Listen. All this talk about DRA making express couriers obsolete and easy to replace is BULL****e. Easier said than done.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It will route your stops. And everybodyyy whos ever been a courier knows how far that will get you.
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.
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.
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.