Old Package Truck

[BradRyBoss69]

Hey Everyone,

So I am on Preload and doing driver helper this year. I work in a small center and I go on a small truck with the driver every day. The truck my driver drives has like over 400,000 Miles on it. The frame on the bottom makes a "popping" sound every time we go around a corner or in a driveway. Most of everything else the truck has like the heater and so forth, barely works most of the time. It amazes me how we work with a huge piece of truck and can't get a new one to work with. Most of the other trucks aren't in great shape either, (400,000+) on some other trucks too.

Yet, when another center a 100 miles away can get 4 brand new trucks and we are stuck with a piece of on the road which could break down at any point in time. It blows my mind to no end. How can we expect to deliver packages to peoples homes but work with an old truck that constantly wears down all the time. Anyways, this was just a small rant, but I wanted to get some insight from other people if they have had a similar issue in some centers.

 

[burrheadd]

You’re a helper just worry about getting the right box on the right porch in a timely manner

 

[Box Ox]

we are stuck with a piece of * on the road which could break down at any point in time.

Enjoy the free money if it does.

 

[TSB]

You’re a helper just worry about getting the right box on the right porch in a timely manner

Agreed. Sounds like you are still able to do the job so accept it and move on. You cannot compare one center to another in regards to why they get 4 new PC's and you are in an old one. They may have PC's in worse shape so they got the new ones. As long as the jump seat and seat belt work that's all you need.

 

[542thruNthru]

Hey Everyone,

So I am on Preload and doing driver helper this year. I work in a small center and I go on a small truck with the driver every day. The truck my driver drives has like over 400,000 Miles on it. The frame on the bottom makes a "popping" sound every time we go around a corner or in a driveway. Most of everything else the truck has like the heater and so forth, barely works most of the time. It amazes me how we work with a huge piece of * truck and can't get a new one to work with. Most of the other trucks aren't in great shape either, (400,000+) on some other trucks too.

Yet, when another center a 100 miles away can get 4 brand new trucks and we are stuck with a piece of * on the road which could break down at any point in time. It blows my mind to no end. How can we expect to deliver packages to peoples homes but work with an old truck that constantly wears down all the time. Anyways, this was just a small rant, but I wanted to get some insight from other people if they have had a similar issue in some centers.

Email your concerns to ctomé@ups.com

Make sure you give the truck number and center name. I'm sure it will be fixed in no time.

 

[SandSpida]

Sounds like you got some pretty darn good mechanics in your building. 400K miles and it still runs!

 

[Operational needs]

The driver has probably turned down a new truck multiple times. When one drives a vehicle for a long time a lot of times they’re attached.

 

[No1 Special]

If it isn't a high stepper without power steering I wouldn't complain.

 

[34yearpackagehumper]

Son UPS has a lot of worn out PC"s . I have sat by the road many of days waiting for them to bring me another PC. It really turns into a long day. However sitting beside the road is the easiest money you'll make all day .

 

[rod]

Hang on---you appear to be within a split second of the "ride of your life" when the frame breaks while doing 70 mph down the freeway.

 

[iowa boy]

400,000 miles is barely broke in. My 2011 workhorse has 374 and change on it.

 

[DriverNerd]

My old International had 688k before they finally sent it to the crusher. It was damn reliable too. New guys don't know what it was like having a customer come up to you and having to shut the engine off to hear what they were saying. It only broke down on me once in 4 years, where the Freightliner that replaced it had to be towed in at least once a year. Plus being a manual and getting winter tires instead of those crappy all-season ones the new ones get made it awesome in the snow.

 

[clean hairy]

Agreed. Sounds like you are still able to do the job so accept it and move on. You cannot compare one center to another in regards to why they get 4 new PC's and you are in an old one. They may have PC's in worse shape so they got the new ones. As long as the jump seat and seat belt work that's all you need.

Remember a working hand brake as well!

 

[specter208]

My old International had 688k before they finally sent it to the crusher. It was damn reliable too. New guys don't know what it was like having a customer come up to you and having to shut the engine off to hear what they were saying. It only broke down on me once in 4 years, where the Freightliner that replaced it had to be towed in at least once a year. Plus being a manual and getting winter tires instead of those crappy all-season ones the new ones get made it awesome in the snow.

My center recently scrapped a 24ft International with the 7.3 and 5 speed. Only 100k miles and ran fine, Trans was getting stuck in gear though. Another one was scrapped because of a bad radiator.

 

[Indecisi0n]

Car not truck.

 

[Been In Brown Too Long]

I had one catch fire after driving 10 miles from my center to my very first air stop the week of Christmas. I'm inside the business, an equipment rental place, customer casually says as he's signing for the NDA letter, "Hey, you're truck is on fire." Yep, sure is...lol. I'm certainly not jumping in it to grab the little baby fire extinguisher they provide. Luckily for UPS the customer had a professional fire extinguisher and we limited the fire to the engine compartment. Melted every wire, hose, etc. Turned out to be the easiest peak day I ever had. My P1000 was cubed, not another package would fit. I ended up only delivering about 20 stops that day. They sent every driver in town to take stops off of me, and they didn't get me a package car to deliver out of for almost 8 hours. I just sat there damn near all day distributing packages to other drivers. Later found out there was both a fuel leak and an exhaust leak that ignited the fuel. UPS's policy has always been drive it till you break it. It definitely broke that day. One of many catastrophic breakdowns I've dealt with. Take the free money!

 

[eats packages]

I wish we had some of the old cars still, be better than rental hell.
Plenty of them had rolled over past 1 million miles.
I'm sure having automatics is fun, but scrapping all the manuals in bulk was not a good move.

 

[ouanling]

My old International had 688k before they finally sent it to the crusher. It was damn reliable too. New guys don't know what it was like having a customer come up to you and having to shut the engine off to hear what they were saying. It only broke down on me once in 4 years, where the Freightliner that replaced it had to be towed in at least once a year. Plus being a manual and getting winter tires instead of those crappy all-season ones the new ones get made it awesome in the snow.

i always try to get broken ass freightliner red-tagged when they give me one. pieces of crap.

workhorse only!

 

[scratch]

I had to fight to keep my 2006 P-700 Freightliner, it had 437K miles on it when I retired. I despised the newer cars and turned them down whenever one was offered to me. They were phasing out all our diesels and going with gas cars that get a lot worse miles per gallon. When the COVID hit and caused the package car shortage, they started hanging on to everything. They even put a rebuilt engine in my car late last Summer.

 

[Fido]

Little 500 workhorse I get has 380 and is working fine. Shakes a bit and shuts off randomly if I stick it in reverse but is overall fine. I love the turn radius the most on them.

Dumb new 22.4 though got in it one Saturday and wrote up all kinds of random and now I have no keyless start and have to key my bulk head open now. Little .

Even pissed in a damn can and left it on the upper shelves. Should of poured it into the seat of the car he was going out in next day.