Glimpses of the past

[Harley Rider]

The thread talking about using a pouch or clip for the Diad got me to thinking about the old clipboard days. I can remember using the same clipboard for years. It was so frayed on the edges from being dropped it was almost unusable. I still carry it with me incase my DIAD goes out plus I stuff a few turn in envelopes on it with a few maps. I use to keep the clip sharp to cut off COD tags. Ah.......... the good ole days.

Don't know about you but I would go back to sheeting six digits and a ID number in a heartbeat in order to get rid of the DIAD. At least then you didn't have to worry about getting 20 messages a day or an OCA that would ruin your day. Only way they could get in touch with you was to call a pick-up account which always forgot to tell you to call in to the center if you know what I mean.

 

[brownmonster]

Did you have any funny stickers on the back?

 

[rod]

Working on paper was great- unless it was pouring rain

 

[d12]

I always hated the carbon paper,counting stacks ofcurrency and coins,the flimsy clipboard holder, etc. But the 50 lb weight limit was nice.

 

[Harley Rider]

Working on paper was great- unless it was pouring rain

That reminds me of another thing Rod. Back in the mid eighties when I started, we had some great pens that would write on wet paper and allow you to put a service cross on a wet box. Can't remember what brand they were but they I do remember when UPS changed brands everyone was griping.

 

[under the radar]

With the 403 pieces, 86 signature stops, 35 pick ups, and the rookie preloader with the deer-in-the-headlights look I had today, I wouldn't trade diad and edd for anything! Not perfect, but better for sure. I've logged a few miles in my three decades driving. If we were still on paper, I'm not sure HOW I would have handled this load.

 

[old brown shoe]

They had to go to DIADS because most of the new hires can't write and the ones that can you couldn't read what they wrote.

 

[Big Babooba]

Sheeting pkgs while walking is a lost art.

 

[satellitedriver]

Sheeting pkgs while walking is a lost art.

Funny you should say that, Big.
The same thought occurred to me today, as I was filling out a delivery notice while walking to an attempted delivery where I knew the customer wasn't home.
I said to myself, "I use to be better at this walking and writing stuff."
I got spoiled ,quickly, to the DIAD.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Just try to take my DIAD away from me--I would have to hurt you!

 

[stealth8]

Oh I miss those cold winter delivery days when my inkpen would freeze up!! Had to keep spares on the heating vent, warming and ready to go!!!

 

[retired2000]

use to use the metal clip to scrape the ice off of the windshield. what do you use now?

 

[JustTired]

Working on paper was great- unless it was pouring rain

You mean you took yours out of the pkg car? I used to sheet a whole page up and then run the heck out of them (except large bulk stops). Fill in the DRs later. Would take a break at the end of the day and fill in shipper #s for multiple same shipper stops. Would also talley up the pages. The only time that clipboard left the pkg car was when I needed a signature. Or the occasional times when it would bounce out of the holder.

It might have been because I was younger, but I swear I made a lot better time back then than I can now. I miss those days. But I wouldn't want to sheet all the numbers you have to have now. Did it once when my diad went down. After that I stopped carrying paper records and just waited for them to bring me a new diad. Fortunately, I haven't had one go down since being on EDD.

I still think that the diad made everybodies job that comes after us easier than it did ours. Meaning no more paper audits, no more filing cabinets full of delivery records, no more searching thru stacks of paper to confirm deliveries and signatures.

Ah, the good old days. Probably not as good as I remember them, but definitely old!

 

[brownmonster]

DIAD made the job easier, until the last model.

 

[Channahon]

Oh I miss those cold winter delivery days when my inkpen would freeze up!! Had to keep spares on the heating vent, warming and ready to go!!!

I use to keep my pen on my ear, under my stocking hat, to keep it warm. Of course, by the end of the day, I would have ink marks all over the right side of my ear and face.

And darn those potholes, lost my clipboard once on a busy 4 lane city street. It got run over by a semi a couple of times, but I did retrieve it. As a rookie driver, I didn't want to call the center to let them know, I needed a replacement. So I went and bought a new one fo the rest of the day. Now the paper delivery records, well they were almost shredded, but I still turned them in.

Now this takes me way back, what a fond memory of my driving days.

 

[ups_vette]

You mean you took yours out of the pkg car? I used to sheet a whole page up and then run the heck out of them (except large bulk stops). Fill in the DRs later. Would take a break at the end of the day and fill in shipper #s for multiple same shipper stops. Would also talley up the pages. The only time that clipboard left the pkg car was when I needed a signature. Or the occasional times when it would bounce out of the holder.

Ah, the good old days. Probably not as good as I remember them, but definitely old!

WOW. I'm impressed. You're saying you failed to use the proper methods. What other methods didn't you do as you were trained to do back then? Are you still making up your own methods today? Don't let Griff see this, he's under the impression that all drivers use the methods they were trained to use and not violate the Contract.

 

[UPS Lifer]

They had to go to DIADS because most of the new hires can't write and the ones that can you couldn't read what they wrote.

This is truer than you think. I was a district auditor back in the day and we had to audit the tracing department. WOW! We would not be in business today if we hadn't changed.

I remember drivers kicking and screaming to stay on paper when we were changing over. One of the old-timers was the worst. He was worried about losing his job. He thought he wouldn't be able to pick it up!

When the system crashed the 1st time and the drivers had to go back to paper they were kicking and screaming and the old-timer was leading the charge!

 

[UPS Lifer]

How about the comptometers we had to use to add up our stops. Those machines were a stones throw from using chinese counting beads!!! LOL!

Does anybody still have one of those sitting around someplace?

For the young folk out there - here is a link:
http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/operating_a_comptometer.html

 

[rod]

I've got one but to be honest it was my Dads and didn't have anything to do with UPS. We had a little Victor hand opperated adding machine. My Comptometer would make a great boat anchor

 

[Lobofan5]

My Dad was telling me that when he was shipping UPS from his business in the 80's..that the driver would bring a metal chain with him..and if the chain didn't fit around the boxes..UPS wouldn't take them...

These days we would need some GIGANTIC chains for the crap we take......bowflexes....sleepmatic beds...etc.