canon
Well-Known Member
It's because the time allowance for being in the cargo area was eliminated. As per the guy who did my time study told me, on a residential stop which will be delivered from the side door, your time allowance starts when your foot hits the ground with package in hand. I asked "what if I can't find the package, or the load is so full it takes time to get to the stop?". PAS is supposed to put the packages stop for stop on the shelf and eliminate all the wasted time sorting we "used" to have to do under our old less efficient system.
Still waiting for that to happen.
I scan for misloads as management instructs. The reason we do this is because having the drivers look for misloads is easier than fixing all the problems inherent to a system that was supposed to remove all thought process. Some centers are better, fewer misloads, better looping, lower turnover for preload. I guess those are the centers that are still thinking.
We have been told for a while to dig through the load for 10:30 commits.Of course it is best to pull up EDD and compare the NDA on it with what you actually see in your load. The 3PM requests is old news, we've been doing that for a while. It was no problem, I usually set up the rest of my load after lunch anyway.
canon
Well-Known Member
Yeah, most of us check for airs. We check for misloads. We check for mis-sectioned packages. We tape boxes up and pull out dented corners so the customer doesn't think we used it for a Jim Carrey movie. We bag packages so they don't get wet. We break trace to make sure time commits are met. We get sales leads. We remain polite when trying to cut a long conversation off with a customer. And when cutting the conversation off would be inappropriate, some of us (like myself) punch out on break so I can listen to "Joe" tell me about his wife recently being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Did I mention sales leads? We phone the center when asked to. We break trace to go meet some "misload driver" which ends up taking longer than having the guy deliver it himself. We hunt for dock personel to sign the boards, then act happy to have done so. We smile when the elderly lady butchers the name on the COD check and has to write a new one.
Then there's "Mary" who is taking care of her son "Neal" and needs my help getting the large boxes of adult diapers in her house. Once a month, two large boxes arrive and I let myself in when I see her wave at me to do so. Arthritis makes it almost impossibly painful for her to move. Neal is severly retarded and incapable of doing anything at all for himself. She is well into her 80's and likes to talk, not many people come to see her.
According to "Mary", she's been cooking, cleaning and changing Neal's diapers for 53 years and hasn't missed a day or taken a vacation from that responsibility. She says it with pride, but then adds she doesn't know what will happen to Neal when she's no longer around. Neal was sick right before Christmas and I had to take a moment to hear her concerns that he wouldn't make it to open presents. The conversation changes to TV evangelists and we lightheartedly compare our favorites. I take the first opportunity to escape without seeming like I'm going to get in trouble for being courteous. I haven't had a delivery for that house so far this year, and I'm undecided on my position of what the "best solution" to her suffering would be. The prayer ends up being a rather generic appeal for a peaceful outcome.
Chan, do you know how to code any of that time out in the diad? Sorry for the nasty tone of this post, but it rubbed me the wrong way that you insinuated we're just missing the point it might be to "improve service". We're service providers according to the company. It would be nice to receive time allowances for providing the services mgmt asks, and not be punished for making sure the "human" portion of providing service remains intact.
There's a reason people keep paying our higher and higher shipping fees, and it's not always just because we run the tightest ship in the shipping business.
TheOCbaby
Member
I just delivered 493 stops with 587 pieces and 12 pickups last Friday - by myself, I might add. Do I know wtf I have in my truck at 15:00? Hell no! Do I care? Not if I'm running 500 stops, I don't. Let them write me up for a pre-loader's screw-up. I'd like to see them replace me with three full-timers just to prove a point about something that wasn't my fault to begin with. At 15:00, I probably had about 260 stops left in my truck. I could literally deliver about 40-50 stops in the time it would take to go through the rest of my load. And even if I did find a misload, it's not like it would get delivered anyway. They certainly don't have the manpower to come out to take it off of me and deliver to BFE before closure. You're an ignoramus for insinuating that everybody else has a cupcake route like yours, whereby they MUST know what they have in their truck by 15:00. My advice to the original poster: if you find a misload after 15:00, just call it in whenever you run accross it. Don't stress on it. The worst thing that can happen is that they make you deliver a pkg. that is way off your route. They would never win a full-blown disciplinary action against a driver for something he didn't do. Preload made the mistake, not you. You can't help it if it was PAL'ed incorrectly or placed there inadvertantly by a young pothead. Even if the Teamsters don't back you up on that one, the courts would - I guarantee it.
canon
Well-Known Member
I think you could have made the point without calling people names, but when you're rockin' 50 stops an hour I guess you don't have time for courtesy. Keep in mind you've just advised him to disregard management instruction and opt for fighting for his job. Will he win? Even if he has to go to court etc like you said? Probably eventually. Does everyone want to constantly fight for their jobs? Speaking only for myself, I'll do what management says and sort the truck.
Congrats on the 50 stops per hour. That leaves what? 0.83 seconds between stops to deliver something which must take a moose to carry? Or are we talking about delivering entire office buildings to the mailroom and getting credit for 20+ stops at one location? Mostly evelopes in totes? Not insulting, just trying to figure out how someone has managed to defy physics for what the rest of us are bound to when we're looking at neighborhoods, industrial parks and rural country routes and still be following proper UPS methods.
