Ask a Feeder Driver, Feeder Driver FAQ

[Nockahate9]

When the colder months come around and I have to wait in my tractor for long periods of time for my loads. Does it throw a red flag that I log off my IVIS after going on "other work" so that my idel time doesn't add up or am I currently doing the right thing?

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

My suggestion would be to bring you some long-handled underwear and shut your engine off while waiting. There is a reason they monitor your idle time. They are trying to conserve fuel. Your personal comfort is not their concern. If you claim "other work", you'd better be prepared to prove it, when they ask, and they WILL ask, otherwise you are falsifying your time card, and there will be an opening for a new driver in your department. That would be you.

 

[Jones]

When the colder months come around and I have to wait in my tractor for long periods of time for my loads. Does it throw a red flag that I log off my IVIS after going on "other work" so that my idel time doesn't add up or am I currently doing the right thing?

It looks like dishonest, like you're trying to hide something. Stay logged in and don't sweat the idle time.

 

[Mugarolla]

My suggestion would be to bring you some long-handled underwear and shut your engine off while waiting. There is a reason they monitor your idle time. They are trying to conserve fuel. Your personal comfort is not their concern. If you claim "other work", you'd better be prepared to prove it, when they ask, and they WILL ask, otherwise you are falsifying your time card, and there will be an opening for a new driver in your department. That would be you.

I agree on the idle time, but going to other work is fine.

Waiting on loads "should" be other work. When the loads are ready, end other work and code it to "sort."

Letting it idle is up to you. You seem, by your question, to understand that you are instructed not to idle your tractor.

If you log off, I don't think it will show the idle time while you were logged off, but if you are seen idling by management, expect at least a slap on the wrist and a "don't do it again."

There has been recent instances that it may show all idle time and charge it to you since there was nobody else logged into your tractor while you were logged off.

UPS may have got smart and fixed their software to stop this scenario from happening.

 

[Jones]

When it's zero degrees outside and I'm sitting at the rail yard waiting for a late train the tractor is gonna idle. If they have a problem with it ask them if they have the heat on in their office.

 

[Mugarolla]

When it's zero degrees outside and I'm sitting at the rail yard waiting for a late train the tractor is gonna idle. If they have a problem with it ask them if they have the heat on in their office.

I agree.

And a railyard is a little different. Usually no place to wait and stay warm. Just like being stopped on the highway for a wreck. My tractor will idle, I don't care if it takes 4 hours.

The problems occur at hubs or centers. You can wait inside where it is warm until your loads are ready.

The excuse about sups having heat in their office will not fly if you have somewhere warm to wait.

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

Where I was, unless you have "other work" built into your schedule, you better be able to prove you're doing other work, other than sitting in a toasty tractor playing scrabble on your Iphone. They were trying to find people to make examples of. We would just shut the tractor off and go inside the building. If I'm being held on the door, I'd call dispatch and let them tell the PT sup to let me pull.

 

[pickup]

When it's zero degrees outside and I'm sitting at the rail yard waiting for a late train the tractor is gonna idle. If they have a problem with it ask them if they have the heat on in their office.

I never freeze in my tractor , I always check the weather forecast for the shift I am working and look at the lowest forecasted temperature and dress accordingly. If the temperature goes up from that (and I also know the forecasted high) , the layers start coming off .

I stay warm and I don't idle and I don't need to disconnect the ivis.

After doing this for years, I know exactly what I need to wear for any given temperature.. The weather forecasters have made it more difficult in the last few years by over emphasizing the "real feel" temperatures at the expense of telling me the actual forecasted temps. I don't care too much about wind chill when I am sitting in my tractor.

I work in NJ so we can have some cold winters, although I read that due to the el nino effect, that this winter may not be as harsh as some of the more recent ones.

 

[MaceFremonti]

Few months back the IVIS in my tractor starting recording anytine the engine was running as idle time....

I do 400+ miles a day...

Report said I had almost 40 hours of idle time for the week....

Cue $h1t hitting fan.

