How is everybodys peak going?

[BMWMC]

More than half the building of 125 routes are working consistently 11+ and 1/3 are over 12 and some are bumping up to 13. Only about 5% are under 10 hours. Just a few have gone over 13 but everyday its the same dispatch. No lunches (paid) and working strait 11-12+ hours. Volume was high after turkey day but level off some but with route cuts its balls to the wall for everyone pulling a truck out of the barn

After Christmas comes the 2nd peak. No helpers, no temps, and gift card purchase pushing volume up. Expect 2-3 weeks in Jan doing the same as now.

 

[killamjl]

Surprisingly smooth this peak. Get in before 9.5 everyday, helper everyday.

Something strange is going on, this is not the peak im used to. Where are my 100 bagged stops in the middle of the day. 12 hour shifts, calls to help other drivers, and fridays with people not able to work because they ran out of hours.....

 

[tre305]

Lightest peak I've seen in my 4 years here. Our heaviest days were right after thanksgiving and only have gotten lighter since then. So either those midnight start times are way behind us or this is the quiet before the storm. Next week being the storm

How about asking the drivers you load for how their peak is going. Preloaders sent home early in our building, doesn't mean it translates in to reduced hours for the drivers. Jump on a car as a helper and you'll see.

I jumped the last three years. The latest I've stayed out with a driver was til about 8:30 when his package car was completely empty. I haven't seen one preloader sent home early in my building and since we start around 3:30-3:45 we're waiting on trailers from Orlando as well as the air cans from the airport around 7-7:30. Every time I go into the office I hear drivers complaining to sups about 250+ stops. My hat is off to them for pulling those 12+ hour days.

 

[laffter]

Someone filed a grievance against sups shuttling batches of stops to drivers. The building manager pulled all of the rental trucks out of the building. "No more shuttling". This means that cars are being loaded with 400-500 pieces at one time. This is an absolute nightmare for the driver, and a pretty big annoyance for the loader. Every morning one of my drivers shows up with a mountain of boxes stacked out that there was absolutely no room for on or under the shelves.

 

[DS]

Actually it's going fairly well here for most drivers.The Hub manager wants everyone back
and punched out by 7PM.In order to do this the dispatch is your normal minimum.
If you are going to go over you have to call the center for help.
Tons of helpers on hand,everyone working,and sups cleaning up the mess.
So far so good.The worst part is the pt drivers doing all the stops we would
normally be doing and working 11 hours,but I bet they need the $.
Our manager deserves a pat on the back for keeping us drivers under 9.5
and getting it all done with tons of helpers.Good job Mike.

 

[BrownArmy]

Going fairly well here in MA, weather is a non-issue (so far) which has helped bunches.

The volume has been heavy, but not unmanageable so far (drivers still going home, etc.).

They tell us next week is when the hammer drops, we'll see.

I've had six helpers so far, even though I've been on the same route for weeks (all resi, no air, 280-320 stops, tight area, paper-route). Three of the helpers were ace, two were mad-sleepy, and one was a no-show, so I take it back, I've only had five helpers.

I got to drive one of my center's new Freightliner 800 automatics today...so fresh, and so clean, only 900 miles on the thing. Not a scratch on the pig yet, that will change.

It was like the Clarksville trucks you see in the training videos, super-shiny, totally awesome. Except, unlike the video (where there's nothing on the floor and the shelves are loaded stop-for-stop, like the grocery aisle), this pig was bricked.

My helper today was only semi-sleepy and we rocked it.

Just like last year, I'm going to get all my overtime in January...

 

[Anonymous 10]

How is everybody doing this peak? Vent if you wish, good or bad.....

Peak is going pretty good in my center. My center manager is about to be declared Master Of Peak by me.

 

[iruhnman630]

. Not a scratch on the pig yet, that will change.

Our brand spanking new 8 cube didn't make it past the first day without being initiated with some tree-branch brush strokes.

