UPS..United Parcel Safety

[dannyboy]

Wily

That is exactly what I am saying. All new P700's will be single axle wheel only. With the high center of gravity, IMHO it would make them a real roll over hazzard.

The thought is that it will save UPS about $500 or so per vehicle per year in costs. While I am all for saving Ups money, I dont think at the drivers expense to safety should be the way.

d

 

[scratch]

All new P700's will be single axle wheel only. With the high center of gravity, IMHO it would make them a real roll over hazzard.
1
Danny,
I am somewhat puzzled and am wondering where you got this information. I was issued a brand new P700-D last October. It rolled off the final assembly line in Wisconsin in September. It has a Freghtliner Chassis with a 5-speed automatic and 4-cylinder Mercedes engine. It seems to be completely redesigned, new body and has a new rounded hood. It has Dual wheels on the back. Still no A/C or CD Player though!
Its a little slow on takeoff, but gets up to speed fast, seems to handle the road slightly better than my old one. Nice vehicle.

The comments on the P500's were of interest to me. I used to love the 500 I drove and hated it at first when I had to take a 700. One day on the way back to the building, I spun one when moving off the entrance ramp onto the expressway. The left rear wheel tried to pass me, I let off the gas pedal and steered in direction of the skid. I almost made it, but overcorrected with that good old manual steering. When I finally came to a stop, I was in the emergency lane facing three lanes of tractor-trailers coming at me. Of course it was my fault, I had gotten out of bed and came to work that day. The 500's did seem to be hard to get the alignment on the front wheels correct. A couple of ones I drove would get bad "front end shakes". I did get used to that Power Steering And Four-wheel Disc Brakes pretty fast after that on the 700!

 

[mattwtrs]

It sounds like your automotive group was trying to cut cost and putting the driver and the public at risk. I have driven just about every vehicle in the UPS fleet at one time or another so I can appreciate what you are saying. I have had tie rods break, rear axles come out of the rear end, have lost brakes due to broken cross over lines in front of the radiator. I have had friends involved in roll overs too and they weren't due to driver error but due to the condition of the car or a broken part, fortunately they are still alive and only received bumps and bruises. I have found that cars from other centers can be quite an experience because of the mechanic's work ethic and his cost cutting methods. Any time I have an issue with a safety item I make it a point to talk to the mechanic or get a supe involved and ask them if they would allow a family member to drive the equipment in the condition that I have wrote up.

 

[outta hours]

Got my brand new p700 about a month ago only had 150 mi. on it. It has dual wheels in the back , the nose is a little shorter. The cab has some kind of noise reduction felt on the top and sides. It is very quite. It is automatic with an International Diesel engine it runs well but has a governor on it that kicks in at 72 mph. The speed limit to my area is 70 mph. it is 60 min. of driving straight north. At this time of year the wind can be strong from the north and 65-67 mph is as fast as it will go. Other wise it is a nice truck. We also have several new sprinters p 57's that have a box on the back that you can enter and exit from the side door. Pretty cool. I have yet see a new p700 single axel.

 

[reydluap]

I'm probably going to start a b**ching session with this post. But, I have wondered about this for over 25 years and just have to ask. Why is it that the new package cars seem to go to the big cities and all the hand me down junk trickes to Iowa? I truely believe that before a package car actually gets scrapped, it comes to my center for the last 50000 miles.

I am a lucky driver myself, I have the newest P1000 in my center and it's a 1996 model with 600,000 miles on her. Two years ago we were forced to take 4 Sprinter vans and they are always red tagged for repairs. Our P700's are hand me downs and are some of the oldest production types. I'm not even going to get into the P500 suicide machines.

When hurricanes,floods or any natural disaster hits an area and damages package cars in a center, are they replaced with new package cars?

I' still waiting to see the new logo on my package car. UPS made such an issue about it a few years ago and only a handful of our package cars have the new branding.

 

[mattwtrs]

Reyd, I have noticed the same thing, anytime I am in a big city you usually see much nicer looking delivery vehicle! I still see P500's in Central Florida when we vacation. I guess UPS thinks no one cares what we look like in Iowa or anywhereelse off the beaten path.

 

[dannyboy]

The information on the new 700's was in the big idea if I remember correctly, but am not 100% sure.

But it was the topic of discussion at the next safety meeting and brought up at the state safety conference.

As for old cars, there have been some old cars that were still great running machines, but someone behind a computer decided to cut them up. Others that were never good to start with, and are total peices of crap now they decided to keep in service. Go figure.

d

 

[outta hours]

Danny- I just had to laugh. You are showing your age the Big Idea magazine has not been around for a long time. I think now it is called Inside UPS. I also remember the Big Idea days as I used to right a column for it every month. It was a national magazine that had an insert for each region or district. Each center would contribute an article about what was going on in their center. Birth announcements , weddings, kids accomplishments stuff like that. I came across an old copy from 1985 not to long ago. Sure seems like yesterday. But then I guess now I am showing my age as well. LOL

 

[dannyboy]

maybe it was inside ups. when i get a chance, i will look it up.

d

 

[wornoutupser]

Matt,
Wave to me the next time you vacation in Central Florida.
I drive my suicide machine (P5) every day and my center has many.
My P5 has 1,138,000 miles on it. It is typical.
Like Iowa, we get the old junkers from Orlando that have to have a new home when the shiny new trucks come in. My last P10 came in and within a week it had to have both a new engine and a new transmission. I was told by the automotive manager that we were finally getting a decent vehicle sent down.
You can feel sorry for our mechanic. He does a wonderful job but he is constantly having to deal with cars that should be junked and UPS does not want to spend the money to repair them.
We have a P5 that has the glass cover on the gauges held on to the dash with an entire tube of silicone because the dash itself no longer has the lip that holds the glass on. Let me tell you, that one is embarassing to drive when the customers look inside!

