Sheppard Bus Service, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Sheppard Bus Service, Inc. Employees Savings Trust
Millville, NJTransportation & Warehousing513 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$434Employer $ per active participant
$829Employee $ saved per active participant
0.06%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$5.5MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity10.6 / 5021th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost20.8 / 2583th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving1.6 / 1510th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features0 / 10No auto-enrollment or default investment reported
Total score33 / 100 · Grade D
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (392 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 21th |
| Lower admin cost | 83th |
| Employee saving | 10th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 37% |
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Red flags from the filing
No red flags were reported on this filing's compliance questions.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Sheppard Bus Service put in about $434 per active participant, below the typical peer ($1,070). 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 | $222,472 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $425,360 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $2,017 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $3,219 |
| Contract administrator fees | $3,219 |
| Benefits paid out | $310,329 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $4.6M / $5.5M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 505 / 521 |
| Participants with account balances | 198 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Adamsbrown, LLC |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Ascensus Holdings Inc. | $4,126 reported compensation |
| Empower Annuity Insurance Company | $1,080 reported compensation |
| Empower Advisory Group, LLC | $314 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251014102302NAL0002615457001, received 2025-10-14, EIN 22-1734132, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.