Two weeks of Saturday Ground and... [on topic please]

[8 Hour Day]

I'm hoping to hear what other centers who are trying this have experienced & answer any questions folks who are fearing this might have. We just finished our 2nd week of it and...

We're actually under-dispatched, if you can imagine such a thing. That's good, too, because several people are just calling in sick. Since they're having to assign drivers from the bottom of the seniority list, they're having to put them in areas they have never been in. The result is single digit SPORH. Misloads or simply missing packages have been - according to my supe - close to 10%. I'm guessing several of those are send-agains & call tags that don't get handled properly on Friday.

The business plan seems to be something like this... in order to staff Saturday, they're trying to cut resi-routes on Mondays & Fridays so those drivers *need the money* and want to work. The result is drivers whose routes AREN'T cut end up with 12-14 hour planned days. To keep them from breaking DOT, supes are running stops.

It's not working. Those guys who have routes that can actually be cut are the MOST SENIOR drivers we have running all residential routes. They know the rules. So, they're coming in, demanding a route, and having to be bailed out by other drivers repeatedly. This leaves Saturday to the guys on the bottom of the seniority list who - not to insult anyone - can't run a route blind to save their lives.

Guys like me who have been around a while and kinda' enjoy a good sixth punch every now and then are enjoying the easy Saturday of all O.T.

In the end, it's the new supes trying to run it with new drivers, new loaders etc... a skeleton crew of screw ups.

If you're in a center with Saturday Ground, how's it going?

 

[KOG72]

I'm hoping to hear what other centers who are trying this have experienced & answer any questions folks who are fearing this might have. We just finished our 2nd week of it and...

We're actually under-dispatched, if you can imagine such a thing. That's good, too, because several people are just calling in sick. Since they're having to assign drivers from the bottom of the seniority list, they're having to put them in areas they have never been in. The result is single digit SPORH. Misloads or simply missing packages have been - according to my supe - close to 10%. I'm guessing several of those are send-agains & call tags that don't get handled properly on Friday.

The business plan seems to be something like this... in order to staff Saturday, they're trying to cut resi-routes on Mondays & Fridays so those drivers *need the money* and want to work. The result is drivers whose routes AREN'T cut end up with 12-14 hour planned days. To keep them from breaking DOT, supes are running stops.

It's not working. Those guys who have routes that can actually be cut are the MOST SENIOR drivers we have running all residential routes. They know the rules. So, they're coming in, demanding a route, and having to be bailed out by other drivers repeatedly. This leaves Saturday to the guys on the bottom of the seniority list who - not to insult anyone - can't run a route blind to save their lives.

Guys like me who have been around a while and kinda' enjoy a good sixth punch every now and then are enjoying the easy Saturday of all O.T.

In the end, it's the new supes trying to run it with new drivers, new loaders etc... a skeleton crew of screw ups.

If you're in a center with Saturday Ground, how's it going?

Just wondering how many stops you go out with on Saturday,we do not have this in ny area as of now

 

[Wally]

Could Saturday work be a code 5? That way, it could be overtime for whomever wanted to work.

 

[8 Hour Day]

Just wondering how many stops you go out with on Saturday,we do not have this in ny area as of now

The first week, most routes had between 30 & 40 stops. They intentionally set it up to be light & said we'd work into a "full day."
This week, routes had between 50 & 110 or so. That 110 was in an area that would usually have around 160 on a ground route.

Whether or not they expand it is based upon how well it does in the 3 test areas they're doing now.

 

[8 Hour Day]

Could Saturday work be a code 5? That way, it could be overtime for whomever wanted to work.

The way they're doing it here is 05 for everyone except the few drivers who bid on routes that were already Tuesday-Saturday. Those guys are 06 & have to take a full hour lunch.

 

[KOG72]

The first week, most routes had between 30 & 40 stops. They intentionally set it up to be light & said we'd work into a "full day."
This week, routes had between 50 & 110 or so. That 110 was in an area that would usually have around 160 on a ground route.

Whether or not they expand it is based upon how well it does in the 3 test areas they're doing now.

