3 day suspension because tattletale-amatics said driver didn't have seat belt on

[oldngray]

One time my bulkhead door fob quit working, and there was so much grime built up in the lock from disuse that I couldnt even get the key to turn. So...I went in thru the back door, opened the BH door from inside, and wedged a folded up delivery notice into the latch so that the door wouldn't latch closed. In order to keep it closed going down the road, I hooked one end of a bungee cord to the door chain, and the other end to the fire extinguisher bracket above the passenger seat. The bungee cord kept the door pulled closed, but whenever I made a left turn it would slide over about an inch or so and then get pulled back shut by the cord. I wound up with over 200 BH door Telematics violations that day. Never heard a word about it.

When I first went to keyless they were so sure the system was perfect I had no bulkhead key. In the lockbox was just a key fob but no keys. I just had to call center and wait for an hour because I had no way to open bulkhead door. the first time it failed and bulkhead dor would not open. It failed at least once a month at first (though usually it was the ignition which often shut off engine while it was running. In those situations if I had a normal ignition key the engine would run but only if I bypassed the keyless system).

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

One time my bulkhead door fob quit working, and there was so much grime built up in the lock from disuse that I couldnt even get the key to turn. So...I went in thru the back door, opened the BH door from inside, and wedged a folded up delivery notice into the latch so that the door wouldn't latch closed. In order to keep it closed going down the road, I hooked one end of a bungee cord to the door chain, and the other end to the fire extinguisher bracket above the passenger seat. The bungee cord kept the door pulled closed, but whenever I made a left turn it would slide over about an inch or so and then get pulled back shut by the cord. I wound up with over 200 BH door Telematics violations that day. Never heard a word about it.

The only thing I would have done differently was to send an ODS letting them know about the problem so they could then explain the 200 bulkhead open events on the conference call the next morning.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I love ya Sober, but you should have pulled over and made them come fix this problem despite the time lost.
Common sense has become an oxymoron and no longer has a place at UPS.
The only way we can change this culture is through tough love.

Why? Sober did the right thing. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to send an ODS giving them a "heads up".

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

I've been having the keyless control modules failing all over the place. There's a micro relay inside that gets stuck so the bulkhead solenoid stays on. Then the door won't latch and the solenoid gets blazing hot. Best thing to do when this happens is to undo the RED connector by the box.
I put in a PSR about the problem to corporate automotive about the problem, but they stopped it going up because they didn't like me listing removal of the keyless as a possible solution. I guess they thought that because 6 million or so has been spent on it I should be impressed. Good to see the corporate guys being so petty about a legitimate safety concern.

 

[stink219]

I love ya Sober, but you should have pulled over and made them come fix this problem despite the time lost.
Common sense has become an oxymoron and no longer has a place at UPS.
The only way we can change this culture is through tough love.

Why? Sober did the right thing. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to send an ODS giving them a "heads up".

Tampering with equipment is a fireable offense.

 

[menotyou]

Tampering with equipment is a fireable offense.

I was at the airport one day with a sweat jacket on that zipped up the front, which wasn't zipped. I went flying thru the pea-shooter cuz we got the go ahead to leave. I spun around and shut the bulkhead door. Guess what stayed on the other side of the door? My pocket with me keys in them. I did not relish the next phone call.
Me: keys are locked in cab.
center manager: *twitching frantically* WHAT??????
Me: keys are locked in the cab in the pocket of my sweat jacket that got caught when the door shut.
center manager: Are you kidding me????
Me: uh, no.

We had to call DM to get permission to pry open the door. Luckily, it was at the bottom and the mechanic was able to fix very quickly. No warning letters/discipline issued.

 

[reydluap]

I was at the airport one day with a sweat jacket on that zipped up the front, which wasn't zipped. I went flying thru the pea-shooter cuz we got the go ahead to leave. I spun around and shut the bulkhead door. Guess what stayed on the other side of the door? My pocket with me keys in them. I did not relish the next phone call.
Me: keys are locked in cab.
center manager: *twitching frantically* WHAT??????
Me: keys are locked in the cab in the pocket of my sweat jacket that got caught when the door shut.
center manager: Are you kidding me????
Me: uh, no.

We had to call DM to get permission to pry open the door. Luckily, it was at the bottom and the mechanic was able to fix very quickly. No warning letters/discipline issued.

me' Some stories should be left untold. LOL!! You know you're going to get teased about this post!!

 

[jeepupser]

I am yard control certified and one of the "8 rules" is having a seatbelt on at all times. That might be a hard battle to win.

 

[soberups]

The only thing I would have done differently was to send an ODS letting them know about the problem so they could then explain the 200 bulkhead open events on the conference call the next morning.

I wrote the car up on the DVIR that night so that the mechanic could fix it. As far as showing up 200 times on the report...their conference call, their problem.

