Jackburton
Gone Fish'n
Including disregarding methods, your own health, and the public's safety, you'll make a great management puppet one day.
I love bonus
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Including disregarding methods, your own health, and the public's safety, you'll make a great management puppet one day.
Jackburton
Gone Fish'n
They could do that now with people putting in 1hr lunches and working through them, but it would make the numbers look bad if they actually opened that can.
Anonymous 10
Guest
No he will make a fine employee who is going to panel.
Jackburton
Gone Fish'n
We promote those who will do what it takes to get what they want done at any costs. Reminds me of someone else who does things at any cost.
Anonymous 10
Guest
or how about A Rod
Jackburton
Gone Fish'n
Eventually they all come crashing down, and falling from those heights you never recover.
I meant a lawywer could do it. I'll be the first one to call that lawyer and tell him how to do it when some bonus race car driver kills someone.
'Lord Brown's bidding'
Well-Known Member
In my bonus center, the ones getting into the accidents are not the ones making bonus.
Bonus drivers do not have to work unsafe to get bonus; just be very efficient. In my current center I infrequently get bonus, almost rarely. In my previous driving center, however, I'd routinely finish 170-180 stops by 3:30, chill for an1 1/2-2 hrs, and then clock out at 5:30, before my oncar finally imformed me that my 8 hr day is guaranteed, at which i started punching out 4:30/5:00. I'd be 1-2 under everyday. The kicker is that I wasn't in a bonus center; there was no reward for me other than the satisfaction of getting through my day efficiently (and I couldn't be reckless where I drove; streets too narrow and too many crazy peds and parked cars, most on low tree-lined blocks).
I once read a study that suggested people who drive over the speed limit have less of a chance to die in an auto accident-or even be in one-than those who don't. I chuckle at all of you who assume because a driver hit someone in an intersection it was because he was running; distractions, not paying attention, inattentativeness causes these, not speed, nor a driver who skips his lunch daily. Drivers (in general) who drive at higher speeds (while sober/not under some influence) tend to be hyper-vigilant in paying attention; at slower speeds it is easier to allow oneself to get distracted or drift off; you aren't letting your attention drift or shift when going faster than and passing everyone around you. However, since UPS trucks have governors, and they can watch via telematics, this aspect is moot for UPS drivers.
It sounds to me like a bunch of bitter drivers who never got bonus and have formed a hate club for the ones able to get it. As for the health concerns, nevermind there are highly efficient ways of getting out the car using 3-points of contact with practice (and I ain't talkimg jumping out a still moving car to toss a package, before driving off unbuckled), as a DM once suggested to me, there is a reason we have world-class health benefits (and it isn't just because the union fights for them), and she told me to go use mine (incidentally, this conversation happened during my stint back inside the bldg). When properly taken care of (good stretching program-which will be longer and more involved than what UPS shows you; also keeping well hydrated-thus lubricated and able to cushion blows-and watching one's weight) the human body is designed to withstand far more than the punishments our work day presents, even for a full career.
Oh, and if you are smart in getting bonus (shoot, my Stewart in my center can get 1.5 hrs of bonus, and I highly doubt with hiscyears of service as such he is blowing methods, including his lunch) you'll never have to worry about being a target. You don't have to be reckless to get good bonus (have guys here who routinely get 2-3 hrs bonus daily yet have maybe one accident in 10 years, if any). And again, the accidents in my center as of late have been guys who don't even sniff bonus; the bonus guys are getting theirs.
Bonus drivers do not have to work unsafe to get bonus; just be very efficient. In my current center I infrequently get bonus, almost rarely. In my previous driving center, however, I'd routinely finish 170-180 stops by 3:30, chill for an1 1/2-2 hrs, and then clock out at 5:30, before my oncar finally imformed me that my 8 hr day is guaranteed, at which i started punching out 4:30/5:00. I'd be 1-2 under everyday. The kicker is that I wasn't in a bonus center; there was no reward for me other than the satisfaction of getting through my day efficiently (and I couldn't be reckless where I drove; streets too narrow and too many crazy peds and parked cars, most on low tree-lined blocks).
I once read a study that suggested people who drive over the speed limit have less of a chance to die in an auto accident-or even be in one-than those who don't. I chuckle at all of you who assume because a driver hit someone in an intersection it was because he was running; distractions, not paying attention, inattentativeness causes these, not speed, nor a driver who skips his lunch daily. Drivers (in general) who drive at higher speeds (while sober/not under some influence) tend to be hyper-vigilant in paying attention; at slower speeds it is easier to allow oneself to get distracted or drift off; you aren't letting your attention drift or shift when going faster than and passing everyone around you. However, since UPS trucks have governors, and they can watch via telematics, this aspect is moot for UPS drivers.
