DRA at HD vs Knowing the area

[Code 82 Approved]

I worked HD yesterday as a favor to another driver and I'm not all that familiar with that end of the world. Imagine a tic tac toe... I had about 15 stops right in and around the ##. Flippin main street right through the center, and it had me criss-cross south to north with all left turns. Grrr!

 

[Operational needs]

I worked HD yesterday as a favor to another driver and I'm not all that familiar with that end of the world. Imagine a tic tac toe... I had about 15 stops right in and around the ##. Flippin main street right through the center, and it had me criss-cross south to north with all left turns. Grrr!

Sounds like DRA at Express. Welcome to our world.

 

[HomeDelivery]

either that driver didn't plan w/ his management team to fix that or he/she just doesn't follow the trace & do it his own way...

the VRP system works if they tell management to run the route a certain way. I WAD one day when the previous driver quit... it had him going back to the same area at least 3 times. i didn't know that since it was my 1st day at that area & that's the day i went up to the limit on my HOS w/ 15 DNAs

you look at the map details & overview & see if the previous driver had fixed his or her route so you won't be driving in circles ~ i love it when a driver has done this & i can go in a "straight line" instead of going like this:



hmm, actually that trace looks pretty decent in comparison to some routes that i've covered...

 

[GROUNDIsAHugeSCAM]

Why is DRA being implemented in a contracted business model? I understand why it is at Express... to push out topped out couriers and replace them with PT and lower wage full time and to ultimately move day 3 shipments to Ground. But Ground/HD are the money makers. Why put DRA there? I've never seen it at Ground. It's all straight line as long as you meet pickup windows and close times.

 

[HomeDelivery]

scroll around a few posts in this section; HD uses this program long before Express tries to adopt it to their operating structure. VRP (vehicle route planning) is our term, but it's similar

your Ground vehicles are pre-loaded like UPS's versions so i have an idea of why they won't implement the same program over there; because you have various pickup windows to deal w/ as well as on-call pickups

Express tries to implement DRA, but if they don't have the management to quickly adapt to those ever-changing P1, P2, sos deliveries first, it's a sink-or-swim dilemma.

HD works well over the years because our deadlines are none; just try to deliver everything in your package car on the same day.

sometimes, one or 2 drivers will still bitch about evening deliveries because some of them are basically done by 1500 and be mowing their lawns by 1700. they can see what routes will be out until that time to service them & will flex those appointment deliveries to them. At the terminal i'm at, about 70% are done by 1700, while the rest will be out until 2000 or later due to their workload and/or distance from the hub

 

[HomeDelivery]

Why put DRA there? I've never seen it at Ground. It's all straight line as long as you meet pickup windows and close times.

according to some HD contractors, they get paid less than their ground counterparts... so some will pay even lower than Ground wages.

the VRP system proves that anyone w/ a pulse and some common sense can do the job, so they'll either accept the low wage or move on if the driver can't shovel out 25-30 stops per on-road hour. With the proper SAFE methods i'm practicing, i'm only doing an avg of 15 SPORH & when i sometimes cut corners, i'll go up to 20.

as far as that new DOT rule about taking a 30 min break, thank goodness it's not yet enforced by locking out the scanner (yet). right now, i use part of the commute to the service area time as "the timed break". scan a box and code it 07, shut down the scanner & charge up the battery during the "30 min break" then boot it up when i arrive to the service area & re-attempt that box at a later time.

or, when i look at the VRP map & see a big gap between stops, that's when i'll take the timed break & shut off the scanner while going to that one long stop

 

[Code 82 Approved]

according to some HD contractors, they get paid less than their ground counterparts... so some will pay even lower than Ground wages.

the VRP system proves that anyone w/ a pulse and some common sense can do the job, so they'll either accept the low wage or move on if the driver can't shovel out 25-30 stops per on-road hour. With the proper SAFE methods i'm practicing, i'm only doing an avg of 15 SPORH & when i sometimes cut corners, i'll go up to 20.

as far as that new DOT rule about taking a 30 min break, thank goodness it's not yet enforced by locking out the scanner (yet). right now, i use part of the commute to the service area time as "the timed break". scan a box and code it 07, shut down the scanner & charge up the battery during the "30 min break" then boot it up when i arrive to the service area & re-attempt that box at a later time.

or, when i look at the VRP map & see a big gap between stops, that's when i'll take the timed break & shut off the scanner while going to that one long stop

I run a heavy retail route and I'm also wondering about the aftermath of the DOT during my pickup windows between 3-5.