 

[brownmonster]

Much like the rest of year, I manage to finish and make it home every night. The biggest surprise is why we can leave at 8:30 during peak but in summer we can't leave the building until after 9. Goes to show if we staff enough people we can actually serve the customer.

 

[Buffalony hub]

This is my first year driving for peak, it was going great until I went on upsers and checked my pay stub and they "forgot" to pay me for last week!! It's amazing that this company has so much trouble paying their employees correctly and on time. They ask so much from you and want you to do everything fast and safe with no questions and then they pull this ****

 

[dilligaf]

How is everybody doing this peak? Vent if you wish, good or bad.....

My shoulder freaking HURTS!! I love oxycodone!!!

 

[curiousbrain]

Not bad so far; as the unload soup, the area I am responsible for has fallen into a rhythm - we get rocked Monday/Tuesday and have to really hustle, then volume drops off the rest of the week and we can relax a little bit. The preloaders have been getting crushed in the typical fashion - 400+ in most cars, anywhere from 190 to 300 stops on some routes, depending on the miles and the tightness of the route.

Almost all drivers have been getting helpers, except the random few who have it light on any given day.

As has been mentioned previously, I think the two biggest factors have been: No snow, and that we get some of Tuesday's volume on Monday.

I've heard stories of some hubs that feed us being blasted, and it does materialize a little, but has not been to the point where we have to sit on any loads yet.

Don't get me wrong, it's the usual UPS retardedness and idiocy (and plenty of it), but I was expecting much, much worse.

Have wrapped the unload at around 8:30 every day, while drivers theoretically pull at 8:45.

 

[barnyard]

I am sitting at home with my 3rd day off this week. Not complaining one bit. I was covering a route for a guy out on comp and he came back Monday. This week is the 1st week since I started at UPS that we do not have one driver out on comp.

I will be working tomorrow and then until vacation (the week of New Years). Our cyber Monday week was tough, but that was because we started most of our helpers that week and had not started any of the temp drivers. Everyone is up to speed now and I am thinking that the rest of peak could be smoother than cyber Monday week.

January will suck.

 

[brownmonster]

Looking at 44 hours this week, same as last week.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Looking at 44 hours this week, same as last week.

I had .09 hours of guarantee pay and 1.49 hours OT on my most recent paycheck.

 

[slaveofbigbrown]

Pretty good. doin 60-70 stops 300-400 pieces out of a uhaul punching out 1800 1815

Nice, be honest how many times to you stop for coffee....lol

lol couple times a day.

 

[Nimnim]

Working a midnight shift I'm having no trouble getting hours this peak. The volume is definitely up, and it seems management is actually doing something about it, start times are earlier than the last couple years, can't go too early because of the twilight shift before us, and we've actually been working doubles consistently this year. Next week is supposed to get crazy, but we'll see. Amazon has sent some crazy loads this past week.

 

[old brown shoe]

So far this year is the best in the last 35 at ups. But then I'm a customer and not a driver for the first time in 35 years. Doing my part to keep my driver showing up at my place most days. Gotta love Amazon Prime. Hope all the employees have a safe and happy holidays.

 

[jibbs]

I was told earlier this morning that our center is a full 7,000 packages shy of what we were moving December 14th of last year.

It's my first peak, but it seems awfully light. Before December we were moving maybe 12-16K a day, now we're at about 32K for the preload. I'm loving going in at 1am, though, I've hit overtime by the time I clock out on Wednesday three weeks in a row.

 

[sortaisle]

I was told earlier this morning that our center is a full 7,000 packages shy of what we were moving December 14th of last year.

It's my first peak, but it seems awfully light. Before December we were moving maybe 12-16K a day, now we're at about 32K for the preload. I'm loving going in at 1am, though, I've hit overtime by the time I clock out on Wednesday three weeks in a row.

That's stupid people logic. We also have an extra week to cram volume through this year. The math is different. Plus over here on the West side, Portland's expansion was finally finished and lots of volume gets diverted there. There's just as many packages if not more, just more days to move them this year.