Orion delivery system

[JL 0513]

....
I helped roll-out the initial DIAD and it sucked big time

Funny you mention that. My center manager, in an effort to sell us on ORION, has said a number of times..."remember when we went to DIADS...I don't see anyone asking to go back to paper". That is certainly a fair point. But how long will this tech take to mature? I don't necessarily mind going through the growing pains, but what aggravates me is that we as drivers are made to look like incompetents. Even when management knows full well the faults of ORION, they still force it because they are being forced to report the required metric. Lose lose for everyone.

Tech as relatively simple as this not working is what makes me laugh at recent articles that predict our jobs being replaced by robots in as early as 2030. Only 16 years away. We still don't have a system that knows the simple data of where each address actually is and can place them in a proper order. Even though Google Maps does. Type in 100 Main street into your phone, and it takes you to the front door. In Orion, the stops are listed 50 main st, 30 main street, 110 main st. 80 main street....

 

[JL 0513]

So I've been on ORION for one miserable week. A complete and utter disaster. It's adding at least one hour to my paid day every day. I now need an air meet every night (making a driver drive all the way to my area to get my airs...a real money saver). All the while, I'm having to work harder and faster just to finish the day within reason. I actually liked the job before. I now am stressed and frustrated all day because I know I'm just driving aimlessly. My miles are up about 20%.

If this is the future of UPS, I fear for my own personal future because it will sink UPS.

What they are ignoring, are fundamental flaws. Orion is a mathematical algorithm that seems to connect dots on a map. Without considering anything else. It sometimes thinks package cars can fly. It breaks every rule/method we've ever been taught. 30" selection area? Trashed. I waste 45 minutes a day digging from section to section. Constantly have to walk to the back.

Backing is trippled if you're willing. I'm now supposed to back a P800 with no power steering into tight driveways all day? And hear at the PCM every morning complaints about our backs increasing?

Oh, and having to walk across main roads all day? Now I stand there and wait for a break in the 45 mph traffic to cross?

One of the biggest flaws of them all? Factoring in pick ups. It creates an ideal time schedule to approach first p/u but I have found that it doesn't factor any breaks or lunch to meet that time schedule. WTF! Plus, when I see the mileage estimate in the morning that you're supposed to meet, it doesn't factor in the break aways for p/u 's and then the return to where you left off. Total BS.

This thing has me going up and down the same streets over and over. It has me leave a neighborhood just to return later for 1 or 2 more stops.

I can't stop thinking about how stupid this is. It's actually stressing me out because it's making me look bad being over an hour paid over everyday.

I just needed to vent. You guys feel the same?

 

[didyousheetit]

So I've been on ORION for one miserable week. A complete and utter disaster. It's adding at least one hour to my paid day every day. I now need an air meet every night (making a driver drive all the way to my area to get my airs...a real money saver). All the while, I'm having to work harder and faster just to finish the day within reason. I actually liked the job before. I now am stressed and frustrated all day because I know I'm just driving aimlessly. My miles are up about 20%.

If this is the future of UPS, I fear for my own personal future because it will sink UPS.

What they are ignoring, are fundamental flaws. Orion is a mathematical algorithm that seems to connect dots on a map. Without considering anything else. It sometimes thinks package cars can fly. It breaks every rule/method we've ever been taught. 30" selection area? Trashed. I waste 45 minutes a day digging from section to section. Constantly have to walk to the back.

Backing is trippled if you're willing. I'm now supposed to back a P800 with no power steering into tight driveways all day? And hear at the PCM every morning complaints about our backs increasing?

Oh, and having to walk across main roads all day? Now I stand there and wait for a break in the 45 mph traffic to cross?

One of the biggest flaws of them all? Factoring in pick ups. It creates an ideal time schedule to approach first p/u but I have found that it doesn't factor any breaks or lunch to meet that time schedule. WTF! Plus, when I see the mileage estimate in the morning that you're supposed to meet, it doesn't factor in the break aways for p/u 's and then the return to where you left off. Total BS.

This thing has me going up and down the same streets over and over. It has me leave a neighborhood just to return later for 1 or 2 more stops.

I can't stop thinking about how stupid this is. It's actually stressing me out because it's making me look bad being over an hour paid over everyday.

I just needed to vent. You guys feel the same?

You are right on all accounts I have been on it for,16 months and just now have decided to embrace it and make the extra money. You can make even more money not doing the backs just keep driving around the blocks. I figure I will make extra 14000 this year because of it

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[MethodsMan]

So I've been on ORION for one miserable week. A complete and utter disaster. It's adding at least one hour to my paid day every day. I now need an air meet every night (making a driver drive all the way to my area to get my airs...a real money saver). All the while, I'm having to work harder and faster just to finish the day within reason. I actually liked the job before. I now am stressed and frustrated all day because I know I'm just driving aimlessly. My miles are up about 20%.

