Helpers and 30 stops in "helper board"?

[UPSGUY72]

Don't take this personally as it is not meant to be but this is textbook "How Not To Use A Helper 101". The helper is there to assist you, not to be your *****. It is not that hard to teach the helper the basics of the DIAD and with PAS/EDD it is even easier. Having a helper who knows how to use the DIAD is a huge asset. Also, the ideal would be for both of you to be delivering at the same time whenever possible. I know my helper would be pissed if I didn't get out of the car all day and I wouldn't blame him at all. Whenever we have two deliveries fairly close to one another I will "split the difference" by parking between both stops. He will run off one while I run off the other. If I know he will be back to the car before I am I give him the keys and tell him to get the next two or more stops ready. He is able to do this as he knows how to read EDD and how to find the packages using the PAL's. We do the same when we deliver adjacent medical office buildings with multiple suites. I give him the building that does not need the hand cart while I deliver the one that does. We normally are back at the car at about the same time; if not, I will set up the next section while waiting for him or vice versa. I know that I only have my helper until 1500 at the latest so I must make the best use of the time that I have him on the car.

Simply throwing 30 stops in to the helper DIAD and then throwing it in the back serves no purpose other than to satisfy a metric which P-man himself admits is of no value to anyone.

I am on vacation Thanksgiving week, which is when my helper is supposed to start working. Having a helper who can use the DIAD will greatly benefit the casual covering my area that week.

I have my way and you have your way. My helper doesn't need to know how to use the board I don't send him off on his own he is only my runner that is what they get paid to do at $8 something and hr. I can do 30 plus stops and hour with my helper just running off the packages.

Giving a helper a hand cart and then driving and doing other stuff then driving back to pick up your helper isn't really efficient in most cases. Also I'm not leaving my helper out in the weather for long period of time.

 

[bigbrownhen]

PAS/EDD is to my bennifit, my helper just delivers where I instruct her to. We have about 20 commercials left when I pick her up so we do mostly resis. Having trouble hitting the sig key too many times and having to redo the last name again. I try to keep in mind how frustrating my first few days were. Im sure by next week she will have it all down pat.

 

[728ups]

Article 10 Section 1 of the National Master agreement states.....

"No employee shall be disciplined or required to make reimbursement for lost or damaged parcels unless the Employer demonstrates that the Employee, without justification or mitigation, violated pertinent established rules or policies, the observance of which would have prevented the loss or damage. In no event shall a driver be subject to reimbursment for loss or damage to a Driver Release parcel valued at $100 or less."

The reality....is that the company is not going to get anywhere trying to make a driver (who is working with a helper) pay for a DR claim in a crowded residential area during peak season unless it can prove beyond a doubt that the driver was grossly negligent.

you are preaching to the Choir Sober, as i agree with you. I still do it as a form of CYA because of Management's actions in the past.

 

[soberups]

Do you find it easier to train a helper now that we have PAS/EDD rather than "old school"?

No.

Problem #1 is that our helper boards are decripit old DIAD III's that constantly freeze up. And since I havent used a DIAD III in several years, its a struggle for me to remember how to use one, and even harder for me to explain it to a helper. I cant count the number of times I have left my helper at an office building with 4 stops on a handcart, only to return 10 minutes later to find him standing there with a confused look on his face because his board either locked up or put him into a screen that he couldnt figure out how to get out of.

The reality...is that the combination of inadequate training and obsolete, dissimilar DIADS means that the best way to use a helper in most cases is for the driver to do all of the scanning and recording himself, with the helper serving as nothing but an extra set of arms and legs that runs off the stops while the driver sorts.

Remember that we are talking about people who are making minimum wage, and who may or may not even show up at all. Whatever "training" they may have gotten in the 1 hr orientation class that they took 2 weeks earlier has long been forgotten, and I seldom have the time to retrain them properly.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Sober, I think what has helped me is that my helper is in his early 20's and "kids" that age tend to pick up technology rather quickly. It is a 10 minute drive from the center to my first stop (WalMart) and on the first day he was able to figure out how to deliver residential stops during that ride. By the end of that day he was able to scroll through EDD to figure out where we going next and how to deliver single commercial stops. On the second day I taught him to deliver to a medical office building with multiple stops. He even knows how to prerecord and stop complete multiple left ats. This will be the third year that we are working together and with more practice he would be a very good casual driver.

 

[soberups]

Sober, I think what has helped me is that my helper is in his early 20's and "kids" that age tend to pick up technology rather quickly. It is a 10 minute drive from the center to my first stop (WalMart) and on the first day he was able to figure out how to deliver residential stops during that ride. By the end of that day he was able to scroll through EDD to figure out where we going next and how to deliver single commercial stops. On the second day I taught him to deliver to a medical office building with multiple stops. He even knows how to prerecord and stop complete multiple left ats. This will be the third year that we are working together and with more practice he would be a very good casual driver.