 

[brownboxman13b]

Folks the answer lies in your state legislature! Here in Oregon we have no sales tax. So UPS brings all new pkg cars in here every three years. Then moves them to other states after they have depriciated some so the tax is less on them in that state. The 700 I am driving now is a little over 1 year old, it has a 4 cylinder Mercedes deisel and an Allison auto tranny. Till they stared this about 6 yrs ago I drove a P600 74 Ford flat head 6, with one bizillion miles on it.

 

[boswharfs]

As far as all the shiny new cars going to the big city...... In Downtown Boston we have the oldest trucks in the district because we do the fewest miles. My '76 Ford goes usually 10 miles total a day. 2 miles to and 2 miles from my route. The other 6 are spent on 3 streets. And even though it was supposed to be crushed in 2005 they threw a drop frame in and kept it another peak. Waiting to see if it will meet the crusher this year and what I will get in return.

 

[reydluap]

I'm printing the replies I am getting from all of you on my comment post. I'm going to show them to my co-workers.

Our mechanic is one of the best and I told him what I posted here last evening. He told me of a pkg car that was sent to us from another Hub that needed an engine, transmission and the rear brake callibur was hanging down from the axle. He tried to drive it around the building to the mechanics bay and it would just dart around the parking lot. It was red tagged for a couple of weeks until he brought it back to life. UPS should have put a fork in it - IT WAS DONE.

I guess my problem is, UPS TALKS BIG about safety. But our equipment lacks neccessities to do our jobs safely. Narrow doorways, high steps,tall tires, and shelving in the back thats narrow and made for the Jolly Green Giant to work off of to name a few issues.

My last injury was caused by a package falling off the top shelf in an old P1000 and hitting me in the eye. Sup. told me to keep my eyes ahead of my work ---- I couldn't even SEE the package over the front lip. The shelf was 4 inches over the top of my head. Of coarse, outdated equipment was not to blame at all. Work safe.........

 

[dannyboy]

Dont pull a package directly to you, let it slide off to the side if needed.

It is very easy to get hurt at this job. But there are those drivers that have not ever gotten hurt.

d

 

[reydluap]

danny

It was a cell phone package. I didn't even know the package was there when it fell off the shelf. My point is, the old package cars have shelves that are to high to work from and accidents do happen because of this problem.

 

[DS]

In Toronto its a mishmash of different pkg cars still LOTS of old p5`s .I figure we have about 500 for the GTA and maybe 100 are less than 5 years old.One thing wornoutupser said, really made me think.Imagine 1,138.000 miles...if GM or Ford made cars that would be so resiliant,I guess that just wouldn`t pay off.I like my p8,its its got just under 600,000 on it.

 

[dannyboy]

Or are you vertically challenged?

Just kidding

I know it happens, has happened to me. As you pull the package with one hand, tilt it and have the other hand ready to catch what might or might not be on top. It will save you many broken glasses.

d

 

[Anonymous Coward]

Let me tell you, that one is embarassing to drive when the customers look inside!

How about when you go to delv a pkg off the floor after it has rained and water poors out of the box. There are too many holes in the floor to be fixed. So you will be choked from the dirt country roads on a dry day or need a swim suit if it's raining. I look at it this way I get a real good c-wash when it rains.

 

[Jarhead New York]

Two of our safety comittee members quit after they kept us on road through a blizzard. Only the center K/A remains.

Which is how it should be. No one with any self respect should take part in todays UPS "safety".

The only reasons unions came about was because a century ago people died in work because of working conditions. For a union member to turn on safety is to undermine the foundation of a union. Do it because it is the right thing to do.

 

[Griff]

P500's themselves are not the problem, It's the driver not adjusting to conditions and slowing down. Ask your safety people to do an analysis of the last 5 years accidents. The results may amaze you. Same thing with injuries! Everyday during peak the center manager made it a point to remind everyone to work and drive safely at all times and everyone did! Service may have suffered but no employee endured any pain by cutting corners or taking short cuts! Our missed package numbers were not that bad either. My supervisor was glad he did not have to sit in on the safety conference calls that are required after accidents and injuries. Everyone working safely meant there was more time devoted to delivering and picking up of packages and taking care of the customer and providing good service. We are not perfect by a long shot but we were better thru peak than we had been in a long time. Who else had an injury and accident free peak season?

You're a disgusting pig. Do your parents know that you grew up to be a corporate misinformation trough? Everything in your post was completely obscene and blatant management rhetoric.