*FIRED For Rollaway!

[stevetheupsguy]

A driver in my center has been fired for a roll away hit parked car accident/collision. The PCM info was that the driver pulled to a stop and instead of walking the pkg off, backed up 8 feet to get closer to the delivery point. When fully stopped, the driver entered the rear of the pkg car to get the pkg, at which point the car slowly crept forward and hit a parked car who's driver happened to be digging around for stuff, and moved away at the last 2nd when they saw the shadow of the pkg car.

Can this driver expect to get their job back at panel? We had another driver involved in a roll away hit parked car that got their job back after 3 months and traveling at length to go to panel. What say ye? Will the current driver get their job back? Should the current driver get their job back?

 

[Old International]

Depends on the work history, Steve. I had a rollaway, but I hit another UPS vehicle, causing less then 500.00 dollars worth of damage. All I got was a ride the next day, a stern talking to by the center manager, and a warning letter. I know of others that have had rollaways, were fired, but got their jobs back. And then I know of one person, fired for not reporting and accident, out for 6 weeks, signed a letter never to do that again, but did 4 years later- He is gone, gone gone, never to come back.

 

[cachsux]

I have a friend from package car who had a roll away down a sloped parking lot,across a city street,and into a parked car in a parking lot across the street. He sat out a few days,not as punishment but to collect himself emotionally. Otherwise he suffered no loss of time. It was determined that the parking brake had failed,backed up by the DVR that had numerous writings complaining about the brake and replies by the shop as being "ok to use". Also in his defense was the mechanics who dropped the clutch shield and pointed out that the trans was in gear as there were marks from the clutch slipping as the vehicle rolled.

Of course we had an excellent ctr team back then who also stuck up for the driver.

Did this driver not set the brake? Bump the truck out of gear with his leg? Those facts might make the difference one way or another.

 

[dannyboy]

It depends on a lot of things

1 your work history
2 your past safety record
3 your management team
4 your district team
5 your attitude toward what happened
6 and most importantly, if someone in the food chain needs someone to make an example of.

We have had several drivers that have had roll aways. One even had two. One hit a house and did damage. Some got no action besides a warning letter, others got some time off, a couple of days to a week. Most were told they were fired that first day, but then it was changed to what ever punishment they felt they needed.

Bottom line is that there is no real answer. It depends is the best we can do.

But all that being said, it is a termination offense.

d

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

My on car had a rollaway when he was a driver. The PC rolled across a 4 lane highway in to a new car dealership. This happened before I began working there so I don't know the details but I have been told either he had not set the parking brake or he had set it and it failed.

 

[NHDRVR]

About 10 years ago a driver had a roll away in a 24 foot rental. It ended up going off the road, into the woods a bit, no one was hurt and the driver kept his job. So, yes, the work history of the individual must come into play.

I always thought that a roll away was instant termination...

 

[stevetheupsguy]

There are other determining issues that I'm not at liberty to divulge, that may have added up against this person. It's so sad that one day you're enjoying the fruits of your labor and the very next you don't have a job. I feel for this person, even if it was carelessness. Poor sap!

 

[RoyalFlush]

I have a friend from package car who had a roll away down a sloped parking lot,across a city street,and into a parked car in a parking lot across the street. He sat out a few days,not as punishment but to collect himself emotionally. Otherwise he suffered no loss of time. It was determined that the parking brake had failed,backed up by the DVR that had numerous writings complaining about the brake and replies by the shop as being "ok to use". Also in his defense was the mechanics who dropped the clutch shield and pointed out that the trans was in gear as there were marks from the clutch slipping as the vehicle rolled.

Of course we had an excellent ctr team back then who also stuck up for the driver.

Did this driver not set the brake? Bump the truck out of gear with his leg? Those facts might make the difference one way or another.

In my district the driver always gets terminated for a roll away and they almost always come back. The only way the clutch can slip is if its worn out, and if it was worn out it would have been slipping before the roll away in which case the truck won't move/accelerate. The true test is to put the vehicle back in the exact same spot, put it in first gear, apply the parking brake and observe. If it rolls you're off the hook. If not, it was not properly secured. So far I have never seen one roll.

