Goldilocks
Well-Known Member
Your SM probably got a buyout and is leaving.
Big news next week?
- Thread starter MAKAVELI
- Start date
Your SM probably got a buyout and is leaving.
hypo hanna
Well-Known Member
That was my guess. He's leaving and wants to give you guys time to throw him a big going away party.
MAKAVELI
Well-Known Member
Yea we'll cook him some Costco hotdogs and generic soda.
hypo hanna
Well-Known Member
Well he knows you guys are struggling financially. It's going to take time to collect enough money to buy him a gift worthy of his station.
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
Management at FedEx never lies or misreprents the truth in any way. They always have the best interests of frontline employees in mind.
What a bunch of unappreciative, bad attitude whiners.
You all need to strive like Dano says you should.
You are lucky to have a job.
FedEx is great!!!
What a bunch of unappreciative, bad attitude whiners.
You all need to strive like Dano says you should.
You are lucky to have a job.
FedEx is great!!!
whenIgetthere
Well-Known Member
I saw the Appt/Evening delivery tab under utilities on the ppad today, so that's probably the big announcement.
Listen. All this talk about DRA making express couriers obsolete and easy to replace is BULL****e. Easier said than done. First, there are not enough people who wanttt our job. Can you get through a day at 75 %. Probably. Can you do it for a couple years straight, through holidays. DRA doesnt tell you where recvg is and that you cant even get through the guard gate. It wont tell you that the business 2 doors down takes the indirect. It wont get you the door codes for the condos and gate codes. It will route your stops. And everybodyyy whos ever been a courier knows how far that will get you. Search and destroy. No different than having a driver train you for 3 days. End of story. I know my entire route when I leave in the morning. 28 years in a truck, staying power at least. I change the route daily according to closings, lunch etc. DRA will turn into all the rest of the acronyms. A help guide that the courier will be expected to amend on a daily basis. Carry on.
Operational needs
Virescit Vulnere Virtus
A major Ramp near me announced to the employees the other night that the Newark plane will be replaced with a feeder plane for "two months only!", for May and June. Two months only! Yeah, right. Anyone with any common sense knows that if their experiment works for those two months, that that will become a permanent thing.
Ricochet1a
Well-Known Member
I've seen DRA reports from routes that have been run PRECISELY as directed by DRA once engineering has worked out all of the issues, and it works.
Don't take my word for it, ask the Ground contractors. They use a version that does EXACTLY what DRA is aiming to do within Express. Ask the UPS drivers how their routes are constructed. They don't load their trucks - someone else does it, they get handed their DIAD with delivery manifests on it and drive their trace pulling pieces off as directed.
Denial is something which will end up costing Couriers quite a lot unless they change their tune real quick.
It has been said here before by UPS drivers, with the current technology that UPS has, virtually anyone with the physical capability to move packages and some ability to read maps can handle the routing system they use with MINIMAL training on a route.
I'll say it again, DRA ISN'T supposed to be as good as an experienced Courier. It is supposed to get ACCEPTABLE productivity out of someone with minimal training (and minimal pay), making the experienced Courier OBSOLETE.
There aren't enough people that want your job that are capable of thinking while doing your job. There are PLENTY of people that can take your job if the thinking portion of it is virtually eliminated. Take a look at the drivers of Ground.... They can drive a truck, they can get packages off, they can get a signature when needed. What they aren't capable of doing. is making correct decisions while driving in a dynamic situation. They merely follow the prompts on their handheld and continue to do so till their truck is empty.
There are only 2 things which separate you from a Ground driver: 1.) You are able to think in a dynamic environment and made decisions to ensure time commitments are met for both deliveries and pickups, 2.) You are able to pass a more stringent background investigation.
Beside those two points, there is nothing of significance that separates you from a Ground driver. There is one other thing that separates you from a Ground driver, you are paid (depending on length of service), between 50% and 100% more than a Ground driver.
THIS IS WHAT EXPRESS IS TRYING TO ELIMINATE OR REDUCE.
DRA is intended to take away the need for a thinking Courier. I've been there as a Courier, I've done it - the repetition of a route can become mind numbing. Computers are great at handling things which are repetitious. Once enough information is provided, software can handle many things which are cyclical. With a great enough sample size (successive years of holidays), the program can work even through minor variations in pattern.
Why do you think Express has you making DETAILED closure lists for every holiday that comes up? Do you think these lists get discarded after the holiday is over?
Why do you think station management has Couriers entering notes within DRA (stop notes), to indicate any variation from standard practice (go to door such and such, park in bay number such and such, talk to such and such person)? Most Couriers don't realize it, but the more information they feed into DRA about stops, the more they make themselves redundant.
