Tips for new drivers

[Re-Raise]

Accept: you will be run to exhaustion. Forget about a break( you take that hour lunch for the forseeable future and you will be hopelessly behind). It will be a long time before you get "good at it". Negative? Maybe. But then again, I never wanted to be a package driver. Realize this: You are always being watched(in all repects). OJS, records, secretely, vehicle.... Don't ever be dishonest(see above). Own up to your errors, mistakes, accidents. Dishonesty(as always) is the quickest way to lose your job. Your best effort will quite often not be good enough. Your job set up is calculated by a computer and does not consider intangibles(unknowns). The Co. doesn't recognize these either. Your day will be full of delays, changes and all manner of non-recognized things. Your job is to be able to make it all fit in the allowed time. Your success depends on how good a juggler you really are(at least initially). Time on the area will make it easier. Remember supervisors get paid (and get to keep their jobs) to squeeze every last drop of performance out of the drivers. On the other hand.....maybe you are happy go lucky and roll with anything. Good for you. A professional attitude will make you a better driver. A few comments on what a few others have said: about the driving your area off the clock. This is WRONG. It is the same as the Co. expecting you to work through your lunch and set up your car prework and post. See above about dishonesty and time manipulation. You are not salaried. You should not have to buy any maps, supplies etc. You should be able to learn the job in the given amount of time. Still want to be a package driver? Good luck. It can be done and is all the time.

What a baby.

Every time I feel like whining like this I remember how nervous I was when I walked in the door to interview for this job.

You are telling me you wouldn't even find a map or check out your route before hand?

That doesn't seem like too much effort to prepare for a $75000 a year, paid family insurance, $20000 a year contribution to your pension and almost 8 weeks paid vacation that I recieve now after 25 years.

It is physical, but so are a lot of jobs that pay a lot less.

To the OP I am sure there are cry-babys at every job. I have been a driver for a long time and I love it. Don't let them discourage you.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

I can't disagree about anything you've said. Guilty as charged. However, life is vastly more complicated. You are a Homer. I'm not. I actually envy folks like you. A compliment. Retirement benefits are part of your pay package and you have to stay to receive them. Opinons are well like(insert favorite).... You could look at things in a different way. While I might be negative, I'm hopeful. Perhaps opportunities will come your way....like being able to transfer, apply for other positions, move, be promoted without selling your soul. These are things that could be. Now about money......would you do it for say half the pay? No benefits? Yes, I stay because it pays very well. I could tell you about having to stay for 32 years because part time years don't count towards retirement. If I leave now, I'll only get 25 years pay($2500) less $500 because I'm only 47 and no benefits. I just earned my A&P and will be a mechanic in my "retirement". Shame I couldn't stay with the Co. without having to quit. Negative?.....just the way it is. The Co. could be so much better in many ways. BTW are you in Management? Folks "like" you seem to get promoted. That is not an insult.

Here, P/T years go towards retirement. At least in my exp and local. Unless you were non-union hourly. That sounds like a bad deal for you.

 

[Cementups]

BTW are you in Management? Folks "like" you seem to get promoted. That is not an insult.

No, I am a 34 year old driver with 16 years at UPS (13 as a driver). I realized a long time ago that I could be being a lot more for a lot less. I have close friends with Bachelor's and Master's degrees that make far less than I do. I attempted college without much success. Not because of my intelligence, but for my lack of effort. It just happens to be that i enjoy my job at the time. My route and my customers and (sometimes) my management team make it worth doing every day, not to mention my family. In the end this is what works for me. I like to drive, I like people and then UPS goes and pays me (quite well, might I add) to do two things that I enjoy. i think the only thing that would make it better/easier would be if i could get my customers to come out at every stop so that i wouldn't even have to get out of the truck. But if that were to happen I may as well go and be a feeder driver.

 

[Mike23]

Oh, got another one...If you can find a job that rivals the pay for this one...TAKE IT!

 

[want to retire]

Cementups: I had my route 15 YEARS. I saw kids born, customers pass away, prayed with customers and broke bread with them.......I liked my customers and had one of the heaviest industrial routes in the building. Sound familiar? You bag on Feeder drivers alot. There is a 15 YEAR wait to get a Feeder job here. The Feeder list is the longest of any job in the building by alot. There are plenty of folks just like you in that dept. Some will never leave. Fat and lazy?....Some, a few. It is an easier job in some respects but in truth every job at UPS is critical to delivering packages(your job). You also notice I don't name call. BTW until you understand how and why Feeders work, you'll sound negative and condescending and disrespectful.

