So did I do the right thing?

[soberups]

Monday was a super heavy day due to extra volume coming in from a train derailment the previous week. Stop count was +20 over max, I knew in the AM it would be at least a 10.5 hour day. Fine, no problem, I will git 'er done and make some OT on a nice sunny day.

I get to my first stop, stick my key in the lock...and the lock is siezed. Wont budge. Key no workie. I tried my spare key that I have stashed in the cab. Key no workie, bulkhead door wont open. I called in and asked the mechanic to come and drill the lock out during the 45 minutes I spend unloading my pup trailer at a bulk stop. He said no, the only solution would be to deliver out the back door all day or to drive back to the building and swap cars. Neither option was viable. I called the center, but the entire management team was out on car and there was no one there who could or would make a decision.

So I made a decision. I went thru the back door, crawled over the bulk, and opened the BH door from the inside. I then took a DIAD stylus, broke it in half, and jammed it into the latch to disable the lock. I then took a bungee cord and hooked one end onto the BH door chain, and the other end onto the fire extinguisher bracket.

The tension of the bungee cord served to keep the door pulled closed while driving, but allowed me to open the door simply by unhooking it and letting the cord dangle.

When I took lunch or was away from the car for any length of time, I pulled the stylus out of the latch and allowed the door to lock in order to secure the vehicle. I could then enter from the back door and repeat the process once it was time to get back to work.

Since the Telematics switch was not completely engaged, I knew I would show up on the report anyway. This pretty much gave me a "free pass" to leave the door open while busting off DR's in my residential areas.


I would have been perfectly within my rights to play the "safety card" and sabotage the whole day by refusing to operate the vehicle or insisting on working out of the back door. This would have created a multitude of service failures on a day when the center was already maxed out. I chose instead to find a way to get the work done. Was I right or wrong to do this?

 

[raceanoncr]

Probably right but you'll still get fired anyway for "tampering with UPS equipment".

 

[JARHEAD]

Sounds good to me. Common sense trumps company policy but what do I know. We aren't employeed to think or make decisions. Ethier way it would have certainly been the wrong choice.

 

[cachsux]

You followed the proper route in trying to get the vehicle repaired. When that failed you improvised and got the job done. Perhaps you should have checked the door lock before you left but that another story.


As mentioned above though this is the new UPS,you`re a goner.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

Monday was a super heavy day due to extra volume coming in from a train derailment the previous week. Stop count was +20 over max, I knew in the AM it would be at least a 10.5 hour day. Fine, no problem, I will git 'er done and make some OT on a nice sunny day.

I get to my first stop, stick my key in the lock...and the lock is siezed. Wont budge. Key no workie. I tried my spare key that I have stashed in the cab. Key no workie, bulkhead door wont open. I called in and asked the mechanic to come and drill the lock out during the 45 minutes I spend unloading my pup trailer at a bulk stop. He said no, the only solution would be to deliver out the back door all day or to drive back to the building and swap cars. Neither option was viable. I called the center, but the entire management team was out on car and there was no one there who could or would make a decision.

So I made a decision. I went thru the back door, crawled over the bulk, and opened the BH door from the inside. I then took a DIAD stylus, broke it in half, and jammed it into the latch to disable the lock. I then took a bungee cord and hooked one end onto the BH door chain, and the other end onto the fire extinguisher bracket.

The tension of the bungee cord served to keep the door pulled closed while driving, but allowed me to open the door simply by unhooking it and letting the cord dangle.

When I took lunch or was away from the car for any length of time, I pulled the stylus out of the latch and allowed the door to lock in order to secure the vehicle. I could then enter from the back door and repeat the process once it was time to get back to work.

Since the Telematics switch was not completely engaged, I knew I would show up on the report anyway. This pretty much gave me a "free pass" to leave the door open while busting off DR's in my residential areas.


I would have been perfectly within my rights to play the "safety card" and sabotage the whole day by refusing to operate the vehicle or insisting on working out of the back door. This would have created a multitude of service failures on a day when the center was already maxed out. I chose instead to find a way to get the work done. Was I right or wrong to do this?

Insubordinate to corporate; genius to driver.

 

[Anonymous 10]

I would have delivered out the back door until they came out and fixed it. That's just me but it's there bed and there rules and by the way it's there company so that's my opinion.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Sober, this has happened to me and here is how I handled it. First, I sent an ODS to let them know that the bulkhead door lock was not working. Second, I would have also climbed through the back, over the bulk, opened the bulkhead door but, unlike you, I would have simply taped it open. When I got to a stop that had W-40 I would have tried to see if that would free up the lock.

I should mention that we do not have Telematics in my center.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I would have delivered out the back door until they came out and fixed it. That's just me but it's there bed and there rules and by the way it's there company so that's my opinion.

Uh, what about your NDA in the 1000 section? Are you going to climb through the back and over the bullk at each air stop?

