. Thanks for the compliment!
A Duie Pyle linehaul in the Northeast pays by the hour and OT after 40.
What’s a duie pie?
@@VictorseafogLTL company
FedEx Freight is a great company but I have seniority which is the whole game in LTL. I have actually considered retiring in 2 years which will give me 30 years and looking at KAG. There is a terminal 30 miles away from my house.
Nice! Retirement will be nice. Maybe you can shuttle trailers if you need some extra cash.
@@shoestringtrucker2917 what do you think will come out of this fedex freight sell or “restructure”, spin off, whatever you want to call it?
I drive 60 miles to 086 sometimes to cover a bid run there buy a terminal after first of the year that's 30 miles closer to me . Tuesday start extra board understand not getting no rest when the commute is 1.25 hrs each way
We just had 2 New Trucks come to our Terminal..
Them new trucks break more then the old ones but rides better accelerate slow as hell
I work for kag and our trucks break down alot too. I been offered a estes pd job 20 min closer to me vs 44min one way to kag. I been thinking really hard
A 20-minute is better, but I’m not sure if you’ll like the Estes P&D schedule. Check with them before committing
@FreightHauler87 I like the hours start at 11am and they offering more money . I guess because I been at kag over a yr and comfortable but the trucks are trash. I'm not sure what truck I will be in tomorrow lol. I have good dispatcher and the atmosphere is relaxed, but I'm not sure what comes with estes lol
@@itisim relaxed dispatcher, and assigned trucks at KAG, you won’t get that with Estes. Be prepared for those slight changes.
@FreightHauler87 we slip seat at kag sometime where I'm at. It's sound like estes will have a person ticked off every day?
@@itisim I’m sure they’ll try to keep you in the same truck, but it’s mostly slip seat. You might drive the same truck all week, or you’ll drive a different truck everyday. At Estes, they don’t care who’s driving what. I thought you’d be in the same truck at KAG, but it may be a similar experience with that at Estes.
In Little Rock, they had some guys come in at 0500, and a majority of them had to call at 0700. If you’re getting an 1100 start time, they can work you late.
I know what your saying about them cutting your run during the week and having to come in on the weekends. I work for old Dominion and that happens to me. The only thing that a positive is there no gate time and I can run during the day instead of night on the weekend.
That’s definitely a positive
Chris, how often did you have to worry about your loads being overweight at Estes with a set or 53 ft? Did you actually have to scale and slide tandems on your 53 ft trailers? I’m getting ready to start Estes in St. Louis and hoping I can get a bid run within 6 months. Also had a job offer with FedEx freight doing p&d, but the future isn’t looking too bright for them it doesn’t seem with the current chatter of being rebranded or possibly sold
When I teamed, I had to slide tandems all the time. I’ve had to do it solo a few times, but I always used the yard scale when possible. Doubles, I was overweight a lot. Especially on bid runs.
@@FreightHauler87 would you just haul it and take the risk when your doubles were heavy or did you have to actually break the set and put them back into doors to have freight taken off before rolling?
@@hurt1704 have the trailer reloaded at the dock, or not take the trailer. Can’t run illegal
@@FreightHauler87 yeah I feel that. That sounds like a major pain in the a$$ having to break a set to have it reloaded
@@hurt1704 it doesn’t happen all the time, but it can be cumbersome
150-ish per day is not what I would call wages but, it’s welcoming to see that at least they provide you monetarily during that time, which is above and beyond most others, I’m shocked they have not provided you with another truck, especially with all the trouble this one has given you.
I love LTL too but there is no way in hell I’d go back to that load board man 😂😂
I’d like a new truck, but I’m patient.
@@FreightHauler87 I have the patience of Jobe brother but if the opportunity is present to make 3 to 5 times more than what is offered and I spend more time making the minimum, Jobe will get up and leave the chat room 😂😂😂😂
Appreciate all the content man, stay safe out there bud !!!
@@sonnygreen9698 😂🤣 I’m holding on for awhile longer. We will eventually get newer trucks. And I will get back to making money again soon. It’s all temporary.
@@FreightHauler87 Market is harsh right now for everyone man, I’m just having some fun with y’all, even with all that’s happened I’ve had worse when Yellow was still running, in all honesty I wish we had options to run older stuff if we wanted, put me in a 359/379 Pete and let’s roll kinda options 😎
@@sonnygreen9698 I wish we could!
You do what you gotta do to survive, you can't stay with these companies if they're not taking care of you.