Oh yes it does..... (I'm going to assume you haven't seen DRA in action once it has been ironed out).
The information has to be input for the stop, but once it has, the information is available for WHOEVER runs the route. The information is plugged into the actual address - not the route - so if a particular address is dynamically shifted onto another route on a given day, all the information for that stop is present on the delivery manifest. Just as pickup manifest contain relevant information, delivery manifests will contain the same type of information.
Again, ask the Ground contractors or UPS how their system works. EVERYONE in Express knows just how Fred loves to latch onto a concept once it has been proven in UPS. DRA is no different.
And here is where I think your 28 years is blinding you to the change that is happening to Express. DRA once fully polished, will indicate mid-day close times for addresses and will (supposedly), alter route planning to account for that.
DRA is going to be the future of DGO. Within 2 years, 3 at tops, all routes in urban or suburban areas will be DRA implemented and run accordingly. As a 28 year Courier, you've witnessed just how much change has occurred in Express and how much thinking has been replaced by the powerpad that you currently use. Your productivity (pieces delivered or pickup) has significantly increased in that time. You don't look up zip codes to route packages - you enter the code along with first letter of city and state, and BINGO, correct URSA is generated. You don't keep paper signature logs - all done electronically.
Well, the computer revolution is going to continue. The power of software is increasing at exponential rates - so the capability to replace a thinking Courier with just a working Courier is at hand.
What are the career Couriers going to do to protect their jobs? I know many are thinking that they'll just ride it out, and retire before the worst hits. For those with more than 20 years, they might be able to do that. For those Couriers in their 20s and 30s who are anticipating making Express a career - they won't have that option. They'll be used for as long as Fred needs them, then tossed aside to be replaced by someone who is willing to work for low, stagnant wages.
And when it comes to stagnant wages - look at the past 5 years. In particular, look at someone with less than 5 years in. Stagnation has already set in.
The problem is, and I'm not against having a union, what can the union do to keep shifting as much freight as possible to Ground? If the union were to get in it would be for a much smaller workforce. FedEx is under no obligation to replace couriers who retire. A union can't prevent layoffs and then not bring everyone back. A union may get better pay and benefits for those who remain, but FedEx is first and foremost interested in making Ground the primary opco, then making Express more profitable through cheaper labor and little, if any, OT. And if 50% of the courier force ever signs cards, it'll only be after most of the current topped out couriers are retired. At some point the workforce will be stretched along a long line of slow pay progression, with little hope of reaching top pay. Right now it's top heavy with topped out workers, and most of them just want to get out, not fight for some 20 something's future. And for those who start talking about not thinking about yourself, do it for the collective whole, witness the sneering at what's considered a typical Ground driver, tats and all. If you aren't concerned for them, most of whom are actually decent people trying to get by, when they have it much worse than you, then why should you expect senior people to stick their necks out when they have maybe 5 years to go compared to your 15-30 years?
Sorry, but info on a dads or powerpad doesnt equate to where do I actually *****ing go with the pkg. Ever looked at a large condo complex before entering? Get the run around about we dont take that up here...hes at lunch...wrong tower? Trust me...with inexperienced couriers trying to del to highly less payed resi-busi workers, it wont last long. You use the word precisely in conjunction with Fedex engineer. Ok, chuckle, want to rethink that one? The holiday close list threat stillll has not become a reality in my neck of the woods...of course, there has been a few different mgrs come through in that time....that might have something to do with it?,,u think
What I don't get is that most couriers learn most of what they need to know about a route in a month or two. There's very little difference between the quality of work of a 6 month employee and a 16 year employee, assuming they are both decent workers that make an honest effort. The idea that we'll all be replaced with people who can't think for themselves seems counterproductive as the customers aren't going to be thrilled handing off their pkgs to people who they feel might not be able to get it to it's destination. I've met many couriers over the years that in social situations might be considered attractive people, but had little interest in hustling and being productive, just competant enough to do their job. Is all this effort truly going to increase efficiency and productivity, or is it just another boondoggle that they've convinced themselves is the key to huge profits? It's called the human element, and no software will fix that.
Code 82 Approved
Titanium Plus+ Level Member with benefits!
"Don't take my word for it, ask the Ground contractors. They use a version that does EXACTLY what DRA is aiming to do within Express."
Currently in my terminal, our "scanner" aka the "powerpad" lists with maybe around 99% accuracy of every package loaded on our trucks. The exceptions are the late belt to belt transfers, van to van transfers and outdated peel and stick barcodes from the days of RPS. Other than that perhaps the only useful feature in our last software update is we can't go to a signature screen until we acknowledge only 19/20 are scanned, which means it's either on the floor or in the van you park next to because of loader error. Aside from that I get zero input from the "powerpad" .
