helper boards and helper time
- Thread starter ups2000
- Start date
srvhero
"leastbest"
Train the helper to use the board, then you will see how much he/she can help you. You may lose a little time in the beginning from the training, but in the heart of peak you will be amazed how many stops the both of you can complete in a day. And yes, there is a financial reason. Isn't everything at UPS? Be safe !!
browned out
Well-Known Member
It is just another moronic thing to make numbers a little more fuzzy. I don't know if it cuts down on bonus or what but they are not happy when I put 229 stops in helper board and 1 stop in mine.
Do not let your helper run. Make them walk behind the car; as management states that helper safety is your responsibility. Make sure they don't cut across lawns and that they use the hand rail. Keep the bulk head door closed; don't let the helper hold it slightly open. No packages in the cab.
Keep em safe as they are not pros.
soberups
Pees in the brown Koolaid
They want you to put a certain number of stops in the helper board because it makes some idiot in a cubicle some place look better on paper. And as far as "taking so much time away" goes....the allowances were never intended to be fair or realistic in the first place, they were intended to create a "standard" that can only be met by working off of the clock.
You work in the real world. The people who fabricate those allowances dont.
HEFFERNAN
Huge Member
There are 2 reasons for helper boards in my opinion.
1) Depending on route, you can drop him off and do an apartment, condo, office building, etc by himself
and importantly 2) It makes sure that each helper is electronically entered into the system so they get paid.
I am sure there have been many drivers that forget to hand in the timecard and when each center has so many new names to keep track of, this must help to leave a "paper trail" in the computer system.
I'm not sure why they mandate a certain amount of stops in the helper board, I just do my 1st 20 on the helper board then leave it in the back of the truck the rest of the day.
1) Depending on route, you can drop him off and do an apartment, condo, office building, etc by himself
and importantly 2) It makes sure that each helper is electronically entered into the system so they get paid.
I am sure there have been many drivers that forget to hand in the timecard and when each center has so many new names to keep track of, this must help to leave a "paper trail" in the computer system.
I'm not sure why they mandate a certain amount of stops in the helper board, I just do my 1st 20 on the helper board then leave it in the back of the truck the rest of the day.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
I used my helper for 3.99 hours yesterday and he had 64 of our 177 stops in his board. He is well trained on the DIAD which will really help as we get further in to Peak.
CharleyHustle
Well-Known Member
Some helper boards and in the future all helper boards will have GPS abilities to pin point where the pkg was scanned and where you hit the stop complete button. Your helper should scan and stop complete all the pkgs they deliver using the same methods you do. Then, if you're at 204 Elm but the pkgs is for 204 Oak the alarm will sound or the GPS can pin point where the pkg was actually left. Bottom line, don't scan or stop complete in the pkg car. We are all certainly mistake prone, including helpers. I quiz mine all day about which street we are on? what side of the road is this stop on? are the numbers going up or down?
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
The DIAD III's that are currently being used by the helpers will be replaced by our DIAD IV's as the DIAD V is put in to service.
I've done a lot of different routes during peak. I've had routes where helper boards didn't help at all. And routes where the extra DIAD was worth it's weight in gold. Anytime you can leave the helper alone to work independently you can save a lot of time.
Agree with the numbers issue. On a route that I could earn bonus without a helper I might not bonus with a helper.
Very small packages in the cab all day long. It increases productivity significantly.
I saw a driver roll into a late are drop once with 10 smalls on his dashboard. Supervisor didn't even say a word.
brownmonster
Man of Great Wisdom
Guy next to me today got a helper for the first time this year. Supes forgot to download a board for the helper. Had a 3 hour helper, no board. I get a message to put a minumum of 41 stops in the helper board. I send back, I don't have a helper. You can't make this stuff up.
soberups
Pees in the brown Koolaid
I was given a helper today along with a DIAD III for him to use.
I downloaded my EDD into his DIAD III, but since it was not programmed with the DOL for my loop it could not recognize any of the addresses so we had to override every stop in order to force it to accept the addresses as good.
