Instant Telematics feedback on idle time/backing

[soberups]

We are in the midst of a campaign to reduce backing and idle time.

Both are worthy goals but the manner in which these goals are being pursued is counterproductive and quite annoying.

Every day we are handed two sheets of paper. One shows our previous days idle time and has "excessive' times highlighted. The other shows the location, distance and speed of all backing incidents from the previous day, and is also highlighted.

What we wind up with....is several hundred sheets of paper lying around that no one bothers to read. We are paying for the paper, we are wasting the paper, and we are paying a management person to sit there all morning with Magic Marker to draw all over the paper.

In my opinion, this information would be more timely and relevant if it would pop up on a screen in the DIAD prior to clocking out on the day it happened. Or it could be an onoing thing, with hourly updates on the various statistics we are trying to improve upon. Instant feedback is relevant; day-old feedback isnt.

And as far as the backing reduction goes....someone in management arbitrarily decided upon a metric of 3.5 MPH as the maximum safe speed to back, and anytime we exceed this speed we get the piece of paper with the Magic Marker highlights on it the next day.

The problem is twofold. First of all, my speedometer doesnt work accurately in reverse. And secondly...its not safe to be looking at the damn thing while I am backing up!

My foot isnt even on the throttle when I am in reverse; simply idling while in gear will cause the car to exceed 3.5 MPH while backing up.

If 3.5 MPH is the maximum speed we are supposed to back, I dont have a problem with that. The solution is simple; either install an audible alarm that beeps when that speed is exceeded, install a heads-up display that projects the vehicle speed onto the mirrors and rear-view monitor, or equip the package car with a governor that limits it to 3.5 MPH while backing.

All of these are workable solutions for a worthy goal. But simply bombarding us with paper a day after the fact is not the solution.

 

[soberups]

And one other thing...any minute savings in idle time that I am able to achieve during the day is totally negated by the fact that, in the winter, I often have to spend 10 minutes or more idling in the parking lot in order to defrost my windows.

I have suggested many times that those of us who are parked outside should be allowed to clock on a few minutes early in order to scrape ice, or we should have a part-time employee go from car to car and "prep" the windshields prior to our start times. This would make a huge decrease in idle time, far greater than anything we are currently achieving. It would also cost money, which is why it will never happen.

 

[RoyalFlush]

We are in the midst of a campaign to reduce backing and idle time.

Both are worthy goals but the manner in which these goals are being pursued is counterproductive and quite annoying.

Every day we are handed two sheets of paper. One shows our previous days idle time and has "excessive' times highlighted. The other shows the location, distance and speed of all backing incidents from the previous day, and is also highlighted.

What we wind up with....is several hundred sheets of paper lying around that no one bothers to read. We are paying for the paper, we are wasting the paper, and we are paying a management person to sit there all morning with Magic Marker to draw all over the paper.

In my opinion, this information would be more timely and relevant if it would pop up on a screen in the DIAD prior to clocking out on the day it happened. Or it could be an onoing thing, with hourly updates on the various statistics we are trying to improve upon. Instant feedback is relevant; day-old feedback isnt.

And as far as the backing reduction goes....someone in management arbitrarily decided upon a metric of 3.5 MPH as the maximum safe speed to back, and anytime we exceed this speed we get the piece of paper with the Magic Marker highlights on it the next day.

The problem is twofold. First of all, my speedometer doesnt work accurately in reverse. And secondly...its not safe to be looking at the damn thing while I am backing up!

My foot isnt even on the throttle when I am in reverse; simply idling while in gear will cause the car to exceed 3.5 MPH while backing up.

If 3.5 MPH is the maximum speed we are supposed to back, I dont have a problem with that. The solution is simple; either install an audible alarm that beeps when that speed is exceeded, install a heads-up display that projects the vehicle speed onto the mirrors and rear-view monitor, or equip the package car with a governor that limits it to 3.5 MPH while backing.

All of these are workable solutions for a worthy goal. But simply bombarding us with paper a day after the fact is not the solution.

Telematics can't tell you anything until the information is uploaded upon return to the building. The information is transmitted by short range radio signal to a receiver in the building. Range is less than 1/4 mile.

Just stop backing and cleaning the ice off the windows, you're wasting paper and fuel.

 

[hurricanegunner]

No wonder they can't afford to give us new uniforms: they spent all their money on paper.

 

[browniehound]

Its funny you mention to paper waste at UPS. I understand paper is cheap, but its wasted at UPS like a teenager at a rock concert.

Every Monday, UPS prints the air dispatch on a sheet of paper and the puts in each driver's slot. The same printed information can be obtained from down-loading EDD. Why do they waste their time and paper doing this?

