Western Express, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Western Express, Inc. 401(k) Plan
Nashville, TNTransportation & Warehousing6,976 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1Employer $ per active participant
$214Employee $ saved per active participant
0.24%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$10.6MNet plan assets, end of year
–Average balance per account (account count looks misreported)
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity0.4 / 501th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost7.3 / 2529th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving0.0 / 150th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score8 / 100 · Grade F
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Transportation & Warehousing plans with 2,500–9,999 active participants (123 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 1th |
| Lower admin cost | 29th |
| Employee saving | 0th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 46% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $148,773 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Western Express put in about $1 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.
- Direct plan expenses (0.24% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.12%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- 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 | $6,000 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $1,495,090 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $41,313 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $24,044 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $19,125 |
| Benefits paid out | $1,530,001 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $9.4M / $10.6M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 4,748 / 9,204 |
| Participants with account balances | 385 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Puryear & Noonan, Cpas |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Ubs Financial Services Inc | $19,125 reported compensation |
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | $4,919 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251013141740NAL0000704835001, received 2025-10-13, EIN 62-1457385, plan #001, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.