E-Star* Update!

[compscigrad]

lol have you seen the estar comments on reddit?

"E-star is so bad it makes people who put years into this company like 20+ wanna leave"

"I don't even know why they WANT to use it. We started EStar full time and everyday it's a show. Everyone's working OT, midday bringing 30+ packages back every night, customers are complaining, businesses are confused as why they see a different driver everyday, and drivers are confused as where businesses are at/where to go"

"I drove 18 minutes today to deliver one envelope 3 towns away. And it was assigned to me by estar

The almighty share price. Technology is sexy, and Fedex wants to look sexy to investors.

 

[Questions Needed Answered]

The irony of all of this is that no one has pointed out that "some" people (and we "all" know who we're talking about) voice the opinion that e star is great, and removes the carrier from the equation, yet they're not willing to give up their pay as a previous manager who's now turned courier while using e star. I mean, it's almost like a slap in the face, ain't it Dano?

---

?

Just for the record, in case anyone didn't realize I was referring to @59 Dano. He talks a big game about courier pay and courier experience being worth little to nothing yet he's not about to give up his pay as a previous manager while being a lowly courier on a retirement route.

I hold zero allegiance to this board or job and couldn't care less if it bleeds over into work if he chooses to attempt to make an hr case about it, so @59 Dano, the ball's in your court.

Shut up or put up by relegating your pay back to the company that you're choosing to champion by doing the job you look most down upon. If courrier experience means nothing, go back to $18.80 an hour with a $3 bonus for the Nashville area.

 

[59 Dano]

My understanding is neither have multiple time commits, ground doesn't have oncall pu and Amazon has no pu or rtb times.

Those companies wouldn't have to change much to adapt to those conditions.

 

[59 Dano]

So far the software has shown it's not better than an experienced courier. You say it needs input from couriers. Why it's supposed to be better?

Looks good to me.

 

[59 Dano]

It's not just that you ass clown. Up til this point I’ve never had a positive change after pointing out a problem to my station engineers. All I ever hear is, “HURR DURR it’s built in.” In FedEx translation this means whatever problem or delay I’m pointing out doesn’t need to be fixed because this system is designed to work despite those errors. So if it needs input from couriers as they go along then it's far from perfect and inefficient as all hell. And since it's designed to work around said errors then nobody's going to fix it. I'm willing to bet more stations are dealing with this lack of feedback too. Some stations are using pee stain as it is now and the result is a ton of lates, missed pickups, DEX01s filling cages and what not. It's never going to work as intended and if the goal is to give the customer a specific two-hour estimated delivery window then it's futile when we have to break route to save the senior's ass inevitably.

You don't sound like you have any issues.

 

[59 Dano]

The don't want suggestions.
If they did they would ask BEFORE they they tried to develop the software in the first place.

That's not how the world works. Google Maps, Waze, Road Warrior, etc. didn't take a poll of all the drivers in the world, collate the answers that drivers gave them, then start building navigation software based on those answers. No.

They developed their navigation software, launched it, and then started making adjustments based on feedback from users.

 

[McFeely]

They developed their navigation software, launched it, and then started making adjustments based on feedback from users.

Their apps don’t cost the company the MBG for every late package. Those apps also don’t cost those companies for wasted fuel and other inefficiencies.

 

[59 Dano]

I have a major highway that is closed 3-4 months and open the other 3-4 months twice a year. I have to go almost 100 miles out of the way during closures. IF I don't tell a manager or eng. (that I never see) they would never have a clue as they refuse to even look at the state DOT road closures. This is a 5 yr project blasting away a phreaking mountain side. How is P-star going to work around that

We can play this game until the end of time. Here, my turn and I'll respond to a guy who says BUT CURRIER NAWLIJ!!!

What about when you get behind a slow tractor on a one lane road? What about when a bunch of cattle knock down a fence and your truck is surrounded? What about when you overlook a P1 that's 15 minutes out of your way? What about when you look at your LEO wrong and misread a close time as 1800 when it's really 1600? WHAT ABOUT THAT COURIER KNOWLEDGE????

Theoretically, I've got another 40 years left in me before I'm supposed to die. I can come up with as many scenarios for my side as you can yours. We can go back and forth every day until then if you'd like!

 

[Questions Needed Answered]

Their apps don’t cost the company the MBG for every late package. Those apps also don’t cost those companies for wasted fuel and other inefficiencies.

Express is not honoring mbg, but I get your point.

 

[59 Dano]

I'm a Computer Science graduate, and as someone who's actually educated on the subject of algorithm design, this 59 Dano guy is an ass-clown. The TL;DR is E-STAR is a really ty attempt at solving the travelling salesman problem.

I love this! "I'm educated on algorithms, so I say it's not possible for mapping software to work. If you don't believe me, look at my user name that I created today."