 

[robot]

Step in my office, you're fired!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Step in my office, you're fired!

They are not going to fire a 20+ yr driver with an excellent record who tried to do the right thing. The locks are not a pretrip item. I have to assume that the BH door was open when Sober started his day--he probably put his personal items in, glanced at his load, shook his head, closed the door and drove to his first stop. When he discovered the lock was seized, he called to try to get it either fixed or drilled out and was told no. He then weighed his options and chose the same one that I would have.

 

[stevetheupsguy]

You followed the proper route in trying to get the vehicle repaired. When that failed you improvised and got the job done. Perhaps you should have checked the door lock before you left but that another story.


As mentioned above though this is the new UPS,you`re a goner.

This happened to me, and this is what I was told. I did what Upstate did for the entire day, except I didn't bother looking for WD-40. My actions in the above scenario also depends on how mgmt has been treating me. I aims to please.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

You followed the proper route in trying to get the vehicle repaired. When that failed you improvised and got the job done. Perhaps you should have checked the door lock before you left but that another story. As mentioned above though this is the new UPS,you`re a goner.

Checking the operation of the door locks is not a pretrip item.

 

[CharleyHustle]

Checking the operation of the door locks is not a pretrip item.

Well, it probably will be now.

 

[cachsux]

Checking the operation of the door locks is not a pretrip item.

Sometimes something you use 100+ times a day is worth checking before you get to bu-fu Egypt. There`s lots of things on my rig that aren`t on the pretip but I still check them once a week.

 

[soberups]

Checking the operation of the door locks is not a pretrip item.

I closed the door when I moved the car off of the line, and opened it again when I was parked and doing my pretrip. It worked fine until I got to my first stop. It was a fluke occurence, that has never before happened to me in 23 yrs of driving.

What is really strange...is that when I showed up to work on Tuesday, not a word was said to me about the Telematics report. A year ago, my sup would have been foaming at the mouth with his panties in a knot over one open-door occurence, yet when the report shows it open for the entire day it gets overlooked. Perhaps the flavor-of-the-week changed and I wasnt aware of it. Or perhaps our new center manager has chosen to be a bit more logical than his predecessor about which rules make sense to enforce.

 

[fxdwg]

I closed the door when I moved the car off of the line, and opened it again when I was parked and doing my pretrip. It worked fine until I got to my first stop. It was a fluke occurence, that has never before happened to me in 23 yrs of driving.

What is really strange...is that when I showed up to work on Tuesday, not a word was said to me about the Telematics report. A year ago, my sup would have been foaming at the mouth with his panties in a knot over one open-door occurence, yet when the report shows it open for the entire day it gets overlooked. Perhaps the flavor-of-the-week changed and I wasnt aware of it. Or perhaps our new center manager has chosen to be a bit more logical than his predecessor about which rules make sense to enforce.

Sober,
I think that you did the right thing.

I am a positive person and I thing that you should inform your Sup about what happened and what you did to ensure service to the UPS Customers.

While I am on it.........You Front Line people are awesome and us (as Customers) recognize your professionalism and your attention to time.
It means efficiency that results in lower costs to me.

Please refrain from the "Yawns", but I am a former Hubbite and I just want to let you know how I feel.

I direct our Clients to send their low weight, high revenue docs via UPS as an extension of my services. Are they called "Sales Goals or Sales Made"....something like that

 

[stevetheupsguy]

Checking the operation of the door locks is not a pretrip item.

I'll let my on-road know this.

I closed the door when I moved the car off of the line, and opened it again when I was parked and doing my pretrip. It worked fine until I got to my first stop. It was a fluke occurence, that has never before happened to me in 23 yrs of driving.

What is really strange...is that when I showed up to work on Tuesday, not a word was said to me about the Telematics report. A year ago, my sup would have been foaming at the mouth with his panties in a knot over one open-door occurence, yet when the report shows it open for the entire day it gets overlooked. Perhaps the flavor-of-the-week changed and I wasnt aware of it. Or perhaps our new center manager has chosen to be a bit more logical than his predecessor about which rules make sense to enforce.

I forgot to add to my last post that I think you did the right thing, and, I also think you're doing the right thing as far as your healthy lifestyle and weight loss, and, I also applaud you for the strength you have daily, in turning your back on the bottle. Now let's go shoot some guns.

 

[dilligaf]

I've had the same thing happen on a few occasions. Did basically the same thing, climb in the back door and crawl up to the front. Once was because the lock wouldn't work and a few times because preload had so much crap shoved in the truck it jammed the door. I think you did the right thing. You followed the chain of command first and with no acceptable resolution you made a decision. Would have done the same thing myself if necessary.

 

[over9five]

Nice job, Sober. You did what any professional driver would do.

 

[helenofcalifornia]

Steve, you crack me up!