Preloaders - advice on snacks

[FlaccidEgo]

Fellow preloaders - new to the role, only been loading 3 trucks for 4 days now. Although I've been told I'm doing a good job, about two-thirds of the way through the shift I really hit the wall and get very tired and the boxes pile up quicker than I can load them.

The guy next to me suggested I eat some snacks for energy, so I wondered what other preloaders recommend for snacks to provide an energy boost? I eat a granola bar before my shift starts every day but obviously it's not enough!

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

[bleedinbrown58]

Fellow preloaders - new to the role, only been loading 3 trucks for 4 days now. Although I've been told I'm doing a good job, about two-thirds of the way through the shift I really hit the wall and get very tired and the boxes pile up quicker than I can load them.

The guy next to me suggested I eat some snacks for energy, so I wondered what other preloaders recommend for snacks to provide an energy boost? I eat a granola bar before my shift starts every day but obviously it's not enough!

Thanks in advance for your input!

Bring whatever you like to eat...chips, pretzels, granola bars, dry cold cereal....anything you can eat on the
run. And cold beverages.

 

[MendozaJ]

You should have breakfast before your shift. Bananas are best for a quick burst of energy.

 

[Cementups]

breakfast before and just some random snack packs as you go. I never had any but every once in a while I would hit the lunch room during my shift if my belly was telling me to do so.

 

[Babagounj]

raisins

 

[HardknocksUPSer]

I like to eat nature valley honey and oat granola bars, I usually pack one Gatorade and drink water the rest of the time, I also pack poptarts and sometimes a honeybun, rice cakes are a good thing too, as someone else stated, bananas are good, there's a guy at my center who brings a whole cluster of bananas every morning.

 

[MTbrown]

Fellow preloaders - new to the role, only been loading 3 trucks for 4 days now. Although I've been told I'm doing a good job, about two-thirds of the way through the shift I really hit the wall and get very tired and the boxes pile up quicker than I can load them.

The guy next to me suggested I eat some snacks for energy, so I wondered what other preloaders recommend for snacks to provide an energy boost? I eat a granola bar before my shift starts every day but obviously it's not enough!

Thanks in advance for your input!

It may not have so much to do with what you eat, but how much sleep you get. What is your sleep schedule like?

 

[FlaccidEgo]

Thanks to all responders!

 

[FlaccidEgo]

It may not have so much to do with what you eat, but how much sleep you get. What is your sleep schedule like?

You know it isn't the best. Have to get up at 3:45am but I just cannot sleep during the day and usually don't feel sleepy enough until 10pm. So although I feel exhausted after my shift, I'm just not tired enough to sleep. Ideally I'd like to sleep for 2-3 hours during the day then for 5 hours or so at night, but it's not worked out that way so far.

 

[STFXG]

Sour cream and onion chips. They compliment the box dust very well.

 

[MTbrown]

You know it isn't the best. Have to get up at 3:45am but I just cannot sleep during the day and usually don't feel sleepy enough until 10pm. So although I feel exhausted after my shift, I'm just not tired enough to sleep. Ideally I'd like to sleep for 2-3 hours during the day then for 5 hours or so at night, but it's not worked out that way so far.

About how many packages are you getting a day? Everyone gets behind and stacks out toward the end. Most of my stuff comes on the 45 footer that we always do last.

 

[FlaccidEgo]

On my 3 trucks roughly 800 packages between 4:30 and 8. I don't know if that's low or not compared to others. The flow of packages down the belt is never steady, it is slow then all of a sudden there is an almighty ton of packages coming down all at once before it slows down again.

The good thing is my supervisor told me he got good feedback from the drivers of those trucks, and he was impressed that I was going as quick as I was, plus I had no missorts at all today - I just need to manage my energy levels better - I'm 6' 3'' and weigh 260 pounds so not as fit as most people, plus probably older than the other loaders in my mid 30s - I just like to push myself I guess.

 

[MTbrown]

On my 3 trucks roughly 800 packages between 4:30 and 8. I don't know if that's low or not compared to others. The flow of packages down the belt is never steady, it is slow then all of a sudden there is an almighty ton of packages coming down all at once before it slows down again.

The good thing is my supervisor told me he got good feedback from the drivers of those trucks, and he was impressed that I was going as quick as I was, plus I had no missorts at all today - I just need to manage my energy levels better - I'm 6' 3'' and weigh 260 pounds so not as fit as most people, plus probably older than the other loaders in my mid 30s - I just like to push myself I guess.

It will take at least a week for your body to get used to it. Just make sure you get enough sleep. I take melatonin which you can get from the health food store . Take it whenever you need to sleep and it won't make you feel groggy.

 

[anthonyb1203]

You will never get used to the giant mess that floods the belt. Trust me. Drink an energy drink. And no amount of sleep ever helps unless u sleep the whole day away and sleep good at night. I'm back on preload after a year off (worked 6 and a half years on preload) and it still sucks like always. But hey management has to hit their numbers regardless of how tired you get or how miserable it is, or how many damages they create by blowing the packages out, which you should know by now is always your fault (damages).... So yeah, energy drinks, fruit, granola bars r good too.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

Exercise. Cardio. You will feel energized and sleep better.

 

[UPSClerkGirl]

You'll grow into it. It took me a couple weeks to get used to the routine. For snack I like to bring nature valley bars and then some fruit. The nature valleys fill me up really well while the fruit is like a healthy treat. And lots of water! Stay away from gatorade, the sugar isn't great for you.

 

[FlaccidEgo]

I'm hoping that I will be driving within 3 months. Having the DoT physical this week and doing the week long driver training program in July. Not holding my breath but hoping I will not be a preloader for too long. Either way just grateful for the work.

 

[Wally]

Mix extra strength Red Bull with lots of sugar! Drink that like mad!

 

[Browndriver5]

I'm hoping that I will be driving within 3 months. Having the DoT physical this week and doing the week long driver training program in July. Not holding my breath but hoping I will not be a preloader for too long. Either way just grateful for the work.

If you don't mind me asking. What hub is hiring drivers after 3 months?

 

[HardknocksUPSer]

My bed time is 7:30-8 on nights when I have nothing else going on, I have on occasion stayed up all night Thursday night and then went to work without sleeping, I advise you not to do that, however my sleep schedule is a lot better than most of the other guys at my center who go to bed around 10-10:30 another thing that helps me keep my energy is to try and stay active and keep a steady pace as the flow slows down, if I slow down when the pace does I'm screwed because I stay slow.