What to expect on first days as a new driver?
- Thread starter infamousKB
- Start date
DriveInDriveOut
Inordinately Right
Bye Felicia.
Delivery!!!
Well-Known Member
Most of your lost time will be in the back of the truck. If your losing time outside of the truck your walking too slow. Keeping the inside of the truck organized is where it's at. Once the 1000 shelf is empty I would use that space to help organize the other shelves. I wait until the 1,2,3 and 4000 shelves are empty and then I'll slide up the back of the truck. Usually while eating my packed lunch, especially while trying to qualify. Also be observant of what your delivering to people. You'll quickly learn what types of boxes go to which businesses and which house usually get amazon or QVC junk. Makes selection a little easier.
JL 0513
Well-Known Member
Use technology to your advantage.
Good smartphone with 5"+ screen. Become an expert in Google Maps. Portable charger to keep you going all day. The older say paper is quicker, not true. They obviously haven't used Google Maps. Paper doesn't show you where you are if you don't have a point of reference. Paper maps also don't show you addresses. Pretty important for roads miles long.
To maximize efficiency, punch in the next stop in your phone on your walk back to the package car so you're ready to go. Google predicts address incredibly well so you usually just type the first couple of letters and it guesses the correct address based on your current location.
That said, have a backup map book with you. The Sup will want to see you with one.
There's a lot of other aspects to the job to learn but those are my pointers on finding your way around coming from a cover driver.
Good smartphone with 5"+ screen. Become an expert in Google Maps. Portable charger to keep you going all day. The older say paper is quicker, not true. They obviously haven't used Google Maps. Paper doesn't show you where you are if you don't have a point of reference. Paper maps also don't show you addresses. Pretty important for roads miles long.
To maximize efficiency, punch in the next stop in your phone on your walk back to the package car so you're ready to go. Google predicts address incredibly well so you usually just type the first couple of letters and it guesses the correct address based on your current location.
That said, have a backup map book with you. The Sup will want to see you with one.
There's a lot of other aspects to the job to learn but those are my pointers on finding your way around coming from a cover driver.
Answer this for me:
Way back before DIADS, before Mapquest, before PAS/EDD, before smartphones and Google maps, how did us old troglodytes ever learn routes?
burrheadd
KING Of GIFS
The struggle is real!!
JL 0513
Well-Known Member
We're dealing with people that still unfold maps and say they're better.
But you need to invest more than $5. Those are low capacity. You want one that can charge a phone a few times from dead to full.
JL 0513
Well-Known Member
Work smarter, not harder.
By The Book
Well-Known Member
We showed up and the boss said your on such and such route and we have no one to train you. We just did it, and now they seem to avoid that at all cost, I think more so even with Orion.
Turdferguson
Just a turd
Tell me what you would have done 30-some years ago, hand-sheeting on paper, learning a rural route with RR numbers without Google maps.
Huh? I'm waiting.
Delivery!!!
Well-Known Member
Let me just say I can use a map or map book like one of the on roads has. A phone in the shirt or pants pocket is easier and quicker since you can look while walking back to the pc as opposed to waiting until getting to the truck to look at the map, find the right page, etc.
JL 0513
Well-Known Member
Would've found a new line of work. My point is why go back to working that way when we have much easier ways to work today.
The other day, my center almost couldn't get EDD because of a mistake by someone. Management went into full panic because they knew everyone would be at least 2 hours over. 300 pkgs, 160 stops and no EDD list on an unfamiliar route? We can do it but why would you want to that way.
JL 0513
Well-Known Member
Not to mention that if the street you're looking for isn't in the immediate vicinity, you now have to go to the street listings on a separate page and match the corresponding sector on the map.
Or how about you come up on an intersection and the intersecting road goes 5 miles each way. The paper map does show whether you need to turn right or left to get to 965 County Rd. So without using GPS, you have a 50/50 shot. You don't have time to make this wrong decision 20 times a day and have to around.
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Delivery!!!
Well-Known Member
I'm more than intellegent enough to learn to do the job that way and would probably prefer it given the stop count that came with doing the job 30 years ago. My body sure would benefit from the lower stop count. Stop painting the new drivers with a broad brush.
Because being spoon-fed the information makes it harder to learn the route. What would you do it you got lost in the woods without your phone to tell you where you are? Find another line of work? Use a map and get the layout of an area in your head, it will get easier quicker.
JL 0513 said:
I loved that when it happened. The old school loaders and drivers laughed at the mayhem, and we got it done.
Trust me, the stop counts would have risen even without the technology. I don't have a problem with using your phone for a problem address, but using a program to order your entire day is counter-productive.
