Got in accident.....

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
You shouldn't have reported this as an accident. I don't know any drivers that report just a crack in the mirror. You should have just wrote it up on the DVIR and it would have been fixed by the next morning.

That little bit of advice is a quick way to end your career at UPS. Seen it too many times, and most of the time it was the mirrors.

One of the few things that UPS cant take away from you is your integrity. Dont give it away.

And contrary to the post, most drivers will be honest about it.

As to the way it is, I am hoping that this policy will change. But for the time being........

d
 

sendagain

Well-Known Member
browniehound said:
You shouldn't have reported this as an accident. I don't know any drivers that report just a crack in the mirror. You should have just wrote it up on the DVIR and it would have been fixed by the next morning.

It all depends on who your supervisor is; some of them will let it slide but some won't. It's best to report the accident and be honest rather than developing a habit of dishonesty. Next time, you might try to cover up your accident in some other way, digging a grave for your carreer. I new a manager one time who really liked a certain driver and she made his backing accident dissappear. If you don't earn a safe driving award, it must be hollow to receive the acclaim.
 
Anonymous new hire said:
Hey tell me this I am 10 days into driving bumped a overhanging tree on a residential road and the upper mirror on the pass side of the truck popped out and shattered the sticky tape holding the mirror on wasn't even used to hold it on. I have pictures... Boss made me report it once I got back and then he said to decide between preload or air driver that my full time days are over since I had a wreck... is this the way UPS is??? Just wondering if anyone has any feed back on this
Thanks
You didn`t hit a tree,you were adjusting the mirror so that you had a more safe view and it popped out. Before you could catch it it fell to the ground.
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
cachsux said:
You didn`t hit a tree,you were adjusting the mirror so that you had a more safe view and it popped out. Before you could catch it it fell to the ground.

Now if you are adjusting the mirror by turning it with your hand, and it cracks, then its not an accident. I have have heard that it is possible "to adjust a mirror with a tree limb", just remember to scrap the bark off! Some managers will let a mirror slide, they don't like their accident numbers to go up either. Some managers won't. We have mirrors break all the time, the car wash and preload never report them. I have also noticed that the bottom mirrors have very thin glass in them now, easy to pop with a tree limb. As a driver, sometimes you get in the situation of either hitting a tree limb or hitting a car head on that is coming around a corner. Which would you chose?

Back to Anonymous new hire's post. Yes, you have to be accident free the first thirty days. About twenty five years ago I went driving my first time in a Package Car in very narrow downtown Atlanta streets. On my fifth and last day with my supervisor on the car, I barely touched a traffic sign with my right mirror. He made me pull over immediately, took the wheel, and back to the Hub I went for a year. It didn't break the glass.
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
over9five said:
I'm with Cach on this one.

DVIR: Broke mirror while adjusting. Please replace.
Happens all the time, happened to my truck while I was off. You see they do not move easily, and sometimes when adjusting they just ..get....... broke..........
I had a stupid accident my first yr, none since that were my fault, (13 yrs), except driving off with the gas nozzle still in tank. That hurt. 2 other guys got off with it, I didnt. It has alot to do with who you know, how well you are liked and who you have to report it to. Better to report it as its better to lose a yr of safe driving than your job, I think..............
It was the same way when I started, a small scratch and they want to know where how why, now they get beat up and no one takes a second look. Ive seen the framework for the doors damaged and no one gets the blame. Not before................. but now.
 

UPSguy23

Member
Besides the pcm the only disciplinary action I had was a conf. call with the region safety manager and 2 other safety people. Basically me getting kinda chewed out about it and told not to do it again (duh...) and they hopefully see me at the circle of honor dinner in 25 years. The one good thing though is that my supervisor kind of stood up for me saying I kicked butt as a preloader and did an incredible job in my first 30 days, I was amazed by this. Other than that, that's about all they said
 

happybob

Feeders
over9five said:
I'm with Cach on this one.

DVIR: Broke mirror while adjusting. Please replace.

Integrity. The one monster that will get you fired, instead of just sent back to the hub for a year. Don't fall into this trap. You were honest. Please continue your career the same way. Your career is much more inportant than your safe driving record.

