Any body got any ideas?

[cab2312]

Hi folks,

I am a lawn mower delivery man for a small store in St. Louis. I am also in school, and one of my classes assigned us a paper based on our current jobs, and how the processes could be improved. Do you guys know of any ways UPS has tried (successfully or not) to improve driver operations?

 

[klein]

Actually, I have to give UPS much credit for the way we get drivers training. Better then any driving school or class.

Someone with more times on thier hands, probably will give you our 10 commentary and other things we must obey on the roads at all times.

And they really work well.

 

[BLACKBOX]

Alright, I'm already giving you an friend. It says the class wants a paper on how to improve your process of your CURRENT job. Our driving skills aren't much different from driving your company vehicle. Common sense and getting the "Big Picture" means when you get behind the wheel be aware and react to situations long before it can be dangerous.

OK, since you were smart enough to post on this BC site, I'm changing it to an A++.

 

[Just Numbers]

Make right hand turns!

 

[rocket man]

MY Lawn needs to be mowed . Maybe you can improve on the way i do it?

 

[MC4YOU2]

MY Lawn needs to be mowed . Maybe you can improve on the way i do it?

Let the wife mow it?

 

[TechGrrl]

Hi folks,

I am a lawn mower delivery man for a small store in St. Louis. I am also in school, and one of my classes assigned us a paper based on our current jobs, and how the processes could be improved. Do you guys know of any ways UPS has tried (successfully or not) to improve driver operations?

1) Have a standard set of methods for loading and unloading your truck.

2) Lay out the order of deliveries to:
. a) Minimize left turns
. b) Minimize miles driven

3) Load the truck to enable #2 (Last in, first out, for a rear loading/unloading type truck)

UPS has spent years and years improving their delivery operations, these are points any delivery type service could emulate.

 

[TechGrrl]

Hi folks,

I am a lawn mower delivery man for a small store in St. Louis. I am also in school, and one of my classes assigned us a paper based on our current jobs, and how the processes could be improved. Do you guys know of any ways UPS has tried (successfully or not) to improve driver operations?

What's the class, BTW? Production Management? Operations Research?

 

[Mike23]

This will make everyone laugh (since we don't see it and don't think it actually exists). Regular vehicle maintenance. With this it allows the vehicle to drive forever...yes, I mean FOREVER. While other companies buy newer vehicles we just use parts from ones that broke down 20 years ago and hope they can be used to fix others from its generation.

We still use a sequence number on boxes up here (none of this load stop for stop spoiled child stuff!). This means that everything on 14th street will be labeled something like 120. Anything on 3rd ave, 140. Once the driver's on the route long enough he'll know all his sequence and will know EXACTLY what numbers are for what streets saving precious time of searching the truck.

 

[NHDRVR]

Hi folks,

I am a lawn mower delivery man for a small store in St. Louis. I am also in school, and one of my classes assigned us a paper based on our current jobs, and how the processes could be improved. Do you guys know of any ways UPS has tried (successfully or not) to improve driver operations?

My friend,
The problem isn't with driver operations. UPS, by intiating the GPS along with the DIAD and a younger workforce (on avg.), has pretty much maxed out production as it pertains to the drivers. I am not talking about a drivers preferred speed (turtles/runners) but area trace-load quality-sporhs. This has been tweaked to the point where you realistically can't get much more out of a driver. I don't care who gives the OJS. Routes have been cut and stops per car have increased without a very dramatic rise in paid-over-allowance (in our center anyways)

Now...

If, If, If UPS would fix a problem we had tonight...

Ken Jones wake, followed by a small ceremony, was tonight from 4-7. The drivers that wanted to go gave their names and were told that efforts would be made to get the drivers out to make at least part of the wake. This morning, when, to our amazement, we noticed our stops counts were surprisingly high, we questioned how can we get out on time??

Oh, some of you may have to cut your lunch...

A number of us were near/over 10 hours, didn't make the wake in time and that, my friend, is all you need to know about how UPS treats it's workers in driver-operations.

Cardboard-be-damned

 

[Bad Gas!]

UPS pressures employee's (drivers) to work through lunch and breaks while never appreciating the hard work their awesome workforce does. Every driver is totally micro-managed down to the second....You have to have your wits about you to deal with the target performance and doing the best you can safely with doing an honest-no messing around day..

 

[Dustyroads]

NHDRVR, I am so sorry to hear that drivers in your center were dispatched that way. It is inexcusable. They should have had every available truck and employee on the street today, and they should have made it possible that every single driver who wanted to attend Ken's wake was off the clock and able to get there.

We had a driver die from an illness in our building some 20 years ago. It was touching at the funeral, the sea of drivers, all sporting their best pressed uniforms. Our center manager allowed a dozen of us to drive UPS trucks in the funeral procession. The driver who had passed away was a friend to all of us, and he was a loyal and long time driver for UPS. After the funeral his best friend came up to me and said that our friend would have loved the funeral, the flood of brothers and sisters who were there to say good bye.

Shame on your center manger. Shame on him. I'm sure he can make excuses in his small mind, but that is all they are, excuses. None of us want to hear them. He dropped the ball on Ken's last day, and if I were one of his drivers, I would never utter a word to him again, or acknowledge his presence.

 

[TechGrrl]

If, If, If UPS would fix a problem we had tonight...

