Helper Commute

[grantras]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'll go with it anyway.

I was recently hired as a seasonal helper a few weeks ago. I started work during the week of Thanksgiving, and got meet points that were reasonably close to me (20-30 miles away). This week, I was assigned to a driver who had a route a few towns away from me, with a meet point that is around 60 miles away from me.

I have now been consistently assigned to this driver, and have been making a 120 mile round-trip commute for the past week, and I feel like I'm spending a lot of my paycheck on gas. I was just wondering if this long of a commute was normal for helpers, and if my helper coordinator would down on me for requesting a driver with a closer route.

 

[Pooter]

Never hurts to ask. If the coordinator says that's all that is available then it's up to you to decide if it's worth the drive

 

[Scottyhawk]

The coordinator should have asked you which towns you can work in, so I do not think the coordinator will have an issue with you requesting a closer location to your home

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Anything beyond 10 miles is unreasonable.

We had a helper who was asked to drive 30 miles to meet a driver only to be told that she could only work for 2 hours.

 

[grantras]

I appreciate the responses, I'll talk to my helper coordinator next time she calls.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I appreciate the responses, I'll talk to my helper coordinator next time she calls.

...or you could take the initiative and call her...

 

[grantras]

...or you could take the initiative and call her...

She uses a restricted number so it's difficult to make contact. She'll be calling me soon to set up a meet time anyway.

 

[Richard Harrow]

I had a helper early in peak one year that I picked up at the train station. He lived 20 miles north, did not have his own car.

He lasted two days. It was actually costing him money to come to work.

 

[grantras]

It was actually costing him money to come to work.

That's too bad, I guess I should count myself lucky that I'm getting enough hours in to not lose money.

 

[retiredTxfeeder]

When they first started using helpers, they initially had them come to our building and punch in/out. Didn't take the bean counters long to figure out, hey they were paying the helpers a salary to sit in the jump seat to/from the delivery areas. Well, that will never do. After that, they started picking up the helper on the way to/on your delivery area.

 

[hellfire]

If your a half-decent worker ups will be desperate to keep you, dont ask, tell you helper coordinator, who btw, is a new seasonal hire just like you, that a 120 mile round trip will not work for you

 

[AllOnTheHorses]

maybe it's too late for this.. but talk to your local driver. When I was a driver helper, my local ups guy picked me up at home.. easier on both of us.
If it is hard to make that contact.. talk to your next driver. He/she may be able to put you in touch with a more local driver.
They don't pay enough to make that kind of commute worthwhile.

 

[oldngray]

maybe it's too late for this.. but talk to your local driver. When I was a driver helper, my local ups guy picked me up at home.. easier on both of us.
If it is hard to make that contact.. talk to your next driver. He/she may be able to put you in touch with a more local driver.
They don't pay enough to make that kind of commute worthwhile.

They try to use a helper that lives in or near the driver's route. Picking you up on route shouldn't be a problem most of the time.

 

[Covemastah]

I appreciate the responses, I'll talk to my helper coordinator next time she calls.

Is she hawt ???
I'll call her !

 

[GillEagan]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'll go with it anyway.

I was recently hired as a seasonal helper a few weeks ago. I started work during the week of Thanksgiving, and got meet points that were reasonably close to me (20-30 miles away). This week, I was assigned to a driver who had a route a few towns away from me, with a meet point that is around 60 miles away from me.

I have now been consistently assigned to this driver, and have been making a 120 mile round-trip commute for the past week, and I feel like I'm spending a lot of my paycheck on gas. I was just wondering if this long of a commute was normal for helpers, and if my helper coordinator would down on me for requesting a driver with a closer route.

In my area 30 miles is usually the max. But then again, I live in a major metropolitan area. They also pay a $50 bonus if you are driving that far. It's also just this one center where you would end up driving that far. UPS has a hard time getting anyone wanting to work for that center as they don't usually live there. So they just end up giving that center to the late comers.

She uses a restricted number so it's difficult to make contact. She'll be calling me soon to set up a meet time anyway.

You should have gotten one or two numbers for the center you are assigned to to call. you can reach the coordinator there. Best to call before 7am or after 8 am.

 

[MendozaJ]

Is UPS anywhere in your vicinity? You can deduct gas and mileage by claiming to have traveled from the hub to the meet point. Technically, you need three points on your route for absolute legitimacy on your claim: Home to UPS to meet point, for which the mileage driven between UPS and the meet point is deductible. So when I go in for preload, if I follow that up with driver helper, I deduct the trip from the building to the meet point.

Keep a good record of mileage (from building to meet point) and save your gas receipts, but the chance of you being audited on driver helper income is pretty much zero.

 

[Bagels]

Is UPS anywhere in your vicinity? You can deduct gas and mileage by claiming to have traveled from the hub to the meet point. Technically, you need three points on your route for absolute legitimacy on your claim: Home to UPS to meet point, for which the mileage driven between UPS and the meet point is deductible. So when I go in for preload, if I follow that up with driver helper, I deduct the trip from the building to the meet point.

Keep a good record of mileage (from building to meet point) and save your gas receipts, but the chance of you being audited on driver helper income is pretty much zero.

Really bad advice.

First off, you may deduct standard mileage OR actual expenses - not both. That 57.5 cents per mile you're deducting already includes gas, so you can't double-dip. Secondly, the total of your employee business expenses beyond 2% of your AGI add to your deduction. Here's the problem -- the standard deduction will be most beneficial to most PTers, so this won't help. And when it does, it's just going to reduce their federal tax liability. So if you commute 60 miles each day for the 19 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you get $650 in standard mileage but only the portion above 2% your AGI will add to your itemized deduction. Even if you could claim all of it, that's a whopping $65 you saved in taxes compared to the $90 you spent in gas. For most PTers, that number is closer to $0.

None of this matters, anyway, since you can't deduct auto for commuting mileage, of which driver helping is considered.

Anything beyond 10 miles is unreasonable.
We had a helper who was asked to drive 30 miles to meet a driver only to be told that she could only work for 2 hours.

A few years ago the Labor Manager was our coordinator and asked me to drive 40+ miles, each way, for 1.5-1.99 hours worth of work (depending on the day). 100% city miles, sub-0 temperatures = my car gets 15 MPG x $3.50/gallon = $15-$18/day in gas for $12.88/hour = I lose my. I remember the LM saying "so you're declining the work."

 

[Cementups]

I've never had a helper more than 10 miles from me. It struck me as odd that you think 20-30 miles is reasonably close. I wouldn't drive more than 10 miles to be a helper.

On my old route I would pick the helper up either on area or on the way to my area. No way I was going to make him drive the whole way to meet me if I was driving right by him. I know that if I take care of my helpers they will take care of me.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Is she hawt ???
I'll call her !

She's Southie hot.

Still want to call her?

 

[Covemastah]

She's Southie hot.

Still want to call her?

yah !! Those girls are dirty hawt!