Can't find packages

Scot

New Member
I'm a seasonal delivery driver, my first and hopefully last season with ups. Before black Friday, I had about 170 stops on my route. I was finishing with only a slight overage. Now it's up to 240 with more packages. I can't find :censored2:! All the experienced drivers tell me I need to sort my truck. How am supposed to sort the truck when you can barely move in there? I spend a lot of time digging and leave many stops without all the packages delivered. It is very frustrating. I have to have stops taken off my truck every night. Any suggestions on how I can get better at finding packages?
 

Scot

New Member
You say its hopefully your last. If you don't care about getting hired FT then why do you even care?
I took the job, I want to do it well and fulfill my commitment. I realize that ups is not for me. So when peak is over, they will lay me off and that will be it. Now, I'm working my ass off and not getting much done. It is very frustrating. I'm looking for a better method.
 

a911scanner

Well-Known Member
NDA, 1000 & 2000 shelves just suck for the first couple of hours, no way around it. After you start freeing up that shelf space, start spreading your 3000's out in small sorted bunches to the other shelves. Then do it with the 4000's. It will free your mind & the space.
 

oldngray

nowhere special
NDA, 1000 & 2000 shelves just suck for the first couple of hours, no way around it. After you start freeing up that shelf space, start spreading your 3000's out in small sorted bunches to the other shelves. Then do it with the 4000's. It will free your mind & the space.

This is why it is worth it to break off to deliver a bulk stop or two. So you have room to move through your truck and sort it.
 

Ms.PacMan

Well-Known Member
Here's what I do at peak. YMMV

I drag big stuff to the back or if the middle is crammed with anything 7 or 8000 I chuck in the back to make a little room ( I have bulk stops first so I have a little room).

Your 1 and 2000 shelves you'll just have to dig them out but then you have some room to work after that.

While I'm looking for the first stop on the 3000 shelf I'll pull pkgs over to the 2000 shelf and start making groups, either by stop or street. When I find the stop, I stop sorting and deliver. Keep moving.... do this for a few stops and you will have a little room for the stuff left on the 3000 shelf to spread out. I also use FL1 for piles of like items (either a stop or a street). I do the exact same thing with the 4000 and 5000 shelf.

By the time I get to 7 and 8000 shelves I usually group streets as I'm looking for a stop by tossing them onto an empty space on another shelf or the floor.

You can also sort by load number in a straight line on the shelf. If I do this I still drag the beginning of the shelf down to the lower shelf then move top shelf pkgs forward and keep sorting.

I use the walkway from the bulkhead back in a straight line to set up stops, too.

I keep moving and only sort between stops. If I'm forced to touch a pkg I sort it.

I don't know if this will help you. Try not to be stressed out as much as possible.
 

QualityLoads

Well-Known Member
I got an all resi run for peak with about 260-280 stops in an old 6xxxxx stick shift. My truck is slammed front to back with no room to work. Before i close my doors, i find the biggest irregs/bulk and get rid of them before i get to my first ground stop or while running airs.

While my helper is running the irregs i try to sort my 1000 and 2000 shelf. Once those shelves clear i sort 3000s 3100s on an empty shelf and 3200+ on the orignal. I also place the bigger packages on the floor using the proper lifting and lowering methods, to give me some room on the selves. Any 7000s and 8000s i push as far back as i can because im not delivering that work for another 5 hours at least.
 
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Babagounj

Strength through joy
You might want to rephrase " I also drop the bigger packages on the floor " to I ( by using the proper UPS trained methods ) gently place the bigger parcels on the floor .
 

jumpman23

Oh Yeah
I'm a seasonal delivery driver, my first and hopefully last season with ups. Before black Friday, I had about 170 stops on my route. I was finishing with only a slight overage. Now it's up to 240 with more packages. I can't find :censored2:! All the experienced drivers tell me I need to sort my truck. How am supposed to sort the truck when you can barely move in there? I spend a lot of time digging and leave many stops without all the packages delivered. It is very frustrating. I have to have stops taken off my truck every night. Any suggestions on how I can get better at finding packages?
Heres a start lol
 

Rack em

Made the Podium
Whats worse is when you get a seasonal hire preloader who doesnt put any effort into the load at all. Yesterday my shelves weren't in order AT ALL. There were 2000 spa labels in the middle of my 2000 shelf and 2700 spa labels clear up at the front of the shelf. All he does is find where a package might fit and put it there. Not to mention that as soon as I make my first turn my 5000 or 7000 shelf has already flown off the shelf because it isnt even close to being secured.