Re-Raise: try not to name call(see above). The job is not designed for you to work off the clock. You are not suppose to do so and it is against Co. policy to do so. You are falsifying records. Read it again. Management expects it and you reinforce it. It is absolutely wrong. Everything I've said has happened and does happen.

 

[Re-Raise]

Re-Raise: try not to name call(see above). The job is not designed for you to work off the clock. You are not suppose to do so and it is against Co. policy to do so. You are falsifying records. Read it again. Management expects it and you reinforce it. It is absolutely wrong. Everything I've said has happened and does happen.

I never said work off the clock. I believe coming prepared to work is essential in any job. If I can research something on my time or bring resources like maps that will help me to preform a new job of course I will.

When you compare the schooling it takes to get a similar paying job I don't think that familiarizing yourself with an area you may have to run is that out of line.

Falsifying reords? How does that apply here?

To the original poster if you are going to drive for UPS, don't expect them to hold your hand for very long if at all, be prepared to learn as you go along.

 

[want to retire]

Re-Raise: It's like "It's just a little pot" or insert your favorite. It's just a little cheating or stealing or ........Of course it's ok with you. But yet you name call and there you are as well as Cementups on the lies and whatever thread. Just a little bitching.....Any of those "preparation things" you speak of is WORKING OFF THE CLOCK. Drivers calling you at home etc. That stuff isn't in the 5 and 10 or any method I've seen. You? See? Perfectly ok with you though......I talked about intangibles earlier and your solution is to "create " more time. That's what you are doing....some people call it cheating or dishonesty, falsifying records. You worked for UPS and it's not in your DIAD. Or let's take working through lunch. You put 12:00 to 13:00 but yet there are deliveries during that time. You look the other way, so does Management. Little things for sure. They could terminate you for it, if they wanted to, without recourse. So when you name call and throw stones in that fragile house.....The rookie will be tempted to "create" time out of desperation: you know, roll packages, forge signatures, work off the clock(turn in, clerk stuff, unload irregs, follow ups on and on)....are we really suppose to urinate in a bottle? I haven't seen that in any methods.....Or taking pictures of vistas out on area. So you see, there are alot of ways to look at things....my way, yours, Cementups. Next time you do any of these things, think about this conversation.

 

[Re-Raise]

Want to retire... How about please retire.

You have a problem with drivers calling other drivers at home because it is working off the clock? What if a driver waves at me can I wave back if I am not on the clock?

What if you see a customer on the weekend and they ask you to leave their package at the neighbors because they will be on vacation. I guess you would just ignore them and keep walking.

Apparently you and I are very different people. You make quite a leap from familiarizing yourself with your delivery area to forging signatures.

The smoking pot reference really baffles me.

 

[Cementups]

WTR: I had the opportunity to be a feeder driver for about 12 years now. I thought about it and deicided it was not in my best interest.

I liked my customers and had one of the heaviest industrial routes in the building. Sound familiar?

No, this doesn't sound familiar at all. I deliver a route that does about 130 stops daily in a semi-rural population and may acquire 20 signatures a day, 3/4 of being signature. I have worked heavier routes. Heck, as a one time cover driver, I have delivered all sorts of routes, but seniority has made it a little more possible to pick the type of route I want. I also work in a pretty busy HUB with two centers of a combined total of about 130 routes.

My main thing is it's not really your position to come in here and be a naysayer and tell this guy, "Don't do it because I hated it." The guy, and he's not the first and certainly won't be the last, was really looking for the "what to expect" aspect of the job. I'm pretty sure he was looking for repugnance towards package car driving.

 

[bubsdad]

Most of them act like*****but they'll probably help you if you befriend them.

OK. I apologize for this remark. I just get frustrated by people who tend to look down their noses at people. I was wrong for saying most act this way. Sorry if I offended anyone.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

WTR, I had a rural run for about 3 years and was not that familiar with the area other than the main road that ran through so, yes, I took a Saturday, a map and some paper and drove around my new area. This was before the 911 renumbering so it was all RD. The previous driver did have an extensive card file but because I bumped him he was not willing to let me use it. Anyway, the day I spent up there proved to be invaluable and I considered it be an investment in my career.

I will agree with you on one thing--maybe I was raised differently, but I have never and will never use an empty water/soda bottle as my restroom.

