Zowert
Well-Known Member
Hello everybody!
I just finished training this week, I start next week (Seattle-Tacoma area). I was hired off the street, so I have little knowledge of company culture. As far as the job itself, I'm experienced in route driving and package delivery. Before getting hired on I worked for a small parcel delivery company that was contracted by Amazon. We drove full size vans and would often deliver as much as 300 packages over 200+ stops, during peak season I once delivered 306 packages in 252 stops; ten hour days. But I had the luxury of a GPS system to aid me in delivery and the packages were obviously a LOT smaller than what UPS drivers deal with. We also never had set routes. One day i'd be delivering up in Everett (WA), the next I could be in Kirkland, another day in Seattle and so on..
Anyway, as a new hire I understand that i'll be put on cover routes while i'm part time, waiting for a spot to get in full time on a set route. My question is how did you guys fare while you were in my position? As a newly hired driver expected to go on routes, without GPS, in areas you're unfamiliar with. I'm decent at navigating, before delivering packages for Amazon I was a delivery driver for a local lumber company and I had to use paper maps to navigate. However that was a different ballgame since I'd only take out one load for delivery at a time and time was not as restricted. So, how did you get by in your days as a newbie? What helped you navigate an area you were unfamiliar with? I'm assuming you wouldn't have had the time to study a map in between every deliver, especially if you have well over a hundred stops to make. Regardless of my past experience, I'm unsure how well i'm going to fare at making stops in an unknown area in a timely matter.
Thanks for your time. I'd also like to mention, without sounding like an ass kisser, that I really admire the guys who've been doing this job for years and years. It is physically demanding and it can be stressful as hell!
I just finished training this week, I start next week (Seattle-Tacoma area). I was hired off the street, so I have little knowledge of company culture. As far as the job itself, I'm experienced in route driving and package delivery. Before getting hired on I worked for a small parcel delivery company that was contracted by Amazon. We drove full size vans and would often deliver as much as 300 packages over 200+ stops, during peak season I once delivered 306 packages in 252 stops; ten hour days. But I had the luxury of a GPS system to aid me in delivery and the packages were obviously a LOT smaller than what UPS drivers deal with. We also never had set routes. One day i'd be delivering up in Everett (WA), the next I could be in Kirkland, another day in Seattle and so on..
Anyway, as a new hire I understand that i'll be put on cover routes while i'm part time, waiting for a spot to get in full time on a set route. My question is how did you guys fare while you were in my position? As a newly hired driver expected to go on routes, without GPS, in areas you're unfamiliar with. I'm decent at navigating, before delivering packages for Amazon I was a delivery driver for a local lumber company and I had to use paper maps to navigate. However that was a different ballgame since I'd only take out one load for delivery at a time and time was not as restricted. So, how did you get by in your days as a newbie? What helped you navigate an area you were unfamiliar with? I'm assuming you wouldn't have had the time to study a map in between every deliver, especially if you have well over a hundred stops to make. Regardless of my past experience, I'm unsure how well i'm going to fare at making stops in an unknown area in a timely matter.
Thanks for your time. I'd also like to mention, without sounding like an ass kisser, that I really admire the guys who've been doing this job for years and years. It is physically demanding and it can be stressful as hell!
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