to help or not to help

[backinbrown]

Ok here we go saw something in another thread lets see what gets started on this topic. Do you not help your fellow teamster out if asked to go take some stops? im wondering why if you dont and am in no way judging. Is it because it wont fix the problem? Mayby if people are out all the time over 9.5 and 10 or more, {wich we are} that the loads will get fixed. or you just want to see your family? i can see both sides there but i allways used to tell myself i wasnt going to do it then when asked id feel like i owed it to my fellow driver to help them, we all have needed and now as i recall this i was asked alot to help others, id like to get my route done and leave if i do say no to helping others i dont believe it will ever come around to solving the problem so i will just take the OT i guess and again im not judging just looking for different opinions on helping others, i know i have also appreciated when someone had to help me. what are your opinions on this i say we help each other out. and i look forward to your opinions on this let the debate begin because i no there are two sides to this

 

[Johney]

If you are asked to help and never do then don't bother asking for help if you need it.

 

[backinbrown]

If you are asked to help and never do then don't bother asking for help if you need it.

i agree but ive seen it over and over the same people out helping others and the same ones who say no every time just want to no what the thought process behind saying no is

 

[Upslady20]

For many years I was the one of the few in my building that would go help others out..for a couple of years there was a driver that I ran into every afternoon and we would even out our dispatch.. we delivered very much at the same rate and would end up back at the center with probably 15 min of each other.. management found this odd
Now after 22 years of driving I dread being asked to go get stops off of another driver.. if it is a driver that I know is not milking it and is really in the weeds from a bad dispatch or a really bad day I don't mind helping out.. then there are the ones who have dragged their butt all day and have to be saved every day by another driver those I am not too happy with..since their usually the one who will also give you the worst stops they have left..
I probably went 20 years without needing help unless I was way over dispatched and then it was them sending me help not me whinning for it. Now I am out late on my route so it is hard to send me to help anyone.. no more sneaking back into the building now I just crawl in after most of the other drivers have already went home.

 

[old brown shoe]

Allot of the problem that I have seen is the allowances on the routes. None seem to have to much and many seem to be totally screwed up. So if you have a route that is dispatched with a 9.5 plan day and no one can do it in less than 11 or more. Then there others that 9.5 is closer to what it takes to do the route. The guy doing the route with the bad allowances is working just as hard as the other routes with better allowances. So if you are dispatched out really heavy on that route you may have to call for help. Believe me I have been on both sides of that coin and I have been helped or gone to help others. All the drivers that I work with are hard workers. But I hate to hear someone say they worked harder than someone else because of what it says they had for a planed day. I think they did some of the time studies with a sundial instead of a stop watch. It's a paid day not a planned day that I look at.

 

[old levi's]

after 22 years of driving I dread being asked to go get stops off of another driver.. if it is a driver that I know is not milking it and is really in the weeds from a bad dispatch or a really bad day I don't mind helping out.. then there are the ones who have dragged their butt all day and have to be saved every day by another driver those I am not too happy with..since their usually the one who will also give you the worst stops they have left..

Excuse me, but If I am helping them they are not going to give me any bad stops. I look at what they have left and I choose the section I wiil take. Let's remember who is doing the favor in this little drama.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

This issue was already discussed at length and with strong emotions in a previous post, so bringing it up again is pointless and will serve only to stir up those same emotions.

Jessem41, not to sound like an English teacher by any means, but your posts would be so much easier to read if you used capital letters where needed, proper punctuation and shorter, more concise sentences, Your use of run-on sentences is frustrating in that it seems to take you forever to get to your point. You offer strong posts but it does take a bit of deciphering to get to your point.

Back to this thread--I send a message daily to the center after I have finished my deliveries and am between afternoon and evening pickups letting them know whether or not I am able to help. My on-car may come up to me before leaving the bldg asking me to check on another driver who left the bldg heavy. The other drivers in my area know that I am usually able to help (if needed) but also know that I will not help those who do not help themselves.

 

[under the radar]

With me it's like this; you get one chance at my help. If you dog me with losers and the hood of your truck is cool when I get in after you, your finished. No more help.

As far as getting help; you get the easiest work I have left and I will make every effort to make sure you're done before I am.

 

[over9five]

We have to call in when we're going to be over 9.5. This is basicly everyday.
Occasionally, there wil be help available, so I get a message asking for a meet point. I always give them the meetpoint (as directed), but also add I will grieve them taking my work.
So of course, they cancel that!

I'm just saying, some of us want that OT, and after you leave the building with it, IT'S YOUR WORK. If they told me I HAVE to give it to another driver, I would (work as directed), but the greivance would be an easy win.


Of course......I'm not......





........in........






...........................................package anymore....... !




(But I can still talk about it, right???)

 

[JustTired]

How many years are we going to need or be asked to help before something is done to correct the problem. With EDD, they know what everyone is going out with. If history shows that it takes a driver 10 hrs to do what they consider an 8.5 dispatch, and this has been the case for 2 yrs, why isn't an adjustment made? Because they know that they can get somebody to go help them out. Until there is nobody left to help or drivers start refusing to help, nothing will change. If I had a dollar for every time someone has had to come and get my pickups off of me to make the sort in the past 3 yrs, I could take a week off without pay.