I think I spent more than an hour yesterday just sorting my car. I ended up finding a bunch of packages I was missing because they weren't even on the right shelf. Needless to say I am showing up extra early on Monday to "talk" to this kid
 
Whats worse is when you get a seasonal hire preloader who doesnt put any effort into the load at all. Yesterday my shelves weren't in order AT ALL. There were 2000 spa labels in the middle of my 2000 shelf and 2700 spa labels clear up at the front of the shelf. All he does is find where a package might fit and put it there. Not to mention that as soon as I make my first turn my 5000 or 7000 shelf has already flown off the shelf because it isnt even close to being secured.

I think I spent more than an hour yesterday just sorting my car. I ended up finding a bunch of packages I was missing because they weren't even on the right shelf. Needless to say I am showing up extra early on Monday to "talk" to this kid
It's not always the loaders fault. It's not like the packages come down the belt in the correct order. Then you have a dispatcher that can't make up his mind and you have add cuts all over the place. Don't forget about the preload Sup that just says throw it in there,the driver will find it.
 

Rack em

Made the Podium
It is the loaders fault when you have told him numerous times to at least put them in some sort of order. When the first package on your 2000 shelf is 2500+ spa label that means he isnt trying at all. I know hes new and didnt get proper training, but it isnt rocket science to put lower numbers before higher numbers
 
It is the loaders fault when you have told him numerous times to at least put them in some sort of order. When the first package on your 2000 shelf is 2500+ spa label that means he isnt trying at all. I know hes new and didnt get proper training, but it isnt rocket science to put lower numbers before higher numbers
Try explaining it to him nicely. A ticked off preloader can really ruin your day.

Good luck.
 

barnyard

KTM rider
I had a bricked out P700 2 days this week. All resi, so there was no bulk stops to deliver and 'free up space.' You just have to suck it up and do the best you can. Sometimes that means going back to stops, other times it means skipping it and getting them tomorrow, depends on how much time you will burn getting it done.

Having a good helper is priceless in that situation. Being able to stop and toss out stops and the helper is smart enough to put the stops together and scan them annnnnd delivers them to the correct spot will give you the time to sort and help get things easier to find.

Turns out, I have a P1000 assigned, which I got on Thursday and it has made dealing with the bulk way, way easier. I still pretty much deliver in EDD order, as finding anything out of order is almost impossible. My helper and I are starting to click and things are going way better Friday than Tuesday, even though I had the same stop and piece counts both days.
 

barnyard

KTM rider
I have ALL resis on my peak route. I pick up my helper on my way to my 1st stop. When I get to the stop, I have 2 totes that I fill with my 1st bunch of stops. I can push those into the cab while the helper is walking a driveway and I can massage the load a bit better.

Once I am done with section 4, I am done with the totes. I keep them handy for the stops that have 6+ bags of whatever. Then I toss them all into a tote for the helper to carry. If I find those stops on the shelf, I toss them into a tote and but the tote on the floor under the section.

As I finish a section, I start sliding the next section forward and get everything in HIN order. If there is room, I put the floor packages on the shelf. Last week, sections 5-8 completely filled the shelves when I slid them forward and I still had the floor filled under sections 2 and 4 up to the wheel wells. EVERYTHING I put on the floor is in HIN under. Way easier to find that way.

I would guess that over the course of a day, my helper is waiting for me to get to the driver's seat about 15 minutes. Sometimes, it is faster to finish sorting, then to drive off and have the pile fall on the floor. Earlier in the week, I was 2ish hours over, Thursday, I was +.3 and I would bet that I was close to that on Friday.

Do not be afraid to take a break and walk away for 5-10 minutes. Sometimes, that is your best play.
 
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