His DIAD III was also slooow. Either the processor was bad or the battery was weak, but waiting for the damn thing to cycle thru the various screens was like waiting for paint to dry.
It also caused my DIAD IV to continually "update" me with "alerts" that would inform me that a package in my manifest had been scanned elsewhere ( by the helper DIAD) and would be removed. These "alerts" constantly interrupted the normal delivery routine by requiring me to make even more keystrokes in order to bypass them.
After half an hour or so of listening to the beeping and honking of those two DIADS fighting with each other, I had had enough. So I chucked that
DIAD III into an old tote in the back of the truck (where its probably still sitting) and scanned the rest of the packages myself while my helper jogged them off. I understand that we are supposed to scan a certain number of stops in the helper board in order to meet a quota...but this is peak season and at some point making service on the packages has to have priority over making some bean-counter look good on paper.
I downloaded my EDD into his DIAD III, but since it was not programmed with the DOL for my loop it could not recognize any of the addresses so we had to override every stop in order to force it to accept the addresses as good.
His DIAD III was also slooow. Either the processor was bad or the battery was weak, but waiting for the damn thing to cycle thru the various screens was like waiting for paint to dry.
It also caused my DIAD IV to continually "update" me with "alerts" that would inform me that a package in my manifest had been scanned elsewhere ( by the helper DIAD) and would be removed. These "alerts" constantly interrupted the normal delivery routine by requiring me to make even more keystrokes in order to bypass them.
After half an hour or so of listening to the beeping and honking of those two DIADS fighting with each other, I had had enough. So I chucked that
DIAD III into an old tote in the back of the truck (where its probably still sitting) and scanned the rest of the packages myself while my helper jogged them off. I understand that we are supposed to scan a certain number of stops in the helper board in order to meet a quota...but this is peak season and at some point making service on the packages has to have priority over making some bean-counter look good on paper.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
Sober, when I went to get my DIAD IV out of the rack yesterday it was in Base Com mode and could not be restarted. We ended up using two DIAD III's yet we got through it--93 stops in the helper board and 99 in mine.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
This is not true.
soberups
Pees in the brown Koolaid
If they dont want the helper to cause me to be overallowed, then they dont need to give me a helper in the first place. Or they could adjust the allowances to where they actually have some basis in reality. Or they can do nothing. I get paid the same no matter what, so it really doesnt matter to me.
pretzel_man
Well-Known Member
All here are correct that the rule about helper boards is stipid...
However, it does NOT help any metric or make people look better on paper. The reason is even dumber than that.... (Not worth going into).
Now....
In 35 years (and many of them in I.E.), I have created coutless allowances. I have taught scores of work measurement classes. I have audited work measurement in many districts and regions. I have also created many original analysis and implemented allowance variances.
When you assert that work measurement is a 50 year old conspiracy to steal from drivers that is not only silly... Its a charge against many honest UPSers both past and present.
Your word intent is a big one. You assert that this is a criminal activity despite any evidence to the contrary.
I know... You will say that there is no way to fix an allowance. Untrue. Go find out if there are any variances in your district or region.
Is work measurement perfect? No. Is it used properly always? No. This is a long way from an intent to steal.
tracker2762
Well-Known Member
Boy I'm glad I don't have a helper, seems very stressful.
hellfire
no one considers UPS people."real" Teamsters.-BUG
wait,, im very curious,, i use a pure runner,, he never touches the diad,, there is no reason for him to,, he will be fired the day after xmas,, why vest the time,, or even more important,, why waste the time,,however,, since i do not have the helper use a diad our ojs team creates a board and puts 30 stops into it,,, im curious tho,, who is this meant to appease???
My dispatcher made that statement so I assumed it was true since it's his job. I guess I should have said that in my post. Please accept my apology if I'm wrong, but it is the best reason I have ever heard.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
...and accept mine if I am wrong.
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