Driver or Mechanic?

[1BROWNWRENCH]

I never even get the option of making input on the situation. My center team is trigger happy. Other times when they should, they don't. Lots of salient facts get left out.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

Part of being a mechanic at UPS means having interrogation skills. I personally don't like playing Columbo all the time.

 

[rod]

Everything in my old center was blamed on the car washer. He didn't care--he was Mexican and being one of our two token minorities up in the Great White North he was given a free ride on everything. His name was Jose---we all called him Hose B. We also had a young Indian lad (named 2-Dogs) who didn't care about anything. He laughed at everything and took the blame for stuff that never even happened.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

In their home countries people would slit your throat with a smile for that job.

 

[PT Car Washer]

We get pressured all the time to keep stuff on the road during peak if it seems to still be functioning safely. A lot of the time stuff will not present itself until it totally fails and I can't fix what I can't see.

I have seen more then once a 24 hour engine swap during peak to keep a PC on the road.

 

[rod]

I have seen more then once a 24 hour engine swap during peak to keep a PC on the road.

At the sprint car races they do an engine swap in 20 minutes.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

I have seen more then once a 24 hour engine swap during peak to keep a PC on the road.

I could do one on a GMC by myself in 8 hours.

 

[PT Car Washer]

At the sprint car races they do an engine swap in 20 minutes.

Maybe UPS can contract that work out.

 

[PT Car Washer]

I could do one on a GMC by myself in 8 hours.

And back on the road the next day? With out a road call? Good job.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I could do one on a GMC by myself in 8 hours.

I can guess that song in 2 notes.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

And back on the road the next day? With out a road call? Good job.

And back on the road the next day? With out a road call? Good job.

That's only without interruptions. Usually the engine only gets replaced after it's already fragged and had the road call.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

We almost never get to replace engines that SHOULD be replaced. Only ones we HAVE to replace.

 

[PT Car Washer]

That's only without interruptions. Usually the engine only gets replaced after it's already fragged and had the road call.

And you have another engine on standby. How often does that happen. Actually during Peak they may have one there the next day.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

And you have another engine on standby. How often does that happen.

We usually can find one somewhere between our centers. We share and play nice. I have $21K worth of engines here. Another $12k in AWOL on order.

 

[PT Car Washer]

We usually can find one somewhere between our centers. We share and play nice. I have $21K worth of engines here. Another $12k in AWOL on order.

It is truly amazing what the wrenches can do when their hands are untied.

 

[UPSGUY72]

Saw a package car being towed into one of the Hubs.
I can imagine the finger pointing going on, the Driver stating they advised the Mechanics of an issue, and the Mechanics stating they knew nothing of an issue that might cause it to break down.
So, who gets the blame for it breaking down on road and having to be towed in?

Nobody gets blamed. Things break and they don't always break at the building and there isn't always advance notice something is going to break.

Also the driver fills out the DVIR so the mechanics know what the problems are. Then the mechanics either fix the problem, red tag the vehicle or keep Vehicle on the road and schedule service and order parts.

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

It is truly amazing what the wrenches can do when their hands are untied.

If they are willing to let us and pay the overtime. Lots of engine swaps are getting farmed out to OSS and doing sub-par work. I always have to look them over when they return them. A full VT swap takes me 3 full days.

 

[olroadbeech]

we had a mechanic that got fired because he refused a direct order NOT to tag a tractor. not sure of the details but he's still out.

also, drivers write up safety issues on a tractor and then the dvir book disapears.

after that happened to me i started making photo copies of my copy.

cya.

 

[PT Car Washer]

If they are willing to let us and pay the overtime. Lots of engine swaps are getting farmed out to OSS and doing sub-par work. I always have to look them over when they return them. A full VT swap takes me 3 full days.

Would these out side services be dealer like IH or Mack or just anybody with a shop?

 

[1BROWNWRENCH]

It is truly amazing what the wrenches can do when their hands are untied.

To really be set we would need about another $20k in automatics.