My only logical guess is that the air is in on Mondays well in advance of the pre-load. However, in my experience, late air dosent stem from not knowing its on your cars. The only time I have late air (other than too many straight air stops) is when the preload loads my 50 airs in the RDC section.

In their attempt to reduce AM time, every package must be in the package cars even if they are not place in their assigned location. So now I have 50 airs on my back-drop buried under a pile of grounds. To save 5 minutes in AM time, the preload just sacrificed thousands of dollars in air revenue by placing airs in the package car where the driver cant find it.

It would be OK if the 50 airs were for one stop, but they are spread over about 10 stops. The company wants to bite its nose just to spite its face.

Please, just leave my airs behind the car or in section 1000 where they are PALED to. You cannot just throw them on my back-drop and close the door just to keep your belt or preload line "clean".

How will I know where they are? You leave packages PALED for the 1300 section on my backdrop and expect this parcel to make service? I've had too many late airs because of the preload trying to save on AM time. Their Philosphy being just get it on the car and shut the door.

Who authorizes these actions?? If I were a share-holder or manager I wouldn't dream of doing this.

Let's re-cap and pretend you won this company. I'll use my scenario again and say it a company of 10 trucks.

Never mind the 10 trucks, you own 82,000 trucks. Are you going to tell 82,000 preloaders to just get everything in the truck to save 3 minutes of AM time for 82,000 drivers? Makes a little sense so the pre-load makes their AM number.

Problem arises when 82,000 drivers can't find an air package. We tear apart the package car for a good 10 minutes to find its not their. The preload is happy, I guess for the AM time.

Missed or late air and overtime labor from full-time drivers is worth the reduction in AM time?

Do you believe it? Do you buy it?

Why are things run backwards in this company? I know the reason and I will write it because everything I stated above is how the company does business. They practice these less-than profitable (to be kind) everyday.

The fact is, so much effiency is built into these routes, that a monkey could turn a profit. Think about it. Fed-Ex ground is in business with 1/6 of our volume. In my town, there is 1 Fed-Ex ground driver to 6 UPS drivers. If he can make money, then UPS is making 6 times as much as him.

Now I see a bigger problem with UPS. Its called the dispacth "Sup's" goal or number he needs to make. He needs to make "stops per car" on the center level. He needs to set the dispacth so the average stops per car is 110. Thats what it is in my center.

Problem is, to do so, this dispatcher must send drivers 3 miles off his route. Why waste the fuel to make the number? What ever happened to your route is your "route"?

This begs the question, did PAS/EDD ever work? So much time is wasted in missed packages from Add/Cuts that the driver that got the "cut" has to drive over to the area and deliver 1 package and the driver who got the "add" searches for a package that isn't there, maybe if we just left well enough alone things would run more smoothly?

Nah, if it looks good on paper, it must work.

I was informed today bout pick-up compliance. I was insrtucted by the center manager to start the scheduled pick-up time for all my accounts within in 15 minutes even if I'm not there. Fine, I work as directed, but what good are our numbers if they are not based in fact?

What a waste of integrity and effort that has no positive impact on our business. I'm to falsify delivery records for this cause??

Yeah, ok. the business community is going to choose UPS over Fed-Ex because our great BD people can promise our customers a definite pick-up time? Good grief!

I'm always asked for a sales lead. I'm always on the lookout for new business. I can't find any, yet I'm still pushed every day.

I'll make a deal with the BD folks. Find me a sales lead and company that produces volume and I will change my schedule to accomodate to get this volume.

I'm thinging its just not out there??

 

[grgrcr88]

So true, both of you. The isues of telematics and the reducing of backing and idle time are simply a way for supervisors to try and look busy. I feel it is everyones duty to try to comply to managements requests to the best of your ability, however we are profesional drivers. Most of us for a very long time. We did not get to this point by being stupid or lazy, so why are we treated as such. I will agree that on ocasion a sup will see something that I can improve on and when that legitimately improves my safety, eficiency or level of serviceI am first in line to get it implemented. The problem is that sitting behind a computer screen looking at numbers abd arbitrarily deciding that one needs to be reduced will not have the desired result.

The good news is that the Union does not recognize the telematics as a tool for discipline. That does not mean the company will not use it to target people for their little spy misions. So keep doing your best, and when they bring you the sheet telling you everything telematics told them you did, simply listen, say thank you, and I will do my best.

 

[JonFrum]

. . .What we wind up with is several hundred sheets of paper lying around that no one bothers to read. We are paying for the paper, we are wasting the paper, and we are paying a management person to sit there all morning with Magic Marker to draw all over the paper. . .

Ah, but Grasshopper, is there not now one less tree to back into?

 

[over9five]

Ah, but Grasshopper, is there not now one less tree to back into?

Oh, but that was awesome!!!!!! LOLLOLOLOL