 

[HomeDelivery]

i'm hearing that this 30 min break after 8 hours are really for feeder drivers... maybe that's why it's not being enforced yet

from my local hub, they just want to see 30 straight minutes of "no-scanning" they don't care if it's after 8 hours of on-duty or not

so i just tell customers that i'm charging up my battery for the scanner & to sign the status tag while it's charging as proof that i had delivered the parcel. those little "PAL" labels w/ everything on it really helps in manually entering the barcode after the 30 minutes are up for DR stops as well

 

[MAKAVELI]

i'm hearing that this 30 min break after 8 hours are really for feeder drivers... maybe that's why it's not being enforced yet

from my local hub, they just want to see 30 straight minutes of "no-scanning" they don't care if it's after 8 hours of on-duty or not

so i just tell customers that i'm charging up my battery for the scanner & to sign the status tag while it's charging as proof that i had delivered the parcel. those little "PAL" labels w/ everything on it really helps in manually entering the barcode after the 30 minutes are up for DR stops as well

The dot 30 min break applies to you as well. Just check on the ups forum.

 

[Code 82 Approved]

The dot 30 min break applies to you as well. Just check on the ups forum.

Here's what is happening here with me:
My p1200 is being sold off, as is 3 more p1200's and 1 p1000
I have the country club truck with armrests and my custom stereo. It's my baby really. I've had it for 7 yrs.
My truck only has 145k on the clock

But the DOT reg has my contractor freaked enough to split my route, 3 others, sell all his diesel hogs and start me at 11am and do the drop box duty.
Much I probably don't understand, but I was pretty upfront about pay must be the same.
And the saga rolls

 

[ImWaitingForTheDay]

i'm hearing that this 30 min break after 8 hours are really for feeder drivers... maybe that's why it's not being enforced yet

from my local hub, they just want to see 30 straight minutes of "no-scanning" they don't care if it's after 8 hours of on-duty or not

so i just tell customers that i'm charging up my battery for the scanner & to sign the status tag while it's charging as proof that i had delivered the parcel. those little "PAL" labels w/ everything on it really helps in manually entering the barcode after the 30 minutes are up for DR stops as well

Just use a box cutter to cut the barcode out then scan when your 30 minutes are up...

 

[Hate 150lb Packages]

We are being told that we will be taking 30 minute breaks for every 8 hours logged in at Ground too. I like your idea, but won't it look suspicious if you suddenly driver release 15 packages in 60 seconds after your break is over? I used to think no one monitored the scan progress and times... but one day I got a call asking me why it showed one driver release directly after another when the two areas were 20 minutes apart. I ran into the customer on the road and they flagged me down so I DR there. Couldn't indirect or edit address as it was on the side of the road. They actually put the two locations into mapquest directions to see how long it took to drive there. Once I explained that I ran into them, they just said "oh ok".

 

[HomeDelivery]

i space them apart... do a real physical DR stop, then input a stop or two that was done during the break period... rinse & repeat until those stops are integrated into the scanner

 

[STFXG]

Falsification is terms for disqualification. Not different than making a pickup outside the window and scanning it in later...

First month I've taken a lunch break in my FedEx years. Just have to plan accordingly. It sucks, but I get more reading done.

 

[overflowed]

Falsification is terms for disqualification. Not different than making a pickup outside the window and scanning it in later...

First month I've taken a lunch break in my FedEx years. Just have to plan accordingly. It sucks, but I get more reading done.

Best answer. I've seen express employees fired for doing what you guys are talking about. The exact reason DOT wants you to take a break. Other option, you saw the train picture of the HD truck. That's what happens when you want to mow your grass by 1500.