How to be a good driver helper - duh!

1. Get to work early every day - don't make the driver wait for you.

2. Don't wait for the coordinator to call you, ever - take them out of the loop if you can by working directly with your driver if you have an established route.

3. Finished with your route? Call and offer to work more, doing anything.

4. Follow your driver's lead, let her/him know you want to learn as much as possible and that you are there to make their job easier, whatever that looks like for them.

5. Learn as much about the DIAD as you possibly can, if your driver is open to teaching you (which can feel like a burden to some drivers) have them show you what to do on the board every time you encounter something new. If your driver doesn't have time to teach you everything you want to know suck it up and do the work.

6. Don't miss work, it is going to suck because you are going to be sore ALL THE TIME, but this is what you signed up for - get up, get coffee, eat breakfast and get your ass to work.

7. Don't entertain gossip between drivers - it might feel like you're making a friend but what you are really doing is showing that you're willing to trash talk - just don't do it.

8. Be nice to your driver, they are doing this job 52 weeks a year - have a little empathy.

9. Don't bitch about the small stuff - unless it's a safety violation or you are being asked to do something unethical.

10. Don't fall for the "we're gonna keep you on" speak, keep working your tail off and let as many people know that you'd like to earn a permanent position without begging for anything. Earn it, it won't be given to you.
 

gingerkat

Well-Known Member
1. Get to work early every day - don't make the driver wait for you.
If the driver shows up on time, he won't know if you're early. No brownie points if it's a secret between you and the 7-11 attendant.

2. Don't wait for the coordinator to call you, ever - take them out of the loop if you can by working directly with your driver if you have an established route.
Once you have a regular driver, get his address and carpool.

3. Finished with your route? Call and offer to work more, doing anything.
Yes, at 20:00 there is always more work.

4. Follow your driver's lead, let her/him know you want to learn as much as possible and that you are there to make their job easier, whatever that looks like for them.
Follow driver everywhere, especially when the truck is brick loaded and there is no room to move. Ask, ask, ask! How will they know you are serious about working unless you ask? Let them know you're even willing to drive.

5. Learn as much about the DIAD as you possibly can, if your driver is open to teaching you (which can feel like a burden to some drivers) have them show you what to do on the board every time you encounter something new. If your driver doesn't have time to teach you everything you want to know suck it up and do the work.
If you encounter something new on the board, do what I do…press every damn button until the thing blows up. If you can't learn the board, bring a cross word puzzle (just in case), sit and say "no speak english".

6. Don't miss work, it is going to suck because you are going to be sore ALL THE TIME, but this is what you signed up for - get up, get coffee, eat breakfast and get your ass to work.
If you are sore all the time, you are not in shape and this job is not for you.

7. Don't entertain gossip between drivers - it might feel like you're making a friend but what you are really doing is showing that you're willing to trash talk - just don't do it.
Gossip between drivers? WTF is that? Are you banging two drivers? Hot damn! Where do I sign up!

8. Be nice to your driver, they are doing this job 52 weeks a year - have a little empathy.
Nice to your driver? Bring them coffee, donuts? Please define nice.

9. Don't bitch about the small stuff - unless it's a safety violation or you are being asked to do something unethical.
I like to bitch about large boxes of toilet paper and stuff that most normal people buy at costco… stuff like that? Oh safety and unethical stuff. Oh I'm sure the guy that is asking you to do something unsafe and unethical will be absolutely cool with you bitching about it - lol

10. Don't fall for the "we're gonna keep you on" speak, keep working your tail off and let as many people know that you'd like to earn a permanent position without begging for anything. Earn it, it won't be given to you.
I've actually never heard this yet. I've heard people ask right in the middle of orientation "oh I want to get hired after this season", but no promises from HR.

I know you're trying to help, but like others said, you're a little late. Sorry, just trying to have a little fun.
 

vwguy76

Member
1. Get to work early every day - don't make the driver wait for you.

No brainer

2. Don't wait for the coordinator to call you, ever - take them out of the loop if you can by working directly with your driver if you have an established route.