Ken Jones wake, followed by a small ceremony, was tonight from 4-7. The drivers that wanted to go gave their names and were told that efforts would be made to get the drivers out to make at least part of the wake. This morning, when, to our amazement, we noticed our stops counts were surprisingly high, we questioned how can we get out on time??

Oh, some of you may have to cut your lunch...

A number of us were near/over 10 hours, didn't make the wake in time and that, my friend, is all you need to know about how UPS treats it's workers in driver-operations.

Cardboard-be-damned

You know, the center management team ought to be ashamed of themselves. If I worked in that center, I would write a letter to Scott Davis explaining exactly what you said happened, and ask him why a 'people company' allowed jackasses like that center manager to have jobs?

If every employee sent such a letter, I guarantee you would get some action on that people.

Every time I have been in a workgroup where an employee has died, from whatever cause, the management has been extremely supportive of arranging for peers and coworkers to attend the wake and/or funeral. Don't tar every one with a brush that fits this particular idiot.

 

[TechGrrl]

This will make everyone laugh (since we don't see it and don't think it actually exists). Regular vehicle maintenance. With this it allows the vehicle to drive forever...yes, I mean FOREVER. While other companies buy newer vehicles we just use parts from ones that broke down 20 years ago and hope they can be used to fix others from its generation.

If the professor is defining improvement as "reduce costs", then in addition to doing regular maintenance, be sure the tires are inflated properly, the engine is tuned for fuel economy, and drive for fuel economy. No jackrabbit starts, smooth shifting, coasting when possible, etc.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

In regard to the wake, and not to sound cold hearted, but I would think that the family would have realized that holding the wake between 4 and 7 would make it very difficult for his co-workers to attend and perhaps should have added an evening viewing for this purpose.

We had a former center manager pass away and the family held an evening session so that we could pay our respects.

 

[What'dyabringmetoday???]

In regard to the wake, and not to sound cold hearted, but I would think that the family would have realized that holding the wake between 4 and 7 would make it very difficult for his co-workers to attend and perhaps should have added an evening viewing for this purpose.

We had a former center manager pass away and the family held an evening session so that we could pay our respects.

Or maybe they put family first, not UPS. Did you ever think that they made plans around what worked for their own family?? Of course you didn't.

 

[Mike23]

In regard to the wake, and not to sound cold hearted, but I would think that the family would have realized that holding the wake between 4 and 7 would make it very difficult for his co-workers to attend and perhaps should have added an evening viewing for this purpose.

We had a former center manager pass away and the family held an evening session so that we could pay our respects.

'Surprise' deaths are extremely rough. I'm sure with everything that went on the families already getting very little sleep as it is. It's also very draining emotionally for the family at the time. It was probably put from 4-7 so that, after seeing how many lives the man has touched, that the family can have more time to grieve in private before going to bed.

That's just my guess though.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Or maybe they put family first, not UPS. Did you ever think that they made plans around what worked for their own family?? Of course you didn't.

My only thought was to have a 2nd viewing so that those with alternate work schedules would be afforded the opportunity to show their respects.

I swear, I could say the sky was blue and you would swear up and down that it is green.

 

[NHDRVR]

NHDRVR, I am so sorry to hear that drivers in your center were dispatched that way. It is inexcusable. They should have had every available truck and employee on the street today, and they should have made it possible that every single driver who wanted to attend Ken's wake was off the clock and able to get there.

We had a driver die from an illness in our building some 20 years ago. It was touching at the funeral, the sea of drivers, all sporting their best pressed uniforms. Our center manager allowed a dozen of us to drive UPS trucks in the funeral procession. The driver who had passed away was a friend to all of us, and he was a loyal and long time driver for UPS. After the funeral his best friend came up to me and said that our friend would have loved the funeral, the flood of brothers and sisters who were there to say good bye.

Shame on your center manger. Shame on him. I'm sure he can make excuses in his small mind, but that is all they are, excuses. None of us want to hear them. He dropped the ball on Ken's last day, and if I were one of his drivers, I would never utter a word to him again, or acknowledge his presence.

Thanks.

It was a rough week, to say the least. The thing that was bugging most people was how our center responded to his death. 2 sups made mention of something similar happening in another center, Lynnfield I think, and they said not many drivers show up to the wakes anyways so in other words, it's not a big deal.

I simply tuck this instance away in my head and reflect upon it when, not if, I am asked to do ANYTHING in regards to helping a supervisor or sales person.

The other drivers have as well...

 

[NHDRVR]

You know, the center management team ought to be ashamed of themselves. If I worked in that center, I would write a letter to Scott Davis explaining exactly what you said happened, and ask him why a 'people company' allowed jackasses like that center manager to have jobs?

If every employee sent such a letter, I guarantee you would get some action on that people.

Every time I have been in a workgroup where an employee has died, from whatever cause, the management has been extremely supportive of arranging for peers and coworkers to attend the wake and/or funeral. Don't tar every one with a brush that fits this particular idiot.

We have a few things going on now that drivers have been wating to jump on and, based on managements reaction to Ken's death, the time has come to file anything and everything close to grievances that we have. As of Fri. I know that one of our stewards had passed out and received back quite a few 9.5 relief forms and triple-time grievances so...

A guy we worked with for so long is no longer with us and you can't get a handful of suits from another center to pull a few junk runs to get guys out a bit early?? Just some house calls or air help...something.

There is a special place in Hell for people who make decisions like that...