Do they make you run Saturday air also with ground

 

[8 Hour Day]

Do they make you run Saturday air also with ground

Yeah... the first week, they insisted we do it by ORION, especially ORION 1st stop. After having double digit lates, they didn't mention it, again. ORION doesn't work on Saturday. They're essentially combining two or three weekday routes for the Saturday routes & ORION is even more confused than usual (yes, that is actually possible).

I think I ran 8 Airs last week and 5 this week. Multiples are business upgrades that are apparently being done automatically, and are closed... so... freebie CL1s. Getting the air off on time isn't a challenge for those of us who have some area knowledge & experience routing ourselves. The newbies, though... ug... those guys are completely lost.

I had to go help a guy at 2pm who had 45 stops & had only managed 30. He didn't have a map & his phone battery was dead. HA! Easy money!

 

[bumped]

8 hour...your just helping them by coming in for the 6th punch. Let them die on Saturday. 99% of us don't want Saturday ground.

 

[8 Hour Day]

8 hour...your just helping them by coming in for the 6th punch. Let them die on Saturday. 99% of us don't want Saturday ground.

I've been doing the 6th punch thing for years. This is nothing new. I couldn't exactly say "Oh, I'm not going to come in on Saturday, anymore," without looking like a complete jerk. Honestly, my Saturday gig has only gotten easier.

 

[jaker]

How are they coding 5 for the day , don't care if it's a weekend it's still a work day

I bet if everyone went in asking for their 8 things would change a little

 

[8 Hour Day]

How are they coding 5 for the day , don't care if it's a weekend it's still a work day

I bet if everyone went in asking for their 8 things would change a little

I've been trying to tell the other guys to do that. Typically, if I'm going to work past 2, I code it 06 & take a lunch. Anything under that, I go 05. That's just how I've had it set up for a while, and no one's complained. I have had an idiot clerk change my paycode, but they always change it back on Monday. In the past, I've always figured that if they're going to screw my Saturday (make me work past 2), they should pay me for my Saturday. They've never balked at that.

It's a moot point, though. Saturday will eventually be a 10+ hour day. Their goal is 160 resi-stops for every Saturday route... that's straight from our regional mgr.

 

[Theoneandonly24]

If none wants to work on Saturday, they will force the newer drivers to work and the can't do anything about it?

 

[scooby0048]

I've been trying to tell the other guys to do that. Typically, if I'm going to work past 2, I code it 06 & take a lunch. Anything under that, I go 05. That's just how I've had it set up for a while, and no one's complained. I have had an idiot clerk change my paycode, but they always change it back on Monday. In the past, I've always figured that if they're going to screw my Saturday (make me work past 2), they should pay me for my Saturday. They've never balked at that.

It's a moot point, though. Saturday will eventually be a 10+ hour day. Their goal is 160 resi-stops for every Saturday route... that's straight from our regional mgr.

Does running a Saturday greatly affect your Monday volume even more than normal? Are even more routes cut>?

 

[8 Hour Day]

If none wants to work on Saturday, they will force the newer drivers to work and the can't do anything about it?

Yep... forcing from the bottom up.
Problem is, those guys are calling in sick. The contract apparently says you don't even need a doc's note until you've been out 3 consecutive days.

 

[8 Hour Day]

Does running a Saturday greatly affect your Monday volume even more than normal? Are even more routes cut>?

Mondays & Fridays are horrendous. Multiple routes dispatched with 12+ hours. Some with 14.

 

[scooby0048]

Mondays & Fridays are horrendous. Multiple routes dispatched with 12+ hours. Some with 14.

So where is Saturday volume coming from and how is Monday so heavy?

 

[1989]

What areas are they trying Saturday delivery?

 

[Lizzzow]

Here's a question. I have a coworker who is Adventist, and he has stated he will not work on Saturdays. Can they make him? Maybe I should convert???

 

[1989]

Here's a question. I have a coworker who is Adventist, and he has stated he will not work on Saturdays. Can they make him? Maybe I should convert???

Knew a driver who could not work past dark on Fridays.

 

[sandwich]

So where is Saturday volume coming from and how is Monday so heavy?

The Saturday volume comes from friday pickups. So instead of just keeping it in the building over the weekend for monday. They are delivering it on Saturday. Which means Monday's are now a little lighter due to resi getting delivered on Saturday. With Monday's being lighter means they cut more routes than they should making the remaining routes very heavy.