International/ODC Business.
- Thread starter KidUPS
- Start date
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
Origin data capture
there are relatively few odc clerks out there and most do it on a very limited basis unless in a large hub with lots of intl volume going through
Paperless Invoicing will soon make their job obsolete.
As for our International Volume, there is a correlation between our volume and the value of the US Dollar with Small Package Volume as most of the volume is export in nature.
The lower the dollar, the higher the volume, vice versa. At one point the dollar was at a low, but notice that the last month it's been on a tear.
Competition is fierce on import volume, with other carriers cuthroat on even intra-country shipments as UKGuy mentioned a while back. That combined with the nature of import shipments generally lead to larger items that would go SCS. You don't have people in China sending eBay or retail shipments to the United States. You do have the reverse happening.
As for our International Volume, there is a correlation between our volume and the value of the US Dollar with Small Package Volume as most of the volume is export in nature.
The lower the dollar, the higher the volume, vice versa. At one point the dollar was at a low, but notice that the last month it's been on a tear.
Competition is fierce on import volume, with other carriers cuthroat on even intra-country shipments as UKGuy mentioned a while back. That combined with the nature of import shipments generally lead to larger items that would go SCS. You don't have people in China sending eBay or retail shipments to the United States. You do have the reverse happening.
rocket man
Well-Known Member
I had to deliver 5 pkgs from the netherland only 3 made it 3 days later the other 2 made it the were so torn up the guy was ready to refuse but he needed the contents.
That's interesting that he needed the contents of the other two - The Netherlands is the only place I know of that sell marijuana seeds.
Although he could have ordered 5 pairs of wooden shoes!!
iowa boy
Well-Known Member
I'm one of the lucky part-timers here that deals with the same thing so I know where you are coming from. Let's hope that paperless invoicing gets here soon as this is one part of my job that i do not enjoy doing. Too much BS involved.
soberups
Pees in the brown Koolaid
I refuse to turn in Sales Leads for international volume on my route.
Our management team has decided that "international holds" will be charged to the driver and that disciplinary action can result from having too many holds.
I have 30 pickups to do in a 90-minute window of time. That works out to 180 seconds per pickup, including driving time between each stop. If I fail to maintain that pace, I will miss the air shuttle and all of the East Coast Next Day Air that I have picked up will be service failures.
The idea that within this timeframe I should somehow be expected to audit the invoices on all 20 or 30 of the international packages that I get each day for clerical errors, much less wait around at a pickup for those errors to be corrected, is absurd. I simply do not have the time. 180 seconds per stop. It isnt gonna happen.
Until UPS decides to reevaluate this idiotic policy, I have no choice but to regard all international packages as threats to my job. Only a fool would submit sales leads for packages that will potentially get him fired.
Our management team has decided that "international holds" will be charged to the driver and that disciplinary action can result from having too many holds.
I have 30 pickups to do in a 90-minute window of time. That works out to 180 seconds per pickup, including driving time between each stop. If I fail to maintain that pace, I will miss the air shuttle and all of the East Coast Next Day Air that I have picked up will be service failures.
The idea that within this timeframe I should somehow be expected to audit the invoices on all 20 or 30 of the international packages that I get each day for clerical errors, much less wait around at a pickup for those errors to be corrected, is absurd. I simply do not have the time. 180 seconds per stop. It isnt gonna happen.
Until UPS decides to reevaluate this idiotic policy, I have no choice but to regard all international packages as threats to my job. Only a fool would submit sales leads for packages that will potentially get him fired.
soberups
Pees in the brown Koolaid
The title of the thread was "International/ODC business". I assumed that issues regarding leads, volume loss or international holds were relevant to the title. My bad.
LiL"Comet"
Well-Known Member
There's three international clerks in my center had more than enough volume to keep them busy all night long... Now I'm sure that at least 1 or 2 are going to be taken out of that area no volume...
Covemastah
Hoopah drives the boat Chief !!
your women are ""HOT"" send them over here!! lol lol lol
The summer was really busy for ODC at our gateway, but the past few months have shown decline. Upper management is starting to cut hours in our department, and have asked people to go home (we have 7 clerks and only really need 2 to process the volume that's coming in at this point). And layoffs after January 1 are NOT something that I look forward to . . .
Sober, this seems to be counter productive. If you turn in a sales lead and in the comments write "Paperless Invoice" in theory, somebody from BD will talk to them about the benefits of Paperless Invoice (Main one being that it skips the ODC in the Hub and goes straight to one of the ODC Centers to have it clear customs before you pick up the package) and sign them up.
If the customer goes paperless, than there is no invoice for you to audit. Keep in mind UPS is the only carrier that offers this feature. If it's somebody you know has been held, let them know it's designed to cut down on holds.
There is no fee for this service, simply a form that they have to have the customer fill out. If the customer so desires, they can print a copy for their own records, but cut down on the triplicate and things that you have to look over.
When your management team tries to put the hold on you, simply state that there was no invoice to audit to begin with and they will back off.
So really, for those larger international shippers, you should be submitting leads and telling them about Paperless Invoice. If you need a flier, your Management team should have one, if not, I can scrounge up a PDF that they can print out and you can give to your customers.
iowa boy
Well-Known Member
brownsuit,
We have shippers that use the paperless invoicing (EDI shipments) and the shipments still have to be audited by the clerk and put the ODC sticker on the shipment. Are you referencing another type of paperless invoicing or is it the same thing? I am the backup auditor in my center and am curious as to what you are talking about so i can learn more about it.
iowa
We have shippers that use the paperless invoicing (EDI shipments) and the shipments still have to be audited by the clerk and put the ODC sticker on the shipment. Are you referencing another type of paperless invoicing or is it the same thing? I am the backup auditor in my center and am curious as to what you are talking about so i can learn more about it.
iowa
Yes, paperless shipments still need to be data captured at one of the hubs before heading to one of the larger Hubs/Airports etc. Paperless shipments, however, greatly decrease the amount of time it takes to process at the ODC site. It also decreases the chances of a shipment being held for no invoice, no value, etc...as it falls on the customer to upload all the proper information before sending out their shipments.
Will paperless soon make International auditing obsolete? Its hard to say. I see an increasing amount of paperless shippers going through UPS. Still, their are many shippers that send International everyday but send maybe 2 or 3 shipments on a daily basis. Many huge shippers still send with invoices. I do believe with an