Estes Express Lines 401(k) Review & Grade
Estes West 401(k) Retirement Plan
Richmond, VATransportation & Warehousing3,972 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,391Employer $ per active participant
$3,807Employee $ saved per active participant
0.16%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$161.0MNet plan assets, end of year
$70,018Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity21.7 / 5043th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost10.2 / 2541th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving7.0 / 1547th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score39 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (123 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 43th |
| Lower admin cost | 41th |
| Employee saving | 47th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 46% |
Get the monthly 401(k) report card
The best and worst plans, new grades as filings post. One email a month, no spam.
Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $25,123 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Estes Express Lines put in about $1,391 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,834). Any match is still an instant return, so contribute enough to get all of it.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $5,525,026 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $15,120,605 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $2,531,738 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $243,171 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $127,333 |
| Benefits paid out | $13,794,557 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $135.0M / $161.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 3,740 / 4,203 |
| Participants with account balances | 2,300 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Joyner Kirkham Keel & Robertson PC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Strategic Advisors, Inc. | $127,333 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $115,838 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251010111124NAL0008018673001, received 2025-10-10, EIN 95-3156091, plan #007, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.