It sounds to me like a bunch of bitter drivers who never got bonus and have formed a hate club for the ones able to get it. As for the health concerns, nevermind there are highly efficient ways of getting out the car using 3-points of contact with practice (and I ain't talkimg jumping out a still moving car to toss a package, before driving off unbuckled), as a DM once suggested to me, there is a reason we have world-class health benefits (and it isn't just because the union fights for them), and she told me to go use mine (incidentally, this conversation happened during my stint back inside the bldg). When properly taken care of (good stretching program-which will be longer and more involved than what UPS shows you; also keeping well hydrated-thus lubricated and able to cushion blows-and watching one's weight) the human body is designed to withstand far more than the punishments our work day presents, even for a full career.
Oh, and if you are smart in getting bonus (shoot, my Stewart in my center can get 1.5 hrs of bonus, and I highly doubt with hiscyears of service as such he is blowing methods, including his lunch) you'll never have to worry about being a target. You don't have to be reckless to get good bonus (have guys here who routinely get 2-3 hrs bonus daily yet have maybe one accident in 10 years, if any). And again, the accidents in my center as of late have been guys who don't even sniff bonus; the bonus guys are getting theirs.
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rod
Retired 22 years
leave me out of it.
Anonymous 10
Guest
Bubblehead
My Senior Picture
Print your post, seal it in an envelope and put it in a drawer for twenty years.When you take it out and read it I think you'll have a good laugh.
I once had your mindset, twenty years ago.
I was a driver helper with several guys and the guys that are not making scratch or getting back after 7 are the guys that are just plain slow... They take a while getting the package, they slowly walk it up, they talk to nearly every customer.... I avoid all that. With most routes I know the best way to make up time is not by driving fast but being quick in the back and a very fast brisk walk also I like getting there nice and early and setting up my truck
It's one of the few jobs where you have the ability to finish early.
I don't understand how drivers can get back at 7 or later and not have an issue with that... The day i'm routinly getting in after 7 is the day I get a new job...
bottomups
Bad Moon Risen'
Incredible amount of lobbying from the transportation industry regarding this rules change. My bet is that this proposed regulation will be changed and/or delayed before July. Money talks!
Brownslave688
You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
I use to bonus 3-5 hours every day up unitll a year ago. I'm a 23 years driving driver, and never had an injury, and no accidents save for the broken mirror while pulling my car out of the sardine can line. My center manager hated me because I didnt give to united way that year. I have good reflexes (or more likely luck) that saved me from MANY close calls, however... Sound familiar??
Anyway, I now need surgery for hand tendonitis. I feel like Red Foxx on Sanford and Son with his arthritis hands. All of that monkey swinging while being 'safe' using the hand rails in and out of the truck, using straps on boxes to save time etc... I made 124k my best year, and now i'm done feeding the machine. Yeah, the UPS doc said it wasn't work related..its because i'm genetically predisposed to the condition.
I actually take the time to pull over now and take a picture of dramatic sunsets. Believe it or not, I even spotted a freaking' American Bald Eagle in our central Ca town, majestically soaring over the business park I deliver. Whaa???
Don't be too busy to actually enjoy life, even while working (it's half your life). I wasted a bunch of my life putting the pressure on myself to be the best and get done fast that I forgot to live.
Not judging you, just know it will catch up. Time is the great equalizer..
Anyway, I now need surgery for hand tendonitis. I feel like Red Foxx on Sanford and Son with his arthritis hands. All of that monkey swinging while being 'safe' using the hand rails in and out of the truck, using straps on boxes to save time etc... I made 124k my best year, and now i'm done feeding the machine. Yeah, the UPS doc said it wasn't work related..its because i'm genetically predisposed to the condition.
I actually take the time to pull over now and take a picture of dramatic sunsets. Believe it or not, I even spotted a freaking' American Bald Eagle in our central Ca town, majestically soaring over the business park I deliver. Whaa???
Don't be too busy to actually enjoy life, even while working (it's half your life). I wasted a bunch of my life putting the pressure on myself to be the best and get done fast that I forgot to live.
Not judging you, just know it will catch up. Time is the great equalizer..
Bubblehead
My Senior Picture
'Lord Brown's bidding'
Well-Known Member
Dude, working efficiently doesn't mean work like a robot; I enjoy feeding geese on my route. I am a big train buff, and there is an RR crossing I must cross multiple times every day. If a train is coming while I am close, I'll pull over and stop to watch it go by, or if I am at a customer's dock as it passes, I'll go to the front and watch it go by. And 3 commercial consignees a day get the privilege of having extended (more than 30 sec) conversations with me, although if I am pretty sure I can get away with it, I ask everyone a personal interest question about themselves. These simple things get me through my day, remind me that I am a human being on a gift planet from Jehovah, keep me motivated and going so that I may work efficiently.
Bubblehead, did you/do you have a comprehensive stretching program for those 23 years? Or go to a chiropractor to keep yourself fluid and well adjusted? I've done plenty of study (but am no where near done) to know that the human body is designed to take extreme amounts of abuse, if properly adjusted by other means. And if some day I do suffer from my pains in old age, I'd still have no regrets; I enjoyed working quickly.
If a driver works off the clock for a half hour and skips his lunch, but gets home by 5:30 to be with his family while making 1 1/2-2 hrs of bonus, what has he lost? Some will be upset with him because he is not thinking of all the drivers who could be hired, however he chooses his family (and others he can personally benefit his time with. It is a philosophical debate really. (Oh, and at least in our supplement, the contract does not require a driver to take a lunch at all, unless the company compels him; they just can't take it from him without paying him for it).
