DIAD GPS

[pretzel_man]

I just got to take a look at and play with the GPS computer in the office that shown where the stops are located and how many each driver has delivered and has left.
One of the nice things about it is that each route is color-coded and superimposed onto a map. It is very easy to look at the map and "get the big picture" of how the various routes interconnect. Dispatch errors resulting in shags and overlaps become very obvious. This tool will help new managers get up to speed on their areas a lot faster.
To the drivers who fear the "big brother" aspect of it...just remember the technology works both ways. If you run it according to EDD and you are driving in circles and getting nothing done, it will show the problems a lot clearer than if you just complain about it. If the guy who runs your route while you are on vacation skips his lunch, takes shortcuts and makes you look bad, the new technology will show that also. Instead of arguing with an arbitrary, inflexible WOR that simply says you are overallowed, you can go in and actually SHOW your manager where you went, what you did, and what went wrong.
I trust management about as far as I can throw them; I am a stickler for covering my ass. After looking at the new system, I dont feel I have anything to fear from it.

Sober,

I think your attitude (with the exception of not trusting me), is right on.

The tool you looked at (its called ODSe) is a good tool and designed by corporate to only help the operators. There are other tools that are optimized for different things, and they have similar capabilities.

There is a tool called DPS that puts the areas on routes. It also has a map and can show the overlapping drivers. Fixing these problems only takes minutes.

There is another one coming that was mentioned on this board. Its called Telematics (also known as SSP - Service, Safety, and Performance).

This has even more detailed maps and shows the actual path travelled. It will point out if a driver is driving without a seat belt, leaving the bulkhead door open,recording while travelling, backing excessively, or travelling too fast. It also shows if a driver goes off area.

In my area, I teach that the ODSe tool is for the OMS. DPS is for the dispatch supervisor, and Telematics is for the on road supervisor.

I think management has the tools needed to improve the operation. They need to be held accountable to use them properly. As you said, the tools go both ways. They point out what drivers need to change, but also point out managements problems.

From what I've seen, the biggest problem is management not doing their job properly. I spend lots of time teaching how to properly manage the operation and dispatch concepts.

I hope management uses the tools properly in your operation.

Best of luck,

P-Man

 

[soberups]

There is another one coming that was mentioned on this board. Its called Telematics (also known as SSP - Service, Safety, and Performance).
This has even more detailed maps and shows the actual path travelled. It will point out if a driver is driving without a seat belt, leaving the bulkhead door open,recording while travelling, backing excessively, or travelling too fast. It also shows if a driver goes off area.

Something I am curious about...how is this new system going to detect an unbuckled seatbelt or an open bulkhead door? I drive a new P7 and I dont see any wiring for a sensor in the seat belt buckle. Ditto for the bulkhead door.
I dont have a problem with the idea of onboard cameras or sensors, but I do feel that the process needs to be transparent and that the driver has the right to know that he/she is under surveillance. Imagine a female driver going into the back of the truck to change her shirt and finding out that her manager was watching....

 

[rod]

Imagine a female driver going into the back of the truck to change her shirt and finding out that her manager was watching....

From my experiance they would rather watch the guys change

 

[pretzel_man]

Something I am curious about...how is this new system going to detect an unbuckled seatbelt or an open bulkhead door? I drive a new P7 and I dont see any wiring for a sensor in the seat belt buckle. Ditto for the bulkhead door.
I dont have a problem with the idea of onboard cameras or sensors, but I do feel that the process needs to be transparent and that the driver has the right to know that he/she is under surveillance. Imagine a female driver going into the back of the truck to change her shirt and finding out that her manager was watching....

Sober,

Here's how it works...

They are going to put a "black box" in your package car, like an airplane "black box".

It will plug into the vehicle bus, and record all the electronic information that the engine has. These are things like rpm, fault codes, brakes, temperature, etc. (More on this later).

It has its own GPS receiver with an external antenna, so the unit will record where the package car is at all times.

Finally, they will put sensors on the seat belt, bulkhead door, and reverse system.

The unit has a mot of memory and gathers information all day long. At the end of the day the information is uploaded to the UPS data center. (They don't send up anything during the day. This system is different than the one you saw).

The central computers analyze all this information and compare it to the DIAD delivery data and maps. They then send back to the centers the results and details for analysis.

They will record:
- Backing events
- Recording while driving
- Travel with seat belt unbuckled (number of times and total distance)
- Travel with bulkhead door opened
- Harsh braking
- Off area travel
- Engine idle time

They also send to Automotive any vehicle issues. The data tells automotive where vehicles are having problems BEFORE they break down.

Sites that have this have reduced miles, improved safety elements, and reduced breakdowns.

If you do a search for "UPS Telematics", there are some news articles about it.

P-Man

 

[scratch]

The DIAD's use of GPS is only as good as the historical data. After the stop has been repeatedly delivered to the correct location, the data will fix itself.

DiadDude,
Sometimes my DIAD will give me that "wrong address" alarm for a whole subdivision, even though I am at the correct address. Does the GPS program periodically do this to recalibrate itself for some reason?

 

[filthpig]

The average American male dies 3 years after retirement.
It's the slowing down after retirement that gets ya.
It's better to wear out than rust out.

Truer words were never spoken. Retire?! Ha! Right after they throw a spade of dirt in my face. Wait a minute, my center manager did that the other day....

 

[55andout?]

