A man can make some good money hunting for trailers at the railyard..
Ask a Feeder Driver, Feeder Driver FAQ
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P
pickup
Guest
We once had a casual who left Albany NY and drove his load to Parsippany NJ (PARNJ). The problem was he was supposed to take it to Pouhkeepsie, NY(POUNY). His normal return run was to PARNJ but dispatch had a hotter load to take care of. I guess he just assumed and his brain saw PARNJ where is should have seen POUNY.
Anyway, he drove right past the exit for Pouhkeepsie and drove an extra 72 miles to Parsippany(his home terminal). Needless to say, dispatch was not too happy with that . Another driver , with more hours, had to be dispatched to take it back north 72 miles, and then drive back down 72 miles. Also, service was not made on the trailer.
Anyway, he drove right past the exit for Pouhkeepsie and drove an extra 72 miles to Parsippany(his home terminal). Needless to say, dispatch was not too happy with that . Another driver , with more hours, had to be dispatched to take it back north 72 miles, and then drive back down 72 miles. Also, service was not made on the trailer.
At least once a year someone takes a load for Frederick,MD to Fredericksburg,VA or vice versa.
retiredTxfeeder
cap'n crunch
We had a driver (a noob) who was dispatched to take an empty set to a popular meet point about 200 miles north of our hub. It is a huge parking lot at a restaurant that was closed at that time of the morning. There were multiple sets going both directions and he got confused, hooked up to another MT set and brought it back with him. Anyone who has been in feeders a while would realize this didn't make any sense, but not him. Someone else brought his loads back after he had left. It earned him his feeder handle "Wrong Way" and it still his handle today. lol.
P
pickup
Guest
We had one day in feeders when there was not a lot of loads to transport. Dispatch decided to give a guy an empty trailer to take 200 miles away to another hub because the other hub "needed the equipment". So off he went and when he got there, he dropped the trailer and went up to the dispatch office. They told him, "give us a few minutes to make sure we got everything covered, we think we do, but we'll let you know". So 25 minutes, later he was dispatched with an empty to go back to his home hub, the SAME trailer that he brought in.
If Management ever did figure out what was wrong with a driver making a 400 mile trip to accomplish nothing, they never shared it with us and I am sure they buried that little incident.
Covemastah
Hoopah drives the boat Chief !!
When you get there ,, do what the shifter says!!!
Doesn't hurt to bring that shifter a coffee either...
Johney
Well-Known Member
Tell me this...is it UPS policy for every shifter to be an a-whole no matter what building you go to?
Covemastah
Hoopah drives the boat Chief !!
All depends what hub you go to !
We have 4 shifters , one on each Boston hub, and we help any one out ,, no tudes here ,,
Covemastah
Hoopah drives the boat Chief !!
Usually from my experience. You find the miserable shifters are the ones with low seniority and are stuck in the yard ,,, in Boston feeder division the lowest seniority guy has 27 yrs and we all go on road in am or pm , so we weren't forced onto the job!
olroadbeech
Happy Verified UPSer
what are you talking about??? most of the shifters i knew had class.
MaceFremonti
Well-Known Member
BURMD has one of THE best shifters in the country....that dude is amazing!
OP, first of all, if that's your name, change it now before too many people take note. This should be your first step.
Also, sounds like your eager to jump right in, and this could be potentially rewarding in the long term.
My only real piece of advice, and this will pretty much dictate your future here and is pretty much an understood company wide area of knowledge....... Don't follow the person in front of you even remotely closely. I don't care how behind in your day you think you are, you will not prove ANYTHING TO ANYONE except your next employer that you can't drive safe. I really don't know how else I can portray that to you. You will not show anyone anything if you get done quicker than someone else, it will only put a big bullseye on your back.
Anytime you think you need to hurry up, remember what I just told you.
In feeders, you can safely bet that information is even more important. When feeders get into accidents, it generally makes the evening news and people likely get killed.
Take your time, but don't waste time. UPS feeders isn't some joke trucking company, real people with huge responsibilities and it's no different than other trucking companies with regards to pre trip, post trip, log books etc. Not sure what view you have been painted by other people but everything you asked about in your opening post, rest assured UPS has the close eye on all that, sounds like it's pretty much opposite what you were informed of.
It's a tight knit operation, insanely busy at peak, work safe, slow down, take your time, don't waste time, work safe, be aware of your surroundings, work safe, and most importantly. ...work safe.
Good luck
Also, sounds like your eager to jump right in, and this could be potentially rewarding in the long term.
My only real piece of advice, and this will pretty much dictate your future here and is pretty much an understood company wide area of knowledge....... Don't follow the person in front of you even remotely closely. I don't care how behind in your day you think you are, you will not prove ANYTHING TO ANYONE except your next employer that you can't drive safe. I really don't know how else I can portray that to you. You will not show anyone anything if you get done quicker than someone else, it will only put a big bullseye on your back.
Anytime you think you need to hurry up, remember what I just told you.
In feeders, you can safely bet that information is even more important. When feeders get into accidents, it generally makes the evening news and people likely get killed.
Take your time, but don't waste time. UPS feeders isn't some joke trucking company, real people with huge responsibilities and it's no different than other trucking companies with regards to pre trip, post trip, log books etc. Not sure what view you have been painted by other people but everything you asked about in your opening post, rest assured UPS has the close eye on all that, sounds like it's pretty much opposite what you were informed of.
It's a tight knit operation, insanely busy at peak, work safe, slow down, take your time, don't waste time, work safe, be aware of your surroundings, work safe, and most importantly. ...work safe.
Good luck
retiredTxfeeder
cap'n crunch
The yard I was domiciled in wasn't designed for the 53' trailers that are so popular now. There are times that you cannot safely pull them off an outbound door safely, especially if the carwashers park package cars along the fence. Plus the yard isn't big enough, and sometimes people park stuff where it shouldn't be. like blocking other stuff in. As a result, about 20% of the time, a dispatched trailer couldn't be pulled without moving something else, sometimes more than 1 trailer had to be moved. I kept snacks in my lunch for just a situation. You'd be suprised how much a shifter will help you out of a bind for a bag of skittles. I'd try to flag one down, and if I couldn't I'd call dispatch, who would then send them over. Sometimes more than 1 would show up, cause they knew I had treats. lol. I shifted in the yard for a year when I first came into feeders, so I know what these guys go thru. My son is a shifter on the yard now.
iamjeffaiden
Active Member
This was great information! Thank you. No its not my real name. And yes, im incredibly eager to jump in! In my eyes, UPS is THE company to make this a career and retire from. Most companies want you to cut corners. I know it may be a hassle sometimes, but refreshing to hear UPS wants you to be completely legit.
Thanks again!
iamjeffaiden
Active Member
So a shifter is what we call a shunt truck? Moves trailers and such?
barnyard
KTM rider
olroadbeech
Happy Verified UPSer
the great thing about UPS and feeders is you usually start at the bottom so you learn every job and understand what every driver does. in feeder you usually start on relief so you will get plenty of experience shifting in the yard. don't make the rookie mistake by trying to go fast and do a lot of shifts to impress anyone. 9 times out of 10 you will get in an accident.
all of our shifters are great. we have all done it so what goes around comes around.
Mugarolla
Light 'em up!
Yes.
Many different names. At UPS, it is coded to "shifting" hence shifters. Sometimes referred to as yard dogs.
They shift trailers in the yard with a mule dog, yard bird, yard horse, etc.
