UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
Good advice but difficult to put in to action.
Hopeful new hire that failed his road course before it even began :(
Good advice but difficult to put in to action.
Richard Harrow
Deplorable.
Indecisi0n
Well-Known Member
Sorry but desperation doesn't get you the job but determination will. Nothing you can do but pick yourself up and keep on moving. I would call the supervisor and thank him for his time and express to him that you were a little intimidated at the time of the test and would like to opportunity to retest if that is possible. What's the worse he could say is no?
You have to keep in mind that stalling that many times is a safety issue. Once I could understand, twice maybe as you get use to the truck but more than that can be a problem. Picture you on a hill with a fully loaded truck and a brand new mercedes pulls right up to your ass at dead stop. Little tap of his front bumper because of a stall is going to cost UPS a lot of money and headache.
If I lived close enough to you I would allow you to come over and drive my stick for practice.
You have to keep in mind that stalling that many times is a safety issue. Once I could understand, twice maybe as you get use to the truck but more than that can be a problem. Picture you on a hill with a fully loaded truck and a brand new mercedes pulls right up to your ass at dead stop. Little tap of his front bumper because of a stall is going to cost UPS a lot of money and headache.
If I lived close enough to you I would allow you to come over and drive my stick for practice.
Indecisi0n
Well-Known Member
Depending on the sup that might not be an option when you are new.
DriverNerd
Well-Known Member
I drive an old 10 cube once a week. I only use the clutch about half the time. For a road test, of course, I would for every shift.
Its mandatory to use first gear during the driving test although we all know its pretty much useless in the real world. Shifting going over railroad tracks is another thing that is frowned upon. I was working in the office the other day talking to the new supervisor that has to give road tests. He had just came in for flunking a guy that hit the curb twice at the start of the test. There is a grading system that they use to disqualify an applicant.
ManInBrown
Well-Known Member
Cliff notes please
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
Don't hit nuthin'.
This would be a great Mission Statement for our Center. We have three times as many crashes in my Center than what the plan calls for, making us the very Least/Best out of the 95 Centers we are grouped in. I feel like we are just cursed. We do great with lowering our injury rate and telematics reports. Our Center Manager is asking us to come up with a slogan as a Mission Statement. The old Atlanta Brave's "Worst to First" was mentioned. My "Just Quit Hitting
" idea for a banner was rejected for some reason.
I 100% understand the safety issue thing. As I said I didn't argue the reasoning, I'm just really kicking myself over doing so poorly when I know I can do better. Kicking myself even more about him saying they don't even have a single manual truck at the place I would've been working, so the singular problem I was having wouldn't be a problem. I do understand too that trucks move around and I may one day have to drive a manual truck. I'm not stupid and naive lol. I understand my situation and the reasoning completely.
And the thing with stalling was only when needing to shift from 1st to 2nd at an intersection quickly (more quickly than I think you usually would shift out of 1st) before you crossed the intersection. We did a practice hill start, using the hand brake I did that fine. I never slightly stalled pulling out in 1st. Every start from a stop that I could use more of 1st gear then shift went well, it was just the short shift into 2nd that had to be done quickly I couldn't get.
On the calling back note I didn't really plan on it before posting on here (really glad I did, thank you to everyone for the help) now I want to but I have no number or even an email to contact the facility back. Even when they called me for my road test it was a private number so I can't even call that back.
I figured this, I even caught the guy I was with do it when we pulled out of the depot. (excuse my incorrect terms. I use depot, truck, and who knows what else incorrectly.)
Billy Ray
God, help us all.....
This would be a great Mission Statement for our Center. We have three times as many crashes in my Center than what the plan calls for, making us the very Least/Best out of the 95 Centers we are grouped in. I feel like we are just cursed. We do great with lowering our injury rate and telematics reports. Our Center Manager is asking us to come up with a slogan as a Mission Statement. The old Atlanta Brave's "Worst to First" was mentioned. My "Just Quit Hitting
I don't even know how you guys deal with that Atlanta traffic, much respect.
I took my driving test in Jacksonville, Florida ; instructor said "You've driven a large truck before."
Me: "Not really, but, I have never driven anything but a stick."
Drive that truck like it's in a bubble, and don't break the bubble.
was this at school or at the center where you were hired? I just did a road test with the hiring manager at our local center. he dinged me on my shifting for first gear but the truck was really bad. he just told me to use 2nd and that worked out better. what should I expect at school for driving?
yea I'm with you. the truck in no way did the truck drive like any manual I've ever driven. I had troubles with first gear because it was a pretty old truck. it wouldn't even go into most gears. that was the only thing I was dinged on fortunately and it got better as I drove.
I took my first driving test about 35 years ago, there was no driving school of any type. They had an old P-600 with the bulkhead removed and a couple of bench seats bolted in the back for the other driver wannabes. After you passed, you would be trained on the route by an on road supervisor for five days. The supervisor didn't have a jump seat, they just hung on for dear life back then. My first bids were on elevator routes in Downtown Atlanta. When I finally made it, I had a bulk van route in a industrial park in the suburbs.
I have toured Integrad but not taken the course itself. It seemed more geared to inside class work and had a tiny driving course next to it. I don't even know if they actually drive on public roads, hopefully somebody that has taken it will chime in.
I'm interested to hear as well. they said they wanted to make sure I could drive before sending me to school. I passed the test at the center. going to intergrad in Atlanta but I've heard mixed things. HR said they don't take you on public roads but I'm trying to figure out how you do your commentary if you're not on a live road? was supposed to go to Maryland but ended up being told I'm going to Atlanta.
retiredTxfeeder
cap'n crunch
When I went to feeder school, they trained us to shift according to the RPM's only. We only had 5 speed GMC's back then, so it wasn't too hard. Those POS they use for road tests are the absolute worst of the worst. Probably don't even use them for delivery anymore. When testing, we had to go from first (granny gear). What we did was once we got rolling, go ahead and upshift. Usually the gears were so wallowed out, if you were even close (both in the pattern and the RPM range) it would go into second gear. BTW the last time I shifted by RPM's only was probably my last day of feeder school. It was a fine dance to go from brake/accelerator/clutch/brake release as a newbie. After one ugly start, my instructor told me if I rolled back at my next light, he would fail me. No pressure.