Impress the Helper Coordinator and others by showing them your ability to follow directions. In my case, you call in at 8:30 a.m M-friend so they can let you know if you are working that day. After that feel free to communicate the start time with your driver however you two want to go about it.

3. Finished with your route? Call and offer to work more, doing anything.
If you are being a good helper and doing everything the driver does, except drive the truck, you are going to be too tired to do anything else after 6-10 hours of busting your ass.

4. Follow your driver's lead, let her/him know you want to learn as much as possible and that you are there to make their job easier, whatever that looks like for them.

If you are paired with a good driver and have a good work ethic, things will fall into place naturally. No need to be a doormat.

5. Learn as much about the DIAD as you possibly can, if your driver is open to teaching you (which can feel like a burden to some drivers) have them show you what to do on the board every time you encounter something new. If your driver doesn't have time to teach you everything you want to know suck it up and do the work.

Again, if you are paired with a good driver and you have a "can do" attitude and half a brain, you'll have the Diad mastered within a week. As far as sucking it up goes, are you referring to using the Diad? So if you mess up on something it's better to just guess than to explain to the driver what happened and ask how to fix it? That would go over real well when at the end of the day you've got 20 uncompleted stops in your board.

6. Don't miss work, it is going to suck because you are going to be sore ALL THE TIME, but this is what you signed up for - get up, get coffee, eat breakfast and get your ass to work.

Duh? When you get hired for this job you pretty much promise to be available to work from the hire date until Christmas. If you are sore ALL THE TIME then you aren't following the methods and you aren't stretching before work. I've been a helper for the past 4 years. It doesn't suck and I'm not sore all the time....

7. Don't entertain gossip between drivers - it might feel like you're making a friend but what you are really doing is showing that you're willing to trash talk - just don't do it.

My driver and I only discuss parcels, kittens and puppies.

8. Be nice to your driver, they are doing this job 52 weeks a year - have a little empathy.

As opposed to what? Climbing into the package car and abusing your driver all day? Yeah that would go over until the first stop, then you'd be left on the doorstep with the package.

9. Don't bitch about the small stuff - unless it's a safety violation or you are being asked to do something unethical.

Ha ha ha yeah, like a driver is going to put up with someone sitting in the jumper seat all day bitching and complaining about everything under the sun. LOL

10. Don't fall for the "we're gonna keep you on" speak, keep working your tail off and let as many people know that you'd like to earn a permanent position without begging for anything. Earn it, it won't be given to you.

It won't be given to you even if you "earn" it if there are no positions available. Word gets around, if you are a good helper the center manager will know about and will ask if you are interested in staying on, or coming back should a position become available.
 
Sometime this past week I became my driver helper's helper. I still drive the truck and find most of the stops but after that she does all the work and I just try and help by carrying boxes and putting them where she says they go. Doing mostly business in the morning after the regular driver was injured and the boss threw us into to figure it out.
 
Wow, you guys are so much fun. I posted this because I got tired of being asked and honestly couldn't believe some of the people that UPS hires for this job. Oh and yeah it's late for THIS season but I thought more of you would be more big picture - there is a next season you know.

Trying to navigate this forum is a little bit like trying to find the mispick in your truck that you don't know is there, so sue me for trying to make it idiot proof - you've seen the helpers they're a lot that fit into the idiot category - so it made sense.

Oh and PS - this is MY perspective as a first year driver helper, I've been doing this for 5 weeks now and really struggle to understand why so many people find it difficult. I realize that I'm not a twenty something - or actually even a 30 something anymore- so maybe that is why i feel like the smartest person in the room around most helpers (and lets face it, some drivers). The best part about being the smartest kid in my local class is that I don't have to work with a driver anymore - I do 2 golf cart routes for about 225 stops a day in an average of 6 hours.

Guess I'm learning that trying to be helpful isn't really the thing to do on this forum - I'll come back when I have something to bitch about….
 
Oh and… who is it that i am attempting to brown nose with my post? I'm too old and don't care enough about what anyone else thinks of me to try to brown nose anyone in UPS or anywhere else.

There are still people out there who want to work hard and do the right thing because that's who they are, not because they think someone is watching..

Return to your regularly jaded program now.
 
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