 

[Mugarolla]

Where I was, unless you have "other work" built into your schedule, you better be able to prove you're doing other work, other than sitting in a toasty tractor playing scrabble on your Iphone. They were trying to find people to make examples of. We would just shut the tractor off and go inside the building. If I'm being held on the door, I'd call dispatch and let them tell the PT sup to let me pull.

When you were here, it was probably called Central Sort. It is now just Sort and it is under "other work."

Whether it is built in or not, if you're loads are not ready on time, you go to "other work," sleep, read a book, jog around the lot, etc until the loads are ready.

You then end other work in hit Sort.

Unless they specifically make you shift, you do not have to do anything when it is coded to Sort.

 

[MaceFremonti]

On a run I had a few yesrs ago, everyday I had to wait almost four hours for my loads to be ready. I would burn 30 minutes of meal and code the rest to sort.

A few months into the bid my onroad supe iNSTRUCTED me to code an hour and a half to shifting, even though I wasn't actually shifting.

 

[Mugarolla]

On a run I had a few yesrs ago, everyday I had to wait almost four hours for my loads to be ready. I would burn 30 minutes of meal and code the rest to sort.

A few months into the bid my onroad supe iNSTRUCTED me to code an hour and a half to shifting, even though I wasn't actually shifting.

So, he instructed you to falsify records.

Here we go again. UPS having to meet that number on a piece of paper. Whether you code it to shift or sort, you are still just sitting there doing nothing.

UPS fudging numbers again to make their reports look good.

 

[Nockahate9]

So, he instructed you to falsify records.

Here we go again. UPS having to meet that number on a piece of paper. Whether you code it to shift or sort, you are still just sitting there doing nothing.

UPS fudging numbers again to make their reports look good.

I may be wrong, but I think when you code it as shift it charges it to feeders and sort is charged to the sorts time.

 

[Nockahate9]

So, he instructed you to falsify records.

Here we go again. UPS having to meet that number on a piece of paper. Whether you code it to shift or sort, you are still just sitting there doing nothing.

UPS fudging numbers again to make their reports look good.

I may be wrong, but I think when you code it as shift it charges it to feeders and sort is charged to the sorts time.

 

[Mugarolla]

I may be wrong, but I think when you code it as shift it charges it to feeders and sort is charged to the sorts time.

Something like that. But that is the nature of the beast.

Loads need to make it to hubs to make the night sort. If you are then not scheduled to go anywhere else or to shift, your wait time until the sort goes down and your loads are ready is "central sort."

Most jobs have this built into their schedule. I have been on runs with anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours of built in sort time.

Your wait time needs to be accounted for. You cannot just stay on turn-around for this time because it then makes your property time numbers look like crap.

And remember, everything is about a number on a piece of paper.

If you are not shifting, it is coded to sort. If your sup tells you to code it to shifting yet he knows you don't shift, he is fudging numbers.

I don't care who gets charged. That is UPS's problem.

If it is coded to shift, and the place where you are at sees that you coded it to shifting and were not shifting, do you honestly believe that your sup will back you up when they question you.

I would get that in writing or have a Steward present when he tells you to lie and to fudge numbers.

 

[UPS4Life]

If it is coded to shift, and the place where you are at sees that you coded it to shifting and were not shifting, do you honestly believe that your sup will back you up when they question you.

I would get that in writing or have a Steward present when he tells you to lie and to fudge numbers.

This was my concern when reading that. I would also be worried you are only taking half your meal before going on sort. We were instructed to take our full meal if waiting unless before hour 3. Also, we were told not to use sort but to use delay equipment trailer not ready. My understanding is the difference is central sort I think gets charged to the building you're sitting at so they would have an issue with you being on cs before your meal is up and trailer not ready just puts it under delay under the building you are out of. Why can't everyone just be on the same page.

 

[deeznutz]

In my center we have 2 mileage destinations we run every day. Im in my 11th month as Feeder Cover Driver. And i have 3 months progression in pkg as well. My Manager pays me 39 cents per mile and refers me to Article 43 Sec 11 pg163 in the contract. I looked up 2002 mileage rates, the math is right but this is wrong in my opinion. But its under sleeper team and we dont even have those! im just on qualified cover list. Any thoughts on what I should get payed?