 

[soberups]

Tampering with equipment is a fireable offense.

I didnt tamper with equipment, I temporarily repaired equipment that was already broken.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

Tattletale-amatics doesn't roll off the tongue easily. How about Tattlematics? Or Tell-taleamatics?

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

How bout "Bigpainintheassformechanicmatics"

 

[stink219]

I use Tell-On-Me-Addicts

 

[soberups]

I've been having the keyless control modules failing all over the place. There's a micro relay inside that gets stuck so the bulkhead solenoid stays on. Then the door won't latch and the solenoid gets blazing hot. Best thing to do when this happens is to undo the RED connector by the box.
I put in a PSR about the problem to corporate automotive about the problem, but they stopped it going up because they didn't like me listing removal of the keyless as a possible solution. I guess they thought that because 6 million or so has been spent on it I should be impressed. Good to see the corporate guys being so petty about a legitimate safety concern.

The entire concept of mounting lock boxes to the firewall in order to store spare fobs in case of keyless system issues is idiotic. Assuming a cost of $100 per vehicle parts and labor to mount the lock box, how many millions did we waste? The simple solution is to do what I did...get the code to the box and hang the spare ignition key from the ring that is already attached to the fob. If I have any issues at all, I dont need to waste time calling the center or screwing around with the lock box, I just stick the key in the ignition and continue on with my day.

 

[soberups]

Why I like Telematics:

Had a customer on my route who lives out in the country on a gated estate. The gate is electric, with a code to enter that I have. He was having a bunch of work done to his place, landscaping and roof/gutter replacement etc so for a couple of weeks there were a lot of contractors and workers going in and out of there. One day, somebody backed a truck up to his garage when he wasnt home and stole about $3K worth of tools, air compressor, ladders, fishing poles and other easily pawnable items. It happened to be a day when I had a delivery there, and the customer wound up asking me whether or not I had been near the garage or seen anybody ripping him off. I dont think he suspected me....but I still took comfort in the fact that, had my actions on that day been questioned, the Telematics report would have shown that (a) I parked about 100 ft away from the garage and (b) something like 45 seconds elapsed between the time I parked, scanned pkg and made delivery and the time I started the car up again and drove away which was far less time than it would have taken a person to find all of the stolen items and get them loaded into a truck. From a liability standpoint and as a protection against false accusations, I like the peace of mind and transparency that Telematics provides.

 

[over9five]

I dont think he suspected me....

Hope you handed him his code back, and told him he could now pick up his packages outside the gate.

 

[stink219]

The entire concept of mounting lock boxes to the firewall in order to store spare fobs in case of keyless system issues is idiotic. Assuming a cost of $100 per vehicle parts and labor to mount the lock box, how many millions did we waste? The simple solution is to do what I did...get the code to the box and hang the spare ignition key from the ring that is already attached to the fob. If I have any issues at all, I dont need to waste time calling the center or screwing around with the lock box, I just stick the key in the ignition and continue on with my day.

I see it as a waste of my own money. I only focus on 2 aspects of the job, making as much money as I can and most importantly preserving my spine. I can do both if my fob screws up because "they" are too dumb to improve upon a ridiculous concept.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

Why I like Telematics:

Had a customer on my route who lives out in the country on a gated estate. The gate is electric, with a code to enter that I have. He was having a bunch of work done to his place, landscaping and roof/gutter replacement etc so for a couple of weeks there were a lot of contractors and workers going in and out of there. One day, somebody backed a truck up to his garage when he wasnt home and stole about $3K worth of tools, air compressor, ladders, fishing poles and other easily pawnable items. It happened to be a day when I had a delivery there, and the customer wound up asking me whether or not I had been near the garage or seen anybody ripping him off. I dont think he suspected me....but I still took comfort in the fact that, had my actions on that day been questioned, the Telematics report would have shown that (a) I parked about 100 ft away from the garage and (b) something like 45 seconds elapsed between the time I parked, scanned pkg and made delivery and the time I started the car up again and drove away which was far less time than it would have taken a person to find all of the stolen items and get them loaded into a truck. From a liability standpoint and as a protection against false accusations, I like the peace of mind and transparency that Telematics provides.

Yes, telematics would definitely covered your ass there, provided there wasn't a GPS antenna problem, or a bad paddle.

 

[The Blackadder]

According to telemetics my bulkhead door is never closed and I also never back, even though I always have the door closed and back all the time. ITs a great system I see no problem with it.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

I see it as a waste of my own money. I only focus on 2 aspects of the job, making as much money as I can and most importantly preserving my spine. I can do both if my fob screws up because "they" are too dumb to improve upon a ridiculous concept.

If the FOB seems to be getting weak, try holding it up to your chin and work the button.THIS IS NOT A JOKE...IT WORKS! Learned this from my new coworker from a Chevy dealer.