 

[59 Dano]

So far it’s impossible at our station on Mondays.
Hundreds of zeros and they get to correct maybe 20% of them at most. We sit around after the sort and wait for the managers to finally give up and then everyone is fighting over what 0’s are theirs. Yeah, that 0 is mine when not running EStar but it’s not today when I’m going 30 miles away, and good luck trying to determine who’s it is at that point without knowing all the stops on everyone’s route.

I can't help what people at your station choose to do or not do.

 

[Fred's Myth]

We can play this game until the end of time. Here, my turn and I'll respond to a guy who says BUT CURRIER NAWLIJ!!!

What about when you get behind a slow tractor on a one lane road? What about when a bunch of cattle knock down a fence and your truck is surrounded? What about when you overlook a P1 that's 15 minutes out of your way? What about when you look at your LEO wrong and misread a close time as 1800 when it's really 1600? WHAT ABOUT THAT COURIER KNOWLEDGE????

Theoretically, I've got another 40 years left in me before I'm supposed to die. I can come up with as many scenarios for my side as you can yours. We can go back and forth every day until then if you'd like!

So, how long is this superior method going to take to come to fruition, and how long before it's scuttled for something better?

Oops, forgot. It's already here. No wonder no one wants to go to work for FedEx...they're already extinct!

https://www.fedex.com/en-us/innovation/roxo-delivery-robot.html

 

[59 Dano]

The irony of all of this is that no one has pointed out that "some" people (and we "all" know who we're talking about) voice the opinion that e star is great, and removes the carrier from the equation, yet they're not willing to give up their pay as a previous manager who's now turned courier while using e star. I mean, it's almost like a slap in the face, ain't it Dano?

---

?

For one, I have no idea if Estar is "great" or not, especially this soon after launch. I wouldn't mind being a courier with manager pay - how do I sign up for that?

Also, you sent a private message:

[you covered this in another post]

LOL, why wait? The only thing stopping you is you. You have my blessing to drop whatever bombshell it is you think you have.

 

[bbsam]

It's like being told that there's software that's going to play a role in the daily performance of your job and you have the ability to help make that software work more in your favor, and saying, "No thanks, I'd rather whine about how it doesn't work well because they won't listen to my suggestions."

Actually it’s that the software doesn’t do what it says it’ll do. It aims for efficiency that the company can then claim back in dollars and cents but it’s really just a computerized excuse to make people work harder.

“See? The model shows we can cut six routes!”

“The numbers suggest that productivity can be increased by 18%.”

Somehow the model and numbers are flawed but the company seems almost terrified to tell the engineers that.

 

[McFeely]

Express is not honoring mbg, but I get your point.

Not what I’ve heard. Regardless, Waze and other mapping apps aren’t losing money if their mapping directions aren’t correct.

 

[59 Dano]

Actually it’s that the software doesn’t do what it says it’ll do. It aims for efficiency that the company can then claim back in dollars and cents but it’s really just a computerized excuse to make people work harder.

“See? The model shows we can cut six routes!”

“The numbers suggest that productivity can be increased by 18%.”

Somehow the model and numbers are flawed but the company seems almost terrified to tell the engineers that.

If the model and numbers are flawed, it will be evident to the engineers and probably from the outset.

 

[Questions Needed Answered]

Not what I’ve heard. Regardless, Waze and other mapping apps aren’t losing money if their mapping directions aren’t correct.

"Okay" ... This is going to be my response from now on to snarky comments. I'm just going to let them age and then quote them at a later date.

 

[It will be fine]

If the model and numbers are flawed, it will be evident to the engineers and probably from the outset.

Not if express engineers are anything like the ground ones. I’ve shown them my solutions beating their software for miles and on road hours but they still claim I’d be more efficient if I used the software.

 

[59 Dano]

Not if express engineers are anything like the ground ones. I’ve shown them my solutions beating their software for miles and on road hours but they still claim I’d be more efficient if I used the software.

I can't answer for Ground engineers or anyone else who works for Ground. Express is concerned with onroad hours instead of miles, though miles translate into hours, so there's that. Part of it aims to balance some routes based on volume, staffing, and so forth. For instance, Route 1 has 6 hours of work (instead of 8) one day and Route 2 has 9.5 hours of work (instead of 8), so Route 1 may get some of Route 2's work. That's a gross oversimplification but that's part of what it seeks to do.

I don't know what the break even point is for it to be effective. Results are decent in some areas and horrible in others. Time will tell.

 

[El Morado Diablo]

That's not how the world works. Google Maps, Waze, Road Warrior, etc. didn't take a poll of all the drivers in the world, collate the answers that drivers gave them, then start building navigation software based on those answers. No.

They developed their navigation software, launched it, and then started making adjustments based on feedback from users.

So, voluntary information from non-employees who aren't paid for trying to make the software work better. Got it. Maybe FedEx should make E-Star available to the public so they can fix it for them for free.