 

[FeeDerp]

Something like that. But that is the nature of the beast.

Loads need to make it to hubs to make the night sort. If you are then not scheduled to go anywhere else or to shift, your wait time until the sort goes down and your loads are ready is "central sort."

Most jobs have this built into their schedule. I have been on runs with anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours of built in sort time.

Your wait time needs to be accounted for. You cannot just stay on turn-around for this time because it then makes your property time numbers look like crap.

And remember, everything is about a number on a piece of paper.

If you are not shifting, it is coded to sort. If your sup tells you to code it to shifting yet he knows you don't shift, he is fudging numbers.

I don't care who gets charged. That is UPS's problem.

If it is coded to shift, and the place where you are at sees that you coded it to shifting and were not shifting, do you honestly believe that your sup will back you up when they question you.

I would get that in writing or have a Steward present when he tells you to lie and to fudge numbers.

If Im waiting on loads at the start of a shift, I've always coded it as trailer not ready delay. Granted, I've never been taught/told to do it any other way and I've never heard anything about it. I use it often at cach

 

[Mugarolla]

If Im waiting on loads at the start of a shift, I've always coded it as trailer not ready delay. Granted, I've never been taught/told to do it any other way and I've never heard anything about it. I use it often at cach

Trailer not ready delay would also work.

But do not code it to shifting if you are not shifting.

Your sup will not back you up if you are called out on this.

 

[iamjeffaiden]

This is my first post, but let me start out to say WOW! The forum is full of great information and a lot of recent posts, not just outdated info. Thanks, guys for sowing into each other. My first post may get a little long; if so, I apologize.

I just got hired on as a feeder seasonal driver in the Indianapolis 81st street terminal tentative on my background check coming back. There should be no issues there. I interviewed Tuesday and the HR Supervisor said I would start this upcoming Monday (November 9th) and when I didn't hear from her I called her Friday and she said it would be the following Monday (November 16th) since the full background check wasn't back yet.

I have a list of questions so I will number them. You guys may need more information from me in order to give good information. I'm willing to provide anything you need.

1) My relative that is a package driver (box truck - whatever they are called) in a different terminal and is concerned that I won't get any work and may be sitting for days waiting on a call to come to work. Others have told me that if I want it, I'll be able to work my full 70 hours (HOS). Which is more likely to be true?

2) Being in the trucking industry, my ultimate goal has been to get on with UPS (not the freight division). I know it's not perfect, but I feel a great fit for me and my future. I expressed this to my interviewer and asked her opinion on how to get on after seasonal. She said it depends on 1) how many other feeders retire 2) who you know and 3) your performance. Does this sound accurate?

3) What tips do you have for a highly motivated seasonal feeder driver to get on permanently? Between my relative, my interviewer and a couple of others I was advised to never EVER say my old company does something a certain way; even on day 1 of orientation/training come in with the work boots polished (even without having the uniform yet); memorize the safety rules - i was given 2 pages from my relative of particulars that the drivers are required to memorize verbatim; i was told to even bring in doughnuts for dispatch; also answer when called, come in early and stay after your shift asking if there is anything else you can do; obviously make your arrival time early.

4) Are the feeders driving 10 speeds or automatics or what?

5) How legit does UPS want feeders to be on their logs? For instance, most companies want you to be "off-duty" when at a yard even though you may be working. Does UPS want you to be "on-duty" when doing stuff like that?

6) There are many rumors in the industry. Some say that feeders are not aloud to pre-trip their equipment or hook or unhook as to prevent their uniforms getting dirty. I've also heard the opposite. Which is true, or does it very from each terminal?

7) That 1 week of training or orientation for seasonal feeders, what does it include?

8) Any other thoughts or advice? I'm extremely excited and motivated. I want to finish my career with UPS and want to be prepared to outwork everyone if I need too.

Thanks again guys for all of your feedback and posts!