If you are fortunate enough to have a "veteran" helper who is proficient with the DIAD, then your approach is certainly the best one. I have had 3 different helpers in the same week, so it has never been possible for me to develop enough of a relationship with them to train them. I pick them up at the bus stop or wherever they parked their car, and we have to hit the ground running.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

If you are fortunate enough to have a "veteran" helper who is proficient with the DIAD, then your approach is certainly the best one. I have had 3 different helpers in the same week, so it has never been possible for me to develop enough of a relationship with them to train them. I pick them up at the bus stop or wherever they parked their car, and we have to hit the ground running.

I have had helpers like this as well and they weren't allowed to touch the DIAD.

 

[Bubblehead]

Sober, I think what has helped me is that my helper is in his early 20's and "kids" that age tend to pick up technology rather quickly. It is a 10 minute drive from the center to my first stop (WalMart) and on the first day he was able to figure out how to deliver residential stops during that ride. By the end of that day he was able to scroll through EDD to figure out where we going next and how to deliver single commercial stops. On the second day I taught him to deliver to a medical office building with multiple stops. He even knows how to prerecord and stop complete multiple left ats. This will be the third year that we are working together and with more practice he would be a very good casual driver.

The bubble of goodness?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

The bubble of goodness?

This kid, who's Dad is a 22.3, busted his ass the first two years, which earned him a permanent PT position on the metro after his 2nd Peak.

Good things happen when you don't limit yourself to the black and white of a contract.

 

[Bubblehead]

This kid, who's Dad is a 22.3, busted his ass the first two years, which earned him a permanent PT position on the metro after his 2nd Peak.

Good things happen when you don't limit yourself to the black and white of a contract.

He's a chip off the old block, you and Dad must be so proud.
I too have had the same helper for years, also an inside employee.
He's a 52 year old preload worker who has a landscaping business on the side.
All I require of him is to go to and from.
Again Nancy, the contract isn't relevant to the conversation.
Try and keep up.

 

[kingOFchester]

Well, I have had 3 different helpers for 4 days.

Day 1) Helper was given DIAD III and met me on area. DIAD did not have EDD. No stops were put in board. Told Sup and was asked why I didn't do EDD transfer. I laughed and asked "Do you really think I have time to scan packages then transfer them, then deliver in DIAD III?" Can you even do EDD transfer from IV to a III??

Day 2) left building with out a 2nd DIAD as I was not told I was getting helper. Asked "did you put 30 stops in board?". My reply "Do you think I had a spare DIAD"?

Day 3) Was given DIAD III as I was pulling out of building, get on area to see that again no EDD. Asked about stops and repeated conversation from day 1.

DAY 4) Was given DIAD III when I got my board, proceeded to get EDD for both DIAD's. Met a new helper who didn't even know what a DIAD was let alone how to use it. I tried for about 30 seconds and then threw it in the tote for the remainder of the day. When asked about on Monday I will explain either myself or my helper will need to be trained to use the DIAD III, and even then no guarantee that I will be able to get 30 stops in board. This will be my 4th Peak, and have not been forced to input any stops in a 2nd DIAD.

 

[Jim Kemp]

What would they do if one day you put all your stops in your helper board and none in the driver board?

 

[old levi's]

What would they do if one day you put all your stops in your helper board and none in the driver board?

Try it and let us know!

 

[Jim Kemp]

Try it and let us know!

I don't del. rts anymore. But if I was a driver I would do it just to see.

 

[UPSGUY72]

What would they do if one day you put all your stops in your helper board and none in the driver board?

Most of the helper boards are DIAD III. Have you used a DIAD III lately they suck it would more of a hassle than it's worth.

 

[old levi's]

As sober pointed out having dissimilar boards is a huge problem for the driver. Trying to bail out the helper when you haven't used that version in years. Nightmare!

 

[TearsInRain]

my helper just delivers where I instruct her to.

i like the way you talk, maybe you should turn in your letter of intent

 

[The Blackadder]

A little off topic but, this week I will be getting a helper.

I dont need one, its to early. My numbers will suck, I will be asked why.

I will say because I have a helper I dont need, and it screws up my numbers, they wont care and tell me I suck, SIGH!

 

[UPSGUY72]

A little off topic but, this week I will be getting a helper.

I dont need one, its to early. My numbers will suck, I will be asked why.

I will say because I have a helper I dont need, and it screws up my numbers, they wont care and tell me I suck, SIGH!

We all suck even on a good day according to there numbers. So I don't really give a rat a-- about there made up numbers.

Anyways they will probably have you keep your help less than two hours. I hate when they do that either give me a helper for the day or not.

 

[kingOFchester]

As sober pointed out having dissimilar boards is a huge problem for the driver. Trying to bail out the helper when you haven't used that version in years. Nightmare!

Try bailing out the helper when you have never used DIAD III, That is a Steven King Nightmare.