So, I reported for my first day of training and call tags were for a residential area near where I live and found that it was a mainly residential route. After waiting for an hour for my trainer I was told he had the flu and I would need to start either that Thursday or the next Tuesday.
I started Tuesday but my package car would not start....so we were about an hour late starting with no time to set the truck up at all. (in retrospect that may have a great time to do so, however I was trying to help get the car started) We got to our first stop and found everything had shifted. Long story short my route ended up being mainly commercial on a very busy road that was almost impossible to get out on.
I showed up yesterday and was told there was no trainer available for me as they decided that my route was bad route for training. Told to report back today where I would be put on a different route or possibly a shuttle. Reported this morning and was told to come back tomorrow, soooo we shall see.
Hope to meet some of you soon, STAY SAFE and have a good season
So I was told Monday to come back Tuesday.Came back Tuesday and they informed me they werw letting me go.
The following is a synopsis of my brief career at UPS.
Hire 11/02/2021
11:10 Supposed to start. Was told, after reporting and receiving my route and DIAD, that my instructor had the flu.
11.17 Started driving training with my pm road supervisor, and was given a completely different route, ( commercial route) which even my supervisor could not finish on time while driving like a mad man
11/18 sent home after morning meeting.
11/19 sent home after morning meeting
11/21 was sent out as a helper
11/28 I was sent out on my own with the one day of training mentioned above and was assigned a truck which would not start. Was in the 2nd assigned rental waiting for info of person I was to meet to get packages from. Was called back in and assigned a package car to load and deliver irregulars.
I started delivering what was closest to me, but after my first delivery was sent to unload and swap an entire package car with another driver who had a non-working DIAD holder and thus no Map Nav and as I later found out no phone charger.
So after swapping the package cars, I again started delivering what looked closest to me only to find the bulkhead door on that truck worked sporadically. I assumed the fob battery was low. I was not informed before-hand that the door handle had to be pushed, then pulled, which cost me a lot of time. I continued my deliveries, manually entering each address, but the DIAD would not accept the addresses I was inputting.
I called dispatch and told them my phone was going dead even though I had plugged it into the DIAD holder. I was told to go buy a power bank which I did, after waiting in line for what I timed to be 35 minutes.
While attempting to finish delivering my Irregs I found the back door was next to impossible to open but after a lot of slamming it up And down I could open it.
I returned to the hub about 8PM with I think six packages still om my truck. wrote these items up and then punched out.
11/29- Sunday evening (holiday weekend) I went to the hub that evening, and was let in by Brian to get my power bank I left in the car and verify with the mechanic the car got fixed. The mechanic told me he reconnected the ground on the E DIAD cradle, adjusted the back door and had ordered parts for the mechanical issues I had written up
12/5 - 0700 called my supervisor to see if I was working that day but got no answer. I received a text within 15 minutes of calling him that I was not working that day. Having a friend who needed help in Palm Coast I got dressed and went to Walmart to get some supplies he needed. As I was getting on I-95 to Palm Coast I revived a text asking if I could come in. I responded I would be there if needed. They responded yes that I was needed. Being an individual who has always placed my team before my pleasure I turned around, went home and made it in before start time. I completed that day without any issues and did not have any further issues after that any other time I worked.
Even though i have still have not been given a route with EDD I have delivered many packages without delay since learning the DIAD, the sort and selection procedure and how to build a route using Google map.
I could not have been given a worse chance to prove myself that fateful Saturday 11/28 than if I would have been given a car with four flat tires with all the issues experienced and the time they took.
In closing I would like to say I find it very disturbing that a sujpervisor, whom I had never met or spoken with prior to yesterday, 12/9, was the one that informed me that I was being let go. When I asked why, I was told that I had been on a route for two weeks and I was not meeting expectations. Then when I expressed my surprise to hear I even had a route, and had worked 2 weeks straight when I had not even worked 2 days straight, I was told to call Josh back at noon to discuss this further. When I spoke with Josh at noon, I was told it was all about that horrible Saturday mentioned above. I know if I had started when I was suppose to and actually trained with a supervisor this would never have happened.
I realize I am 60 years old but as a retired firefighter I am still in good shape and should have been given the same chance as the younger drivers. It is my firm belief UPS hired too many drivers and now is having ro let them go, which this person admitted, and now I have a black mark on my employment record all because UPS was gambling on being busier than they are and attempting to cut down on the OT they were paying out.