If this is the future of UPS, I fear for my own personal future because it will sink UPS.

What they are ignoring, are fundamental flaws. Orion is a mathematical algorithm that seems to connect dots on a map. Without considering anything else. It sometimes thinks package cars can fly. It breaks every rule/method we've ever been taught. 30" selection area? Trashed. I waste 45 minutes a day digging from section to section. Constantly have to walk to the back.

Backing is trippled if you're willing. I'm now supposed to back a P800 with no power steering into tight driveways all day? And hear at the PCM every morning complaints about our backs increasing?

Oh, and having to walk across main roads all day? Now I stand there and wait for a break in the 45 mph traffic to cross?

One of the biggest flaws of them all? Factoring in pick ups. It creates an ideal time schedule to approach first p/u but I have found that it doesn't factor any breaks or lunch to meet that time schedule. WTF! Plus, when I see the mileage estimate in the morning that you're supposed to meet, it doesn't factor in the break aways for p/u 's and then the return to where you left off. Total BS.

This thing has me going up and down the same streets over and over. It has me leave a neighborhood just to return later for 1 or 2 more stops.

I can't stop thinking about how stupid this is. It's actually stressing me out because it's making me look bad being over an hour paid over everyday.

I just needed to vent. You guys feel the same?

Haha, its comical.

I'm always excited to get my diad in the morning and see what crazy directions it gives me.

For cover drivers its even worse. Imagine how much more frustrating it is to not have really good area knowledge and then being told by the computer to take a left turn out of the 7-eleven parking lot down a super busy street in rush hour traffic to save a mile.

 

[tourists24]

So I've been on ORION for one miserable week. A complete and utter disaster. It's adding at least one hour to my paid day every day. I now need an air meet every night (making a driver drive all the way to my area to get my airs...a real money saver). All the while, I'm having to work harder and faster just to finish the day within reason. I actually liked the job before. I now am stressed and frustrated all day because I know I'm just driving aimlessly. My miles are up about 20%.

If this is the future of UPS, I fear for my own personal future because it will sink UPS.

What they are ignoring, are fundamental flaws. Orion is a mathematical algorithm that seems to connect dots on a map. Without considering anything else. It sometimes thinks package cars can fly. It breaks every rule/method we've ever been taught. 30" selection area? Trashed. I waste 45 minutes a day digging from section to section. Constantly have to walk to the back.

Backing is trippled if you're willing. I'm now supposed to back a P800 with no power steering into tight driveways all day? And hear at the PCM every morning complaints about our backs increasing?

Oh, and having to walk across main roads all day? Now I stand there and wait for a break in the 45 mph traffic to cross?

One of the biggest flaws of them all? Factoring in pick ups. It creates an ideal time schedule to approach first p/u but I have found that it doesn't factor any breaks or lunch to meet that time schedule. WTF! Plus, when I see the mileage estimate in the morning that you're supposed to meet, it doesn't factor in the break aways for p/u 's and then the return to where you left off. Total BS.

This thing has me going up and down the same streets over and over. It has me leave a neighborhood just to return later for 1 or 2 more stops.

I can't stop thinking about how stupid this is. It's actually stressing me out because it's making me look bad being over an hour paid over everyday.

I just needed to vent. You guys feel the same?

your experience is a familiar one. You must care about the task at hand. I have found after being on ORION now for a while that the best thing is to stop caring and use a few strategy tips. After that screw caring... If you use this crux the rest can fall in line as long as you don't care about how late you work anymore. Priorities.... 1. Safety 2. Service 3 Orion..... as long as you make service on air and don't have missed businesses, then run ORION 100 percent.... try that and see if it helps

 

[Bald1der]

Orion makes sense for some of the rural/ pure residential trips. For mileage trips it can cut down on your mileage and take huge chunks out of the trip that you normally wouldn't think of. But, you have to be able to walk down the center aisle and grab those packages right away. For commercial, industrial, suburban trips, forget it.

You can run a trip nowhere near the percentage, but match or beat the mileage. All that matters is your compliance percentage, even if you beat it by 20 miles the way you want to do it.

You need to communicate with your dispatch office and the IE guy that does the Orion rides with you. Tell them the stops you need to hit early, where you have to start the trip every day, and the general flow. (Orion might think that making all LEFT turns at lights across 6 lane highways will save you mileage).

