I've seen that happen too. But definitely not the norm.
FAIR WARNING.
- Thread starter HuckToohey
- Start date
Purplepackage
Well-Known Member
When that happens the company has no one to blame either. Even if a courier says yeah I sent that down the belt, if no one canned it technically that courier can't be held responsible for anything
But like I said there are many variables as to why the freight is late. Weather and breakdowns are two major ones. My last station got freight from a ramp 90 miles away. The ramp had a brand new mgr and had a bunch of handlers quit. The local station started sending handlers over to help out until they got straightened out. And we were getting late freight because of it. The customers might not like it but there's never going to be a smooth running operation every day where everyone gets to clock in on time, no one is sick, no one is blown out, there's never late freight. It's the nature of the business. And all upper management can do with couriers is spout slogans because they're scared to death that too many will walk, especially at Peak. But they're probably reaming seniors and ops mgrs behind the scenes.
Operational needs
Virescit Vulnere Virtus
Unless they want you gone. Then they can fire you for "failure to maintain security of package". Happened at my station to a guy.
It's similar to having a released pkg turn up missing and the mgr gets overzealous questioning the courier about it. Never mind that the courier had a thousand successfully released pkgs that month with no issues. When anything goes wrong many mgrs immediately assume it's a courier issue. Often it is, but not always.
Purplepackage
Well-Known Member
This true, though with out any type of scan the courier in question could early deny ever seeing the package. I feel like it could be easily gfted
Purplepackage
Well-Known Member
Certain routes I would cover always seemed to have "packages go missing"
It will be fine
Well-Known Member
Don't you guys have cameras on the belt?
Purplepackage
Well-Known Member
We do, in the station I was in for 25 years they never once actually took to the cameras to check anything lol
Operational needs
Virescit Vulnere Virtus
We do. Our district security guy gets his jollies from watching our footage. Guess he can't get his kicks anymore as a state cop, extorting sexual favors from women anymore.
Purplepackage
Well-Known Member
Our security guy enjoys making himself look like an idiot. He would show up once every 6 months to tell us to keep our windows shut at all times in 100 degree weather/ tell us that the air vents on the side of a 700 needed to be closed for security purposes.
And of course the occasional employee interrogation
Oldfart
Well-Known Member
Only once lost a package? Have seen meter labels curl up and make a letter stick to the underside of another package. Have seen packages slide inside another poorly taped box. Packages slide into conveyor motors. Customers sometimes use a SMALL envelope and slip a meter label on it and it just gets lost. They think they are saving money by using too small an envelope. A station handles thousands of packages every day, things happen. It sucks because that package is important to somebody.
HuckToohey
You are entering a world of pain.
You've been very fortunate. 3-4 days you come home late? During PEAK!? Try 6 weeks of PEAK, two years ago. And PEAK this year? It hasn't stopped yet! You must work in a very squared away station/district where the jet is never late and your staffed appropriately. That has only been the case once, when I worked at metro station in a big market. Where I am now, the jet is late from October through March almost daily. And I've worked where I've been out in the winter time until 9pm. You best never leave that station Bro!
MrFedEx
Engorged Member
Yep. Besides constantly "delighting the customer", Fred is still tacking on fuel surcharges even though the cost of Jet-A has dropped like a rock the last 2 years.
!Retired!
Well-Known Member
We've had that happen more than once. Only once though, the package was so important (paychecks, I think) they went to look at the camera footage and it showed it made to the end by the CSA. I think they sent it out with a mid-day route. I used to have a medical bulk stop. A package was SIPPED for them. I had no VAN or POD on it. My, then, manager wanted me to sign an OLCC for the missing package. I told him, if I didn't have a VAN OR POD, how can he say it was ever on my truck? **Blank stare**...end of conversation.
I've had exactly 4 traces in 17 years of 'Where is the package you released?'. If it's not in plain view for the recipient but not from the street, I put comments in. 3 of the 4 times the package was right where the comments said. Don't the CSA's read the comments?
I didn't say we didn't have late freight. There were many times we didn't leave the building until 10:30-11:00 with double my normal stop count. Yes, my station now is very well run. When it's predicted heavy volume, we start early, if we can, they ask PM'ers to come in early (most are eager for the hours), add to that the temps and runners (very few of those), 20+ rental trucks, etc we do OK. We have days where our station volume is literally double and still somehow manage. Rolling freight IS an option, but it's a last resort....not a safety net. I don't plan on leaving, but my SM is planning to retire soon (5-7 years) and my manager has his eyes on his position. The 2 other stations within reasonable driving distance are not well run, so it's either move to another state or stay and pray nothing changes.
!Retired!
Well-Known Member
I have come to terms that if the company doesn't care, or at least appears not to care.....why should I? I'll just do what I'm told to do. The only saving grace is my P1 is USUALLY not in the same area as my P2, so I have to run 2 cycles, no matter how late we leave.I had an interesting discussion with a newer manager at my station yesterday. (Hopefully he doesn't see this and I get fired. Lol). Our freight came in late...once again. He said, FO would go out with everything else. I told him that once again we are failing our customers and it's sad. He responds with (Iyou not) Of course we are going to practice Customer Service Integrity by making sure businesses are delivered first as well as bulks. Wut??? How is it practicing Integrity by delivering resis late? I remember when it was imperative that EVERYTHING was delivered on time. He said, Do you think Jane Doe knows whether her Amazon box is delivered on time while she's at work? My response, Integrity is doing the right thing whether anyone is there to see it or not. Don't even talk to me about CSI when we're not practicing it. He actually sounded like he was reading from a script. Lol.
Operational needs
Virescit Vulnere Virtus
I try to keep that mentality also, but sometimes the old me steps in and I can't keep my mouth shut. Lol. I'm fortunate that I can run P2 with my P1 as long as I don't have P1 lates. If not, I'd be out there all night.
dezguy
Well-Known Member
It's hard to break old habits. When we are forced out over dispatched, I have to constantly remind myself to not move quicker than I normally do.
Those who do are just rewarded with increased stop counts.
OrioN
double tap o da horn dooshbag
I guess not... My last drivers follow up already had my comments in the Fast track tracing request:
I'm gonna start messing with them and gonna use more "other" DR comments besides the typical FD release