"There are only 2 things which separate you from a Ground driver: 1.) You are able to think in a dynamic environment and made decisions to ensure time commitments are met for both deliveries and pickups, 2.) You are able to pass a more stringent background investigation."
What on earth makes that any different from what I do? My scanner isn't telling me to stop delivering at 15:22 to go do a 15:30 pickup based on some historical data. From dispatch to return inspection I know exactly what I need to do, what is closed, what my door codes are and the other hundreds of variables that may occur. Dynamic? Are you kidding?
I pickup Ground at a secure airport Express facility, I have keypad access to enter the building and walk through it, yes even the precious Apple room. I'd be interested to hear what exactly differs between my background check and anyone else's.
I appreciate your positive reflections of Ground couriers with dedication to what they do day-in and day-out. As Ground has expanded, the single route contractors are certainly dwindling each month, but around here they are well respected because they had the gumption to invest in a business they could grow and call their own for the most part.
To the haters: Maybe you should tip your hat to those guys, it grew from RPS and we are the ones keeping the "Umbrella" black.
Currently in my terminal, our "scanner" aka the "powerpad" lists with maybe around 99% accuracy of every package loaded on our trucks. The exceptions are the late belt to belt transfers, van to van transfers and outdated peel and stick barcodes from the days of RPS. Other than that perhaps the only useful feature in our last software update is we can't go to a signature screen until we acknowledge only 19/20 are scanned, which means it's either on the floor or in the van you park next to because of loader error. Aside from that I get zero input from the "powerpad" .
"There are only 2 things which separate you from a Ground driver: 1.) You are able to think in a dynamic environment and made decisions to ensure time commitments are met for both deliveries and pickups, 2.) You are able to pass a more stringent background investigation."
What on earth makes that any different from what I do? My scanner isn't telling me to stop delivering at 15:22 to go do a 15:30 pickup based on some historical data. From dispatch to return inspection I know exactly what I need to do, what is closed, what my door codes are and the other hundreds of variables that may occur. Dynamic? Are you kidding?
I pickup Ground at a secure airport Express facility, I have keypad access to enter the building and walk through it, yes even the precious Apple room. I'd be interested to hear what exactly differs between my background check and anyone else's.
I appreciate your positive reflections of Ground couriers with dedication to what they do day-in and day-out. As Ground has expanded, the single route contractors are certainly dwindling each month, but around here they are well respected because they had the gumption to invest in a business they could grow and call their own for the most part.
To the haters: Maybe you should tip your hat to those guys, it grew from RPS and we are the ones keeping the "Umbrella" black.
Honestly I dont understand why you all nit pick at each other. Ground, Express, Freight, and whatever other segments there are, we all fall under the same umbrella corporation. Yes ground may be the bread winner now, but that wasnt always true and not to very long ago it was all reversed. For all we know, Freight could be the next breadwinner, or maybe it will be Express again...I dont know and I dont care. The bottom line is each segment has been dealt a ****ty hand in one way or another, all from the same parent...so as we are siblings, wouldnt you think it would be in all our best interests to support one other, put our heads together, and work towards helping each other right the wrongs instead of all the bitching and moaning about whos better?
Code 82 Approved
Titanium Plus+ Level Member with benefits!
Amen
Route 66
Slapped Upside-da-Head Member
I hear what you're saying. I think what probably started off as a bit of good-natured fun ended up getting out of hand and turned into a bloodsport. I have to admit it goes back and forth between being tedious and humorous....sometimes simultaneously
!Retired!
Well-Known Member
Correct......sort of. There is a place in your powerpad where you can put the delivery preference. Check it out next time you make a delivery. I believe it on the same screen you would put their holiday closure dates. The option is there.....its up to the couriers to use it.
Also, OSS plugs into DRA 3 minutes each day to deliver 2 small boxes to XYZ stop to their front desk. If you know it takes you 5 minutes because you have to be buzzed in and go through security it is up to you to tell OSS that this needs to be changed and why. If 1 day they get 10 - 50lb boxes, obviously it will take you longer (say 10 minutes) and will put you behind. This doesn't make the stop profile incorrect, because it is a rarity.
FYI....I use DRA as a guide, but I do not follow it to the letter. Reason being, it has me crossing a major road with a long light twice.
DontThrowPackages
Well-Known Member
If they thought it worth paying millions to create and install DRA, Ill let it do my thinking. If it wants me to cross major roads twice or even 5 times then thats what Ill do. It knows best.
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
Upper Management will be getting huge raises, and Phase 2 of DRA will be implemented. This is where migrant workers will be plucked out of the fields and placed into Express vehicles, where they will be paid minimum eage with no benefits.
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