One very good thing about ODSe is the effect it has had on lunches. Before we put it in our center averaged about 65% for drivers recording lunch. Now we have used it and our average is over 90% recording a lunch.

 

[DiadDude]

DiadDude,
Sometimes my DIAD will give me that "wrong address" alarm for a whole subdivision, even though I am at the correct address. Does the GPS program periodically do this to recalibrate itself for some reason?

The DIAD 4 GPS does occassionally get into a state where the readings are offset by a fixed distance. If you look at it on the map, it looks like you're driving parallel to the road but through everyone's back yard. We're working with the hardware manufacturer to try to eliminate this issue. There has been one firmware update for the GPS since it was originally released, and it seems to lessen the occurances of this problem, but not completely eliminate it.

I'm not sure how to verify the version in your DIAD, but if there is a way to check it, I'll post it here.

 

[Speedo]

I drive a new P12. It has a bulkhead door sensor and a seat belt sensor. All of the vehicles will be equipped with what management calls the "Black Box". They will also know your speed and if you are sheeting while driving. The best thing you can do is slow down and use the methods they teach you. The union doesn't recognize their time standards. In our station the new big thing is "Stops per car". We are getting loaded up like crazy. I can't take it any more- it's feeder time!

 

[What'dyabringmetoday???]

One very good thing about ODSe is the effect it has had on lunches. Before we put it in our center averaged about 65% for drivers recording lunch. Now we have used it and our average is over 90% recording a lunch.

Now if you can get the 90% to actually TAKE their lunch. Even better, get them to take it in the middle of the day instead of at the end.

 

[govols019]

The DIAD 4 GPS does occassionally get into a state where the readings are offset by a fixed distance. If you look at it on the map, it looks like you're driving parallel to the road but through everyone's back yard. We're working with the hardware manufacturer to try to eliminate this issue. There has been one firmware update for the GPS since it was originally released, and it seems to lessen the occurances of this problem, but not completely eliminate it.

I'm not sure how to verify the version in your DIAD, but if there is a way to check it, I'll post it here.

Which is why I voted No on this contract. If they can use GPS to help terminate a driver then it damn well should be an infallible technology.

 

[DiadDude]

Which is why I voted No on this contract. If they can use GPS to help terminate a driver then it damn well should be an infallible technology.

It is not infallible, but you could certainly not be terminated with evidence from a trace exhibiting this problem. In order to prove that you did something wrong, the points would have to be plotted on a map. It's obvious from looking at the trace on a map that the data points are incorrect.

 

[soberups]

Which is why I voted No on this contract. If they can use GPS to help terminate a driver then it damn well should be an infallible technology.

The people who I have seen successfully terminated for driving off of their route weren't fired for actually being off route....they were fired for lying about where they were and why they were there.
The company can use the GPS as probable cause for following you. They cant just arbitrarily fire you because a GPS said you were somewhere you weren't supposed to be.
I once drove over 12 miles off route because I ripped my pants and needed to go home to get a new pair. I called in and told management where I was going and why. As long as the driver is honest, I dont think there is any reason to fear GPS.

 

[JustTired]

Back in the old days, before all of this technology, it's a wonder any of us were able to get the job done and the company show a profit at the same time!!

The ones making the big profit on all this stuff are the ones selling it to the company. And I'm sure they're located somewhere other than the U.S. (or at least that's where the profits end up).

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Which is why I voted No on this contract. If they can use GPS to help terminate a driver then it damn well should be an infallible technology.

The key word in your post is help, as in "...help terminate a driver..." GPS alone cannot be used to discipline a driver but can be used in conjunction with other measures to discipline him.

I prefer to focus on the positive aspects of this technology, whether it be to make the routes more efficient, to make the dispatches more balanced, or to make the overall operation run much more smoothly.

Employees must be able to accept these technological changes and adjust to them in order to be successful. Those unable or unwilling to accept these changes may find themselves on the outside looking in.

 

[Mike Hawk]

What qualifies as off route? Would driving to a restaurant on lunch break that’s a mile off route be considered going off route?

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Our center OMSs can now see when we take our lunches, where our stops were completed, what is left in EDD..ect. It's actually quite cool to see. Our OMSs sends on calls to the closest driver by using the GPS instead of guessing. It has pretty much stopped drivers from overriding them. We've always had a few that would just flat out refuse them because they didn't want to back track. Or simply because they din't want to make the pickup.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

That is where the OMS needs to grow a pair and stand by her OCA dispatch decision and, if it is still an issue, bring an on-car or center manager in to the discussion. However, if the driver has a legitimate reason as to why he cannot complete the OCA that needs to be taken in to consideration and the OCA should be redispatched. Our OMS has no problem with dispatching OCAs as she uses common sense and doesn't take no for an answer.

 

[cino321]

What qualifies as off route? Would driving to a restaurant on lunch break that’s a mile off route be considered going off route?

If it's a mile off route, yeah. Our center generally is pretty loose with this, they'll let you go somewhere within your loop, and surrounding loops since everything is so close together.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

It is amazing how the philosophy on this has changed since I first started working here. My kids used to play youth hockey and the rink was about 3 miles off of my area but I used to take my lunch there so that I could watch them practice. The center team knew and could have cared less just as long as I kept making my numbers. My daughter played HS softball and I used to stop on my way back to the center and watch as much of her games as I could and, again, they didn't mind as long as the numbers were there.