Your manager could have forgivin this type accident, but he chose not to. That's his choice to make, and he made it. Live with it. You can come back to driving in a year.

Report all accidents, no matter how small. It could save your career.
 

idrivethetruck

Slow & steady wins the race.
If management told me I had to give the safety pcm after having an accident I would tell them I would do it if I received the manager's pay for that day! That's their job!
 

cashmen

Active Member
Mirrors break a majority of the time, just like scratches on your vehicle or dent in your diad from hitting the dog!
Ya just write it up and it will be fixed in the morning, I dont know of a Sup. who will make you report that, if you do know a SUP. that makes you report that.....then there is something seriously anal about that SUP.
 
H

Helen of California

Guest
I break mirrors on a regular basis and our mechanic fixes them. (OK, four mirrors in one year) My route is rural and my 7 cube goes down narrow one lane dirt roads with branches all over the place. No big deal at our center. The mechnic doesn't want to get dinged with an accident as much as the center manager.
What is unusual is though, I backed into a mailbox, crunched it a little, and reported as you shoiuld. The manager so did not want to report it as an accident, they bought homeowner a new mailbox and let me off with no accident report. That was wierd. I felt lucky but somwhow uncomfortable with it. It just depends on the center manager and how badly he wants to have "accidents" on his books.
 

yeldarb

Well-Known Member
When I started driving, in a residential area, a tree branch broke the mirror, and I was paranoid about getting fired for an unreported, so I called the center manager, and he asked me why I was wasting his time with a call like that. He said write it up, and dont worry about it.
 
yeldarb said:
When I started driving, in a residential area, a tree branch broke the mirror, and I was paranoid about getting fired for an unreported, so I called the center manager, and he asked me why I was wasting his time with a call like that. He said write it up, and dont worry about it.
Basicaly thats my point. You broke it with a tree limb,happens all the time unless the "limb" was the size of a California redwood. We were full of routes when I was in package where you scrubbed the sides of the car going down them every day. Had a mew OCSup ride with me one day as we turned down this one lane and the trees started to scratch down the car he starts yelling to stop. Says it`s damaging "my" package car (the same one thats been down this road for 10 years) and not to proceed any further,says we need to walk it off. I told him to walk it off himself while I sorted the rest off the car to help us catch up for running behind because of him being along,which he did leaving on foot. Told him its the fourth house on the left. An hour and 15 min later when he got back and tiredly climbed into the car he told me we`d to scrape every inch of paint off the expletive thing before he`d do that again. Never heard another word about scratches or cracked mirrors the rest of my time in package.
 

tieguy

Banned
UPSguy23 said:
Besides the pcm the only disciplinary action I had was a conf. call with the region safety manager and 2 other safety people. Basically me getting kinda chewed out about it and told not to do it again (duh...) and they hopefully see me at the circle of honor dinner in 25 years. The one good thing though is that my supervisor kind of stood up for me saying I kicked butt as a preloader and did an incredible job in my first 30 days, I was amazed by this. Other than that, that's about all they said

about what I thought. There is pressure on managment to give discipline on all avoidable accidents. Your sup and center manger found a way to address your accident without giving a warning letter. Over 9 the pcm saved this guy from getting a warning letter .
 

UPSguy23

Member
Yeah I guess if I could've gotten a warning letter, I'll do the PCM everyday if I had too..... Anyways thanks again for the encouragement, it's been a week now and everything feels like it did before, only I've slowed down considerably (not by any means slow but not always rushing everything like before) and now everythings good again. Oh yeah except for today was the first day with EDD for us, man my route was jacked, 142 stops, over 90 business, and done at 745 (375 delivered, 502 picked up, now that seems like a bit much). I had 7 "missed" deliveries. Then I get back to the center and they say "yeah we don't know what was wrong with your truck today, you had way more than you should've" duh...
 

mrbill

Well-Known Member
They will do the same amount of stops the next day and YOU will do all that work and they will say we dont know how that happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DO YOU GET THE PICTURE YETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT:tongue_sm
 
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