 

[3 done 3 to go]

Had a roll away in our center about 10yrs ago. Driver was fired for 2 weeks. Got his job back. I don't know now a days. They will go to arbitration now. Management gets a bonus when they fire some one.

 

[over9five]

Driver A parks his package car forgetting to apply the E-brake. The car rolls away and hits a tree causing minimal damage.

Driver B parks his package car forgetting to apply the E-brake. The car rolls away and runs over a child, killing him.

The cause of these incidents was exactly the same. Do we discipline both drivers the same? Driver A's package car could have just as easily killed someone, he just got lucky.

I don't know, just sayin....

 

[TheKid]

We have a driver that is out of work right now because of a rollaway. We have had drivers in the past get there jobs back....usually about 2 weeks but he has been gone about a month. Let's face it....this is a whole new world we are working in.

 

[Camping Nana]

Driver A parks his package car forgetting to apply the E-brake. The car rolls away and hits a tree causing minimal damage.

Driver B parks his package car forgetting to apply the E-brake. The car rolls away and runs over a child, killing him.

The cause of these incidents was exactly the same. Do we discipline both drivers the same? Driver A's package car could have just as easily killed someone, he just got lucky.

I don't know, just sayin....

Food for thought !

 

[upsgrunt]

In my district the driver always gets terminated for a roll away and they almost always come back. The only way the clutch can slip is if its worn out, and if it was worn out it would have been slipping before the roll away in which case the truck won't move/accelerate. The true test is to put the vehicle back in the exact same spot, put it in first gear, apply the parking brake and observe. If it rolls you're off the hook. If not, it was not properly secured. So far I have never seen one roll.

It's lowest forward gear, which is 2nd on my package car. In 1st gear the shifter is in the rear position.

 

[brownmonster]

It's lowest forward gear, which is 2nd on my package car. In 1st gear the shifter is in the rear position.

The lowest forward gear would be 1st gear. The rule does not say lowest forward position of the stick shift.

 

[Bad Gas!]

We had several roll a ways one year within months...One driver, a gunner got off for a day..The next driver, a management nightmare, was fired for good...The third driver, a cover driver, was sent back to the hub for a year, He's back driving now...no big damage done in any case...luckily..

 

[browniehound]

Driver A parks his package car forgetting to apply the E-brake. The car rolls away and hits a tree causing minimal damage.

Driver B parks his package car forgetting to apply the E-brake. The car rolls away and runs over a child, killing him.

The cause of these incidents was exactly the same. Do we discipline both drivers the same? Driver A's package car could have just as easily killed someone, he just got lucky.

I don't know, just sayin....

Excellent point over and I want to take it a step further. The technolgy of automatic transmission is what, 60-70 years old? Yet, as late as 1999 UPS had not invested in this safer "technology"?

Yes, shame on the driver for not putting the car in gear and applying the park break, but shame on UPS for not making these cars automatic transmissions.

I say this because I feel like I'm walking on egg shells everytime I park on a steep hill in the beat-up 1987 P1000s. I'm talking about a hill so steep that the bulk head door won't stay open at the stop. After securing the vehicle with the tire turned towards the curb and the car in 1st with the park-brake on, I still must dance around the stick-shift like I'm Fred Astaire!

First, that park-brake does crap! Next I go back and select a 40 pound package and must avoid hitting the stick shift. What if I slip and hit the shift and the car pops out of gear? Do you think the park break is going to hold?

If the UPS vehicle had automatic transmission public safety would be increased 100-fold. I can't imagine a roll-away with an automatic transmission package car? Instead, UPS still employs these relics from 3 decades ago that are a hazard to the general public just to save a buck. How about spending a few bucks to save many more in avoiding tier-3 accidents?

Turned-over package cars are a tier-3 accident. The old P10's and P-8's are so top-heavy I can feel the thing almost turning over in steep driveways that a newer P10 would handle just fine with its lower base.

