Need some advice- Fuel Card

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

He fuels every other day, I've just lost track of what days he does and what days he doesn't. It really isn't his problem anyway.

If he is only fueling once per day (or less) you should also be able to fuel once per day.

 

[Arcfyre]

If he is only fueling once per day (or less) you should also be able to fuel once per day.

Right, and that's what I do. But since I usually start with a less-than-full car, it means that I have to fuel on the way out in the morning, since only one station will take my form of payment and I can't fuel on-area. Taking it one step further, this then means that I cannot fuel again that day, which means I return a less-than-full car to the building. The exception to this are days when I start with a full car. On those days I run the route and get fuel at the end of the day- no problem. But that realistically only happens about 33% of the time because all the other swing drivers are in the same position as I am.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Are your shop steward(s) and BA aware of this situation?

 

[CHALLY9TX]

Glad we don't have to deal with this in our hub. You've already notified management about the fueling problem. File a grievance for harassment. They shouldn't be threatening your job when they aren't providing the tools necessary to do the job. Like others have said, let them know in the morning that your PC needs fuel. Make it their problem to fix.


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[barnyard]

Filing a grievance seems like your best play. Maybe supes will be a little smarter about managing the fuel cards.

 

[Anonymous 11]

Run out of gas gets you a card. Rocket science.

 

[Arcfyre]

Are your shop steward(s) and BA aware of this situation?

I'm not entirely sure. They may know of it, and not consider it an "issue". Maybe I am blowing things out of proportion?

It kind of brings me back to the original question and title of this thread. Should I continue to escalate the situation, or just keep "making it work"?

 

[ManInBrown]

Must suck to deal with all of this. Our car wash guys add oil, fuel them up, wash them and put them in their spot for the next day.

Sent from my 28 year old brown truck

Same here. This is mind boggling that the OP has to deal with this.

"Make it work"What does that even mean? Is he implying the Driver use his own money? Sounds like that to me.

 

[soberups]

Do not, by any means, follow the advice offered by Soberups or Camping Nana, especially considering that you are a newly-qualified driver.

I also work in a small center and we also fuel off-site. When we were first issued fuel cards we were told to carry them on our person. We ran in to some of the same problems that you described, such as the guys leaving them at home or misplacing them altogether. Our new center manager has since directed that they be kept in the cab of the pkg cars, which does make more sense. You are incorrect when you state the card can only be used once per day----this is simply not true.

Our center has one master card which can be used by any driver at any time. I would ask that they give you that card until such time as they are able to get you your own card. You are right in that you should be given the tools that you need to do the job----this includes your own fuel card.

He stated in his original post that his manager has made a business decision to refuse to issue him a fuel card.

The decision is certainly his manager's to make; however the natural consequences of that decision are also his manager's to deal with.

I chose my words poorly in my response; rather than allowing the car to run out of fuel (which is a safety issue) I would pull over when the needle got close to empty and refuse to drive it further until fuel was delivered.

The underlying problem in the situation is a lack of fuel cards and the only way to force the company to solve it is to make the consequences of not solving it so painful and inconvenient that the management involved will be compelled to make better choices.

The OP's status as a new driver is irrelevant. He has seniority, he is reporting to work to do his job and he cannot do his job if his truck has no fuel. It isn't rocket science and the solution is obvious and simple.

 

[soberups]

He fuels every other day, I've just lost track of what days he does and what days he doesn't. It really isn't his problem anyway.

It doesn't have to be your problem either.

If you want to have a successful career here, you need to learn to treat your management's problems the same way you would treat their wallet if you found it laying on the ground. Just keep giving it back to them.

 

[barnyard]

and when they hand you a warning letter, grieve it.

 

[728ups]

Must suck to deal with all of this. Our car wash guys add oil, fuel them up, wash them and put them in their spot for the next day.

Sent from my 28 year old brown truck

Car Wash Guys????????? you will be accused of working in the BOG too LoL
they stopped that years and years ago in my center. a couple times a week i get the hose and brush and wash mine when i return to building

 

[BrownTexas]

Car Wash Guys????????? they stopped that years and years ago in my center. a couple times a week i get the hose and brush and wash mine when i return to building

Hopefully while on the clock.