If someone has a breakdown, I have no problem helping them out. A situation like that is out of everyones control. But when it comes to dispatch, that is well within the control of the company and I'm tired of bailing them out for their lack of common sense dispatching. And my position has nothing to do with my feelings toward my fellow drivers. You can only go so far with that when you are trying to have a life of your own.

 

[over9five]

"But when it comes to dispatch, that is well within the control of the company.."

If they can get the p/us back to the building on time, then (I guess) the dispatch is correct.

If they tell you you've only worked 10 hours so you gotta go help Joe who has 13, then that's your job. You can't say "no". SOME people can get away with 'failure to follow', but not all of us. (Please remember I'm playing Devils advocate).

This is what the dispatch people will say. YOU say the dispatch is screwed up. THEY'LL say we got everything out of the building and all the p/us back on time. Doesn't matter HOW they did it. It certainly doesn't matter that all the routes are in red on the EDD screen. And it REEEEEAALLLYYY doesn't matter that you don't want OT.

And that's what it all comes down to. Most delivery drivers do not want OT. It doesn't matter that PAS/EDD doesn't work good. Who cares? It doesn't matter that everyones in red. Who cares? What matters is that you don't want the OT.

The opt in/opt out thing will be very interesting....

Remember JT, I'm NOT DISSING YOU! I'm just suggesting what THEY think a planned day is.

 

[trplnkl]

we've had the opt in /opt out for many years, although they never had a name for it till now. Before you would either opt in and file a G or opt out and not file.
Usually if I am finished earliy enough to help anyone, no one really needs help.

 

[HEFFERNAN]

I don't help anyone anymore because I was taken advantage of by doing my work efficiently and getting in at a decent hour. I never ask for help, and as a cover driver with 8 years experience, I'm usually in before everyone. (I don't know how, but I take all my lunch and breaks, just gotta slow down)

I see it day in day out, dispatch leaves everyone heavy and instead of putting in an extra route, they send out messages at 3pm to everyone who can help the long list of over 9.5's

When I'm on the over 9.5 list, I tell them I dont want help and that Ill be in when Im finished.

If you can't talk dispatch in to lightening you up, then [-]steal[/-] take the money

Just bid off the route next time, or be a cover driver

 

[backinbrown]

This issue was already discussed at length and with strong emotions in a previous post, so bringing it up again is pointless and will serve only to stir up those same emotions.

Jessem41, not to sound like an English teacher by any means, but your posts would be so much easier to read if you used capital letters where needed, proper punctuation and shorter, more concise sentences, Your use of run-on sentences is frustrating in that it seems to take you forever to get to your point. You offer strong posts but it does take a bit of deciphering to get to your point.

Back to this thread--I send a message daily to the center after I have finished my deliveries and am between afternoon and evening pickups letting them know whether or not I am able to help. My on-car may come up to me before leaving the bldg asking me to check on another driver who left the bldg heavy. The other drivers in my area know that I am usually able to help (if needed) but also know that I will not help those who do not help themselves.

upstate thank you for the advise. I tend to ramble on with my typing. I will watch that it does get aggrivating reading a two paragraph sentance. lol. I am gladd to see both sides of the issue and agree. I will continue to help others. I am one who has to work as directed. I also dont mind the O.T. It comes down to dispatch and thats not going to change anytime soon. As far as opt in opt out not really sure how thats going to really work. They work will still end up on someones truck.

 

[Upslady20]

The few times I have gotten help it makes me very upset with myself it I beat the person back that came to help me..I try to make sure that I will come in much later than them but sometimes the one who comes to help will just milk it or gets lost...and there is nothing like getting back after helping someone else and they got back and have already went home.

 

[brownrodster]

I am happy to help other drivers. I took this job because I wanted major OT. When I started I was seriously disappointed because the route they trained me on only took about 8.5 hours per day.

I find helping other drivers to be easy money. 1-2 hours and you usually only do 15-20 stops. At least that's been my experience. No one is going to give me a hard time if I'm slow. I'll just say "hey I'm delivering blind in a new area in the dark! of course I'm going to be slow"

 

[jlphotog]

I think there has been 3 days in the last 4 months or so that I did not help another driver. Almost all the time I help with their p/u's or do a p/u meet for them.

I'm usually done my area by 16:30. Helping out gives me an extra hour of OT. So it helps both of us.

I did ask for help in the way of a p/u meet the Friday before xmas. The response was fast and positive.

 

[Cementups]

I will most but I have my black list as well. And as far as me getting help. I don't ask for it but I will not refuse help if it is sent.

 

[1989]

I still help everyone, even the crappy drivers. About 130 drivers now...What else do you do when you get done at 4:30?

 

[trplnkl]

I still help everyone, even the crappy drivers. About 130 drivers now...What else do you do when you get done at 4:30?

I usually take my meal time then drive for one to one and half hours to get back to the building. Although that's normally only one day out of five that I get finished that early.