 

[Catatonic]

I will agree with you on one thing--maybe I was raised differently, but I have never and will never use an empty water/soda bottle as my restroom.

Feel like a fish out of water sometimes?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Feel like a fish out of water sometimes?

I sometimes feel like a goldfish in Sealbasher's pirahna tank.

 

[City Driver]

WTR, I had a rural run for about 3 years and was not that familiar with the area other than the main road that ran through so, yes, I took a Saturday, a map and some paper and drove around my new area. This was before the 911 renumbering so it was all RD. The previous driver did have an extensive card file but because I bumped him he was not willing to let me use it. Anyway, the day I spent up there proved to be invaluable and I considered it be an investment in my career.

write the gas and time off as a business expense on your taxes

 

[Re-Raise]

I don't know why he feels preparing yourself to succeed is working off the clock. When I was part-time and decided that I might like to become a driver I traded my automatic pickup for a stick so I would be more comfortable with them.

Under his logic somehow UPS should have to pay me for the time and expense I incurred.

Every time I was told I would be running a new route I just assumed that I would be completely on my own. We have drivers like him who just show up and expect to be coddled.

I've been through many CMs and Driver Sups who couldn't find some of these towns. I won't depend on them. I can do whatever I want on my time and if that means taping maps together or asking another driver where the dock is at a location before work I will.

And then I will inevitably get that call asking if I can go help Want to Retire because he can't get finished.

 

[pickup]

I don't know why he feels preparing yourself to succeed is working off the clock. When I was part-time and decided that I might like to become a driver I traded my automatic pickup for a stick so I would be more comfortable with them.

Under his logic somehow UPS should have to pay me for the time and expense I incurred.

Every time I was told I would be running a new route I just assumed that I would be completely on my own. We have drivers like him who just show up and expect to be coddled.

I've been through many CMs and Driver Sups who couldn't find some of these towns. I won't depend on them. I can do whatever I want on my time and if that means taping maps together or asking another driver where the dock is at a location before work I will.

And then I will inevitably get that call asking if I can go help Want to Retire because he can't get finished.

hey under want to retire's logic, the original poster was working off the clock formulating and posting the question? Shame on him.

 

[want to retire]

Re-Raise/Cementups: the problem with you and Re-Raise is that you aren't the arbitor's of "who's place" anything in this forum is or will be. The rookie wanted to know what to expect(your words) and nothing I've said hasn't happened. When that Ra-Ra attitude is examined a little, it looks somewhat different. The vaunted methods and Management(as you have pointed out) leave alot to be desired. Time studies and allowances....on and on. Working off the clock(what you are really doing) affects all your co-workers. You have to do it to "help you succeed in your career". Management expects it. Counts on it. You are part of the problem. As stunning and "baffeling" as that can be. I will retire. Soon enough. Trying to "kill the messenger" solves nothing. Delivering packages for real(vs. some shiny brochure or commercial) has a lot of aspects that aren't addressed by methods and allowances. I've talked about those very things. I didn't like that aspect of it and it's up to the rookie to decide if he does. Re-Raise: I'm glad you've discovered that there are indeed different types of people working at UPS.

 

[Cementups]

Just to make things clear, I NEVER said that I do things off the clock in order to better myself at work. I don't get paid to do that.

 

[City Driver]

theres certain things i have done off the clock that have really helped me alot......i dont do it as a favor to management, i do it for myself

mainly when i know im gonna get a new route, or will be replacing somebodys route when there on vacation....ill drive the route after work in my pickup truck, and drive around some of the buildigns im not sure about and find there docks.....not all buildings are marked and if you make a wrong turn you can end up in a small employee parking lot in a tractor trailer

thats pretty much the only thing i do off the clock

 

[pickup]

theres certain things i have done off the clock that have really helped me alot......i dont do it as a favor to management, i do it for myself

mainly when i know im gonna get a new route, or will be replacing somebodys route when there on vacation....ill drive the route after work in my pickup truck, and drive around some of the buildigns im not sure about and find there docks.....not all buildings are marked and if you make a wrong turn you can end up in a small employee parking lot in a tractor trailer

thats pretty much the only thing i do off the clock

I think that is a very good idea for a guy who is doing l.t.l with a tractor trailer. How many times have you gone someplace blind , got to the right address, and found out that the dock is around the block in the opposite direction that your truck is facing and have to go 2 miles down the road before you can pull a u turn ?