Chris, Our cousin worked for yellow. He worked there for 31 years. Yellow filed bankruptcy and thousands of people lost their jobs & retirement, including our cousin.
Yellow trucking 😮 took a $700 million federal pandemic loan, plus years of financial troubles and couldn't pay their debt back.
30,000 jobs at stake, it's poised to be the largest trucking bankruptcy in the history of the U.S.
You never know when a company will shut the doors and then there you are know no job. It's really sad.
Estes was good but you lived too far away to make it work.
That is true
Left ALX terminal fedex Freight before they shut us down..city driver with 10 years of service
Did they give you an option to transfer and keep your seniority?
@FreightHauler87 they did for the guys who stayed..I had to take the second round of furloughs bc of my job class seniority..found another job and resigned before they closed.. I now work for performance food service as a delivery driver
@@bigsteve318 glad you were able to get a good job, sorry for it happened
Estes pays decent but their benefits suck. They brag about the millions in profit they make but it doesn't trickle down to the workers. I use to think highly of Estes but i have seen some things that make me cringe. They fired a guy who was fighting cancer and had to be out and as soon as his short term disability ran out they let him go while he was in the middle of fighting for his life. They told him if he made it through he could reapply for a job. He did make it but he said he would never work for Estes again. You are just a number with these companies.
It’s sad, but you’re right
Work the dock you know.
I live in McAllen texas in the valley...south texas
I’ve been through there a few times
@FreightHauler87 cool... so then you've heard of the valley "956"?
@@imwaytogoodlookingtobeyour1188 no. I just drive through there occasionally
Tell them to send you to Nashville, Tn so we can collaborate on a video
😀I’m not sure how that would work
My chsnnel will inform you on union company ABF freight. Almost 8k subs now 🤙🏽🇺🇸
Just got my Tanker and hazmat endorsements top of this month . I live in Memphis, I’ve applied for Energy,Specialty,Food but can’t reach a recruiter. I call it goes straight to voicemail, Any help with this ? I haven’t tried emailing yet
This is all I know…
KAG Recruiting: (888) 396-0921
Recruiting Email: kag-recruiting@thekag.com
Question my man!! When you first started trucking did you have to go over the road for experience to drive local?
I started OTR, but I’ve met a driver who never ran OTR. You may need to check the local jobs in your area. XPO, SYSCO, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and there may even be other local jobs that hire straight out of trucking school.
Thanks 🙏
Though I've never worked for Estes, they are another Central Transport, lack of professionalism, and subpar trucks where you'd hope when you got a good truck you could keep it but that never worked out. And also dispatch and management upholds a culture of drivers are a dime a dozen and its all about us screw you.
Hey Chris,is Kag running all P.B? What year is your truck?
Yup Estes did y’all wrong,heck they even chased poor Chuck the Tulsa trucker outta town,lol.
Peterbilt mainly, but I’ve seen a few Mack trucks here and there (rare). I haven’t talked with Chuck in a while. I figured he’d still be with them.
@@FreightHauler87 good to know,thanks Chris.
What ever happened to Chuck??
@@DG38594 Estes won’t let their drivers post RUclips videos anymore
Is Saia line haul a good job to have?
Like anything, it can be. It all depends on your location and if good work rolls down to you.
Why dont you move closer to a yard ??
Because I have a mortgage
@@FreightHauler87 hey Chris that comment shows you how many truckers these days have been able to buy a house… not many. Unfortunately
@@FreightHauler87 sell n buy something closer to a ltl yard
@@yeremy7144 sell a home in THIS market?
@@FreightHauler87 lol i know right im glad im only 20 mins away from my estes barn …
ABF is the place to go.
ABF will be one of the last union companies to fail, but it will eventually fail, unless they pull out of the union
@@FreightHauler87well Chris the thing is that it’s nice to be able to secure a guaranteed pension for the time they ARE in business. Ten years of service will get you about 1500 a month upon retirement. I’ll milk them and put my time in all I can until that day comes.
@@FreightHauler87nice thing about being union is even when a company goes down your pension remains secure.
@@MrByTheMile is that true? I never knew what came of the YELLOW pensions. If it is true, then that’s good.
@@FreightHauler87 as long as they were vested then they will get their pensions when they retire . It takes 5 years to become vested. Now, The mistake they made was staying there after yellow stopped making pension contributions in 2008. I Have buddy’s that left and came to abf, Sysco, UPS,and other union jobs and simply continued to add to their pension time with no break in their timeline to retirement!