Welcome to the board too.
browniehound
Well-Known Member
Canon, Execellent post. You summed our frustatrations rather nicely. Its not like we don't want to move faster, we can't. because we have to be polite to our customers. And its always the guys who want to run-and-gun that end up pissing off our customers.
There is a reason why a driver finishes quicker on an OJS ride. Its because our customers see the "inspecter" there and suddely don't want to chat about their wife's terminal cancer. That and the fact management choses the less volume times of the year to conduct them.
There is a reason why a driver finishes quicker on an OJS ride. Its because our customers see the "inspecter" there and suddely don't want to chat about their wife's terminal cancer. That and the fact management choses the less volume times of the year to conduct them.
brownmonster
Man of Great Wisdom
Nowhere in his post did he say he is a UPS driver. He's either a mailman or a paper boy!
brown bomber
brown bomber
sometimes @ 1500, I'm still sitting on 50 stops or more...trying to make room for p/u pieces
Canon, Canon, Canon, Did you have a bad day when your wrote your response? I thought I asked a simple question of the board.
I was not being disrepctful, simply giving my thoughts on the "Mgt instucts us to violate methods"
I thought we made up on a previous post, when you told me you were taken off your training route due to a personal situation.
Now I feel violated by your response, might as well have ripped my lips off.
neverskiplunch
Active Member
Sounds like you need to tell your boss to tell the loader to do his job and give him warning letters for missloads. Just another piss poor sup or manager attacking whats "easy" instead of making a difference in the center.
porkwagon
Well-Known Member
I thought I have a heavy workload with 185-200 stops a day on average. But 493? Please tell me how that is even posiible to compleate in one day.
canon
Well-Known Member
"Do anyone of you check your cars for Air packages prior to service commit times?
Is this kind of the same thing for misload and possible missed packages? I'm thinking this may just be another way to improve service."
When I read that I see it as suggesting drivers are being unreasonably difficult when management is only trying to "improve service". My point was that in addition to all the little things we're expected to do, there's a host of things not in the books that we do on our own for the sake of service and company image. None of which we get any time credit for.
Want to decrease misloads? Quit cramming the sort down the preloaders throats and give them time to produce quality loads. Instead what do we get? Drivers are instructed to "fix" the problem and not even provide the time allowance to do so. Same with PAS. As per the methods, with PAS all time allowances for sorting the car were removed because that would no longer be necessary. PAS is supposed to put everything in order stop for stop and eliminate or greatly reduce misloads. Instead of management taking the proper steps necessary to fix the problem, their laziness and or apathy becomes yet one more delay the driver has own and account for. Heck, it even takes accountability off the management if the driver doesn't "find" it in time.
Most drivers are, imo, VASTLY MORE service oriented than anyone who bases their promotions on our numbers. For them to ask yet something else and provide no time allowance is par for the course in the world of numbers over customers. While they get yelled at by corporate for missing a package, we're the ones who have to face the customers affected by PAS. Sorry for the rant, I found it a bit insulting that you thought we needed to be reminded we're here for service.
And yes, I did have a bad day... thanks for asking. Today was another one. Eleven hours thanks to the poor looping. Missed the weekly "family dinner" my wife hosts which intentionally doesn't start 'til 20:00 to accomodate my late hours. No misloads today. Yippie for service.
I'm sorry you feel violated, I only meant to enlighten.
canon
Well-Known Member
You're forgetting to add in the 12 pickups. I asked the same question. Guessing we're talking about delivering large buildings all prerecorded to the mailroom. One signature and 40 stops in a tote or one cart.
Maybe he puts them in his garage and delivers them on saturday.
BoogaBooga
Well-Known Member
We have been calling in at 3:00pm for 5 years now. We call in stops off, stops left, and return to building time. Sometimes I count stops left, but usually just look at the stop counter if I am busy. If I am not going to be back to the center by air departure time, usually I get delivery help or someone to take my pickups. If I am going to be done in 9 or less hours, I usually figure I am helping a co-worker who was overdispatched. We all work alot of long days.
Canon,
I've only been retired for a year. I know how stressful jobs are at UPS. There are no easy jobs for anyone, management, union, and non union. For some reason, over 300,000 employees worldwide stick with UPS. Go figure
Service is all we have to offer and I still think it's the best in the business. And I make that statement based on time in transit and deliveries by Fed Ex and DHL. Although they are catching up to UPS. Wishing you a good evening.
I've only been retired for a year. I know how stressful jobs are at UPS. There are no easy jobs for anyone, management, union, and non union. For some reason, over 300,000 employees worldwide stick with UPS. Go figure
Service is all we have to offer and I still think it's the best in the business. And I make that statement based on time in transit and deliveries by Fed Ex and DHL. Although they are catching up to UPS. Wishing you a good evening.
canon
Well-Known Member
We all have to walk uphill to school both ways in the snow. I'm betting people aren't sticking around because they feel like they're making a difference in the world. Has to be the money. I kick myself for not taking a different route, and for my own laziness now. What I wouldn't give for knowing what it's like to "want" to go to work everyday. It's not any easier always being on the defensive with management either.
I envy all who retire. I hope BrownCafe isn't your new life. If it were me, photography would become my new 9 to 5. Gives me excuses to drive places, hike, look at life a bit more closely and from different angles. What topic is this? Oh yeah, mgmt's methods violate us. tru dat.
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