DRA Maps

[MrFedEx]

We were notified this am that DRA maps would not be available " UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE" in other words, when hell freezes over. Luckily I found an old county map book buried in my truck supplies this week.

If you follow DRA to the letter at my station, you could literally end-up in the middle of a lake. I'm waiting for the day when some DRA new hire does exactly that, probably after dark while speeding along paying minimal attention. It will also tell you to cross freeways where there is no bridge, and to go left when there is no way to cross over the median. That isn't going to stop some of our new-hires. See my other post about how one doesn't even know the difference between a UPS package and a FedEx package.

 

[SmithBarney]

Phonebooks usually have maps in them. Personally, after getting a smartphone with maps, I'll never use anything else. Come in most handy for addresses in those rural areas where three counties come together and none of they all use a different grid.

Yeah area knowledge really is overrated I mean why just go to 123 SAMMY Lane, when you could pull over and look it up on your smartphone, then try to remember how to get there(because it is illegal for you to use your electronic device while driving) but lets say you use navigation on your phone and it tells you how to get there... now at the next stop you have to enter the next address.

So now let us estimate that you are taking 15-30 seconds to look up each stop and "program" it into your phone.
on a typical day of 100 stops, that adds 15-30minutes to your day, and really since most of your ground routes presumably have 200 stops... thats 30-60mins x 4 routes. 4 hrs a day 32hrs a week 1664hrs a year and at 10$/hr, thats $16,640 more you have to pay your drivers...

 

[bbsam]

Well, fredly, thanks for putting numbers to it even if inflated. That's exactly how I learned routes as a swing. But you don't have to look up every address. 123 state street is probably across from 126 state street. Towns often have theme names in sub divisions etc. It's tough, but I did the foundation work years ago.

 

[SmithBarney]

I know I did inflate the pay...$10/hr is really too much for a ground driver...

Just saying, thats a small part of the equation, increase the numbers to 30,000 drivers stopping to look stuff up instead of having area knowledge (DRA is dropping experienced drivers in areas they've never seen) those $$ add up quickly.