Imagine this: UPS is employing vehicles with safety features desingned for the 1980's. Would you send your kid out in a car with the safety features of a 1985 ford when she could have the safety features of today's cars?

Our package cars have no power steering for heavens sake! There are many hundreds of millions of vehicles on the road in the USA today. All of them have power steering. There are a small minority that don't and they belong to one owner. This owner has deep pockets yet makes a spectatacle of itself when the public witnesses a driver trying to drive this truck in tight spots.

They witness a driver struggling and "pushing and pulling" on the steering wheel to get the truck into the spot. It now registers on this witness that "He has no power-steering?" "are you kidding me?". Not something you want to sell the public when asking for their business. "Oh you can service my packages better that Fed-Ex?" "but you can't buy power-steering vehicles?"

Perception is reality!!
















You want to eliminate roll-aways? Just upgrade the fleet to automatic transmission. It should have begun in the 1980's.

Fed-Ex doen't have any old trucks and embarassed drivers "pushing and pulling" their steering wheels. Why UPS?

 

[toonertoo]

Point on, one of the most excellent, thought out, well spoken threads I have read in a very long time. 6 stars ******

 

[dilligaf]

The lowest forward gear would be 1st gear. The rule does not say lowest forward position of the stick shift.

This is the correct one.

It's lowest forward gear, which is 2nd on my package car. In 1st gear the shifter is in the rear position.

This is the easiest one to get out of the driver seat and the one that gets used the most.

 

[Signature Only]

Excellent point over and I want to take it a step further. The technolgy of automatic transmission is what, 60-70 years old? Yet, as late as 1999 UPS had not invested in this safer "technology"?

Yes, shame on the driver for not putting the car in gear and applying the park break, but shame on UPS for not making these cars automatic transmissions.

I say this because I feel like I'm walking on egg shells everytime I park on a steep hill in the beat-up 1987 P1000s. I'm talking about a hill so steep that the bulk head door won't stay open at the stop. After securing the vehicle with the tire turned towards the curb and the car in 1st with the park-brake on, I still must dance around the stick-shift like I'm Fred Astaire!

First, that park-brake does crap! Next I go back and select a 40 pound package and must avoid hitting the stick shift. What if I slip and hit the shift and the car pops out of gear? Do you think the park break is going to hold?

If the UPS vehicle had automatic transmission public safety would be increased 100-fold. I can't imagine a roll-away with an automatic transmission package car? Instead, UPS still employs these relics from 3 decades ago that are a hazard to the general public just to save a buck. How about spending a few bucks to save many more in avoiding tier-3 accidents?

Turned-over package cars are a tier-3 accident. The old P10's and P-8's are so top-heavy I can feel the thing almost turning over in steep driveways that a newer P10 would handle just fine with its lower base.

Imagine this: UPS is employing vehicles with safety features desingned for the 1980's. Would you send your kid out in a car with the safety features of a 1985 ford when she could have the safety features of today's cars?

Our package cars have no power steering for heavens sake! There are many hundreds of millions of vehicles on the road in the USA today. All of them have power steering. There are a small minority that don't and they belong to one owner. This owner has deep pockets yet makes a spectatacle of itself when the public witnesses a driver trying to drive this truck in tight spots.

They witness a driver struggling and "pushing and pulling" on the steering wheel to get the truck into the spot. It now registers on this witness that "He has no power-steering?" "are you kidding me?". Not something you want to sell the public when asking for their business. "Oh you can service my packages better that Fed-Ex?" "but you can't buy power-steering vehicles?"

Perception is reality!!
















You want to eliminate roll-aways? Just upgrade the fleet to automatic transmission. It should have begun in the 1980's.

Fed-Ex doen't have any old trucks and embarassed drivers "pushing and pulling" their steering wheels. Why UPS?

When it comes the vehicles of any kind...They don't make them like they use to.

Thank GOD!

 

[QKRSTKR]

Contract says discharge for a avoidable roll away accident. If this guys was careless, who knows.