 

[soberups]

I've been stuck way too many times paying for fuel. Guess what I spent hours one night trying to get fuel because I had access to 2 gas stations. One wouldn't take American Express the other wouldn't take just a card number. Hours later I worked a 14 hour day and had missed pieces. Needless to say I was issued my own fuel card a few days later.

We have our own pumps but they are old and they chronically malfunction. I have to fuel every day, so on occasion when the pumps are broken or empty I have had to buy fuel at a station on route. If our center manager is in the office he/she will call the station and pay over the phone with a credit card; if he/she isn't then I go ahead and pay for it with my own credit card and get reimbursed the next day. Since my management team knows damn well that I would have absolutely no problem pulling over and calling in for a tow truck to bring me fuel, they don't jerk me around when it comes to getting reimbursed; all I do is leave the receipt on my center manager's desk that night and there is an envelope in my slot with cash money in it when I come to work the next morning. Simple solutions for simple problems.

 

[Arcfyre]

I feel like I'm trying to walk a fine line here and I'm balancing a few different issues.

Not being able to fuel the truck is a childish and idiotic issue. No doubt about it. However, how I choose to deal with it has different consequences.

I do not, as I said before, want to inconvenience the driver whose card number I have. He not only trained me, but gave me a lifeline of sorts by giving me his card number to use. "Burning" him would serve no purpose other than to give myself a bad reputation in the eyes of the other drivers.

I do not want to simply keep "making it work" as my on road sup dismissively suggested. I do not like the idea of him being able to brush away my concerns that easily. After all, am I not supposed to bring my problems to him and expect at least some sort of rectifying action to be taken? What's his job description again?

On the other hand, I don't want to annoy the management to the point of them retaliating against me either. They can make my life hell without too much effort, and I don't want to start my career that way.

Like I said, I'm here to work & get paid. All I want are the tools to do my job.

 

[CHALLY9TX]

and when they hand you a warning letter, grieve it.

I'm not saying they won't try to give him a warning letter but how can they when they (management) are not providing the tools needed to perform the job. Especially after he's made management aware of the problem.


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[728ups]

Hopefully while on the clock.

oh yeah I even code it out as Carwash as i KNOW the Local Sort puts X amount of time on the report as Car Wash while not washing them

 

[728ups]

On the other hand, I don't want to annoy the management to the point of them retaliating against me either. They can make my life hell without too much effort, and I don't want to start my career that way.

.

I'm going to give you some advice I wish someone had given me many years ago: work safely,by the methods ,do the job as if the Oncar was right beside you every day and there is no way to make your life"Hell"

 

[soberups]

I threatened to do just that to my sup when he refused to issue me a card. He told me that it would cost me my job. I'm still very new to all this, having recently qualified. Is running out of fuel to make a point a firing offense? I'm also not out to make any enemies. I'm here to do my work and get paid, not really interested in making waves. Like I said before, I just want the tools to do my job.

1. Threatening to fire you is an ART 37 violation--harassment. Grieve it.

2. You aren't running out of fuel to make a point. You are running out of fuel because they have made a business decision to refuse to issue you a fuel card.

3. You aren't making waves, you are simply asking them to clarify what procedure they want you to follow in order to obtain fuel. If they tell you to keep doing what you have been doing, then do that but any service failures or late air that result from delays in getting fuel by following that procedure are their problem not yours.

4. Running out of fuel while going down the road is a safety issue. If they refuse to issue you a fuel card and you are on empty then you are well within your rights to pull over and refuse to drive further until arrangements are made to give you additional fuel.

5. It boggles my mind that we spend however many billions of dollars on ORION but we cant get fuel cards issued to an operational center.

 

[UPSGUY72]

Fuel cards are issued to cars not people. The card should never leave the vehicle best place is to put it in the plastic hazmat pouch or in the registration holder. After you input the mileage you then enter last 6 numbers of your UPS ID number when asked for your ID...

IF you ID isn't working call your HR person and get it working.