The time study does not change with Orion. It tells you that will hit your first stop before you are on the clock and your last stop will be hit at 8:00pm every night, but you don't get paid like that.

Just a little hint. If you wanna kill Orion you need to tell IE about a BS allowance, tell them that furthest possible house on your trip needs to be delivered with your airs. It will have you shoot over to that furthest point whether you have a stop there or not.

 

[jumpman23]

The Orion people came to our center, and i guess they saw that the dispatch idiots have bout 5 million plans and saw how far we cover on a map, they said it wouldnt work here. Needless to say they supposedly wont be back for 2 years at least if they ever even show up again lol.

 

[Bald1der]

Yeah the Orion system is picky. It has the trips around the building "optimized" at 30 miles over what they do on a normal day (40-50 vs 70-80). But it thinks it can shave 30 miles of dirt roads off some rural trips.

 

[kingOFchester]

Not sure what all the uproar over Orion is all about. Who cares. UPS has a choice, set some perimeters while allowing professional drivers make professional decisions. Or they can tell me exactly what to do. They have decided to take all decision making out of my hands. So that is what they will get. I will get in, close the door and go to stop 1. I will clear out anything in my way t get to that 8000 shelf and look for the package. Once found, I will head to stop 2. If it is on the 7000 shelf, I will once again clear out the bulk, look for package and then move on to stop 3. When I have 20 minutes left for air's and the air's go to the top of EDD, I will deliver them in that order. I will communicate all issues and forceable issues threw out the day. 4:30 and have business left, send message "businesses will be closing soon, should I break off Orion or continue following?

What could they do?

 

[1989]

We were told that there is no safety risk crossing your vehicle for a delivery as long as you cross from the rear. My response was then there is no safety risk in backing as long as I don't hit anything.

 

[JL 0513]

I appreciate the tips. At this point in my career (I'm a first year driver), it's hard for me to put aside my pride and not care at all. I'm still at the stage where I like to prove my worth, mainly to the center manager who granted me seniority. I don't want him to think he made a mistake if now I'm an hour+ paid over everyday (even though I made scratch most days before ORION). I know it's easier if you've been driving for many years to say "friend it". I'm going to raise my concerns about it this week and if they proceed to say follow it 95% (our requirement), then they got it. I will turn off my brain and go 100%.

I just really really hate looking like a loser when I know I can do the job successfully if done my way.

There's also this nonsense about we the drivers somehow being responsible for fixing every flaw that comes about. ORION had me follow a ridiculous path last week and my center manager said, "dude you gotta let us know if there's a problem". When?
All day long? Everyday? After shift when everyone is gone? Before shift off the clock? It's my job now to fix an unfixable billion dollar mistake?

 

[cosmo1]

.....I'm still at the stage where I like to prove my worth, mainly to the center manager who granted me seniority.....

It's not like the Queen of England laid a sword on your shoulder and granted you a knighthood. You earned seniority, and don't ever forget that.

 

[wayfair]

I am Orion

 

[tourists24]

We were told that there is no safety risk crossing your vehicle for a delivery as long as you cross from the rear. My response was then there is no safety risk in backing as long as I don't hit anything.

lol.... I like that response

 

[JL 0513]

It's not like the Queen of England laid a sword on your shoulder and granted you a knighthood. You earned seniority, and don't ever forget that.

True, but you know what I mean. The center manager went on my seniority drive and therefore it was up to him to make the call. So to look like an incompetent now because of ORION really pisses me off because I worked so hard to make seniority and be successful.

 

[cosmo1]

.....The center manager went on my seniority drive and therefore it was up to him to make the call.....

Probably because it was his turn.

 

[Rainman]

If you are delivering the same street, you can deliver those stops in any order you want without having a break in Orion. Let's say you have 100 stops on your route and you run all the even number stops starting at # 2 through # 100, then the odd stops starting at #1-99, then you only have 1 break ( when you went from 100 back to #1). You are allowed 15% of your total stops as the number of permissible breaks...15 for every 100 stops. Use your breaks strategically. To run 100% by Orion is totally against your best interest in most cases, and management will tell you they don't want that, because even if it improves their Orion percentage it kills everything else. Use your breaks and don't worry I'd your Orion numbers aren't always the best. They can tweak Orion and edd to fix that.


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[Brownsfan]

We have had Orion in our building and everyone's feedback is spot on


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[Brownsfan]

They talk about this all important algorithm, but the only algorithm that matters, is the one that allows them to see the big picture on which route to cut. That's where there saving miles in our building. It sucks. We have maybe 27 drivers and 23 are on the 9.5 list. It's a damn soap opera daily.


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