Disclaimer: I no longer work of the clock (and I didnt back in my non-bonus days), and I do my best to take all of my hour lunch ($10000 or however much they are worth in a year is a lot of money to give back if you arent getting bonus, and I mostly do not).
Bubblehead, did you/do you have a comprehensive stretching program for those 23 years? Or go to a chiropractor to keep yourself fluid and well adjusted? I've done plenty of study (but am no where near done) to know that the human body is designed to take extreme amounts of abuse, if properly adjusted by other means. And if some day I do suffer from my pains in old age, I'd still have no regrets; I enjoyed working quickly.
If a driver works off the clock for a half hour and skips his lunch, but gets home by 5:30 to be with his family while making 1 1/2-2 hrs of bonus, what has he lost? Some will be upset with him because he is not thinking of all the drivers who could be hired, however he chooses his family (and others he can personally benefit his time with. It is a philosophical debate really. (Oh, and at least in our supplement, the contract does not require a driver to take a lunch at all, unless the company compels him; they just can't take it from him without paying him for it).
Disclaimer: I no longer work of the clock (and I didnt back in my non-bonus days), and I do my best to take all of my hour lunch ($10000 or however much they are worth in a year is a lot of money to give back if you arent getting bonus, and I mostly do not).
Dracula
Package Car is cake compared to this...
No, bonus drivers don't HAVE to work unsafe to get bonus, but the incentives favor doing so. Call me bitter or part of some "hate club" if you will, but we had the chance to be a bonus center, but voted it down. No regrets about that, either.
The fact of the matter is, if you get paid more money by faster, you will do whatever it takes to get done asap. Now, you can act delusional and say some ludicrous "study" says driving faster is safer than driving slower, if you wish, but that flies in the face of insurance studies and sheer common sense. Why don't you bring up that jewel of a study up at your next safety meeting, and tell us what their reaction is. Or better yet, if you get in an accident, tell UPS you were being safer by driving faster. I'm sure they will give you a pass since you were driving fast.
If you think stretching and drinking lots of liquids is going to prevent punishing your body the way you sound like you do, well, good luck with that. You might want to include the phone number of a good orthopedic surgeon while you're at it. Stretching and being hydrated is just something you should do whether you are a crazy bonus driver or a more sensible driver. Stretching isn't going to help a driver abusing his or her body anymore than praying would.
What some of you don't understand is the bonus numbers can and will be changed in a single day. It happened all of the time in the one bonus center in our building. The fact that equal routes can have drastically different numbers is proof how arbitrary the whole system is. Bonus is at the mercy of the time studies, and we all know how inconsistent those are.
Sure, there are drivers out there that work within the bonus system who work safe. Very few issues are bold black and white. And yes, there are plenty of slow drivers who work unsafe. But what I'm referring to is the system as a whole. The bonus system use the carrot of more pay for working faster. And working faster is very ripe for abuse and hazards. If the bonus day is without flaws, it could--COULD--go without a hitch. But how often does the driving day go flawlessly? Here is where the problem enters. When things stumble, that is when a driver is more likely to catch up. Hell, that happens to every driver. But when more money is at stake, it is only natural to speed up, cut corners and working unsafe become much more likely.
Most bonus drivers could get away with it most of the time, I guess. But what many of us are trying to explain to you guys, is that it only takes ONE TIME to screw it up. Fill in the blank what could happen then, but chances are, it won't be positive. Hopefully you don't get hurt, or hurt someone else, or even lose your job. And you don't have to have a target on your back. If you screw up, a target on your back is the least of your worries. It will be too late for that.
Hey, you do what you want. I own stock, so go ahead and scorch those routes up. If you want to ignorantly believe that driving faster makes you safer, and slowing down puts you at risk, it's only a matter of time before you're number is called. Just don't be surprised when you find yourself on the outside looking in the door, because the reality is, you're one accident away from being on unemployment.
packageguy
Well-Known Member
This guy will be in management within a year, or out on the street.......
kingOFchester
Well-Known Member
Dracula, I agree with everything you wrote except the above. A bonus driver will make the same, or even less then someone who does not try to run Under plan. The best a bonus driver can do when running under is making the planned hours. Where as someone who isn't chasing bonus could make out better being that they will be paid for the time worked.
Take a 9.25 dispatch.
Bonus guy will make 9.25 no matter how long it takes him as long as he is running bonus. All bonus chaser are always under planned.
The guy who isn't a bonus chaser and takes his lunch, takes his break. Follows all methods. Doesn't set up truck will more then likely run over the 9.25 dispatch giving him/her more money in their pocket.
The bonus chasers arent chasing bonus as much as they are chasing free time. And I am willing to bet most bonus chasers would still be gunning to get off the clock ASAP and rely on the 8hr guarantee if bonus was to go away. Most of the drivers in my center that run do so to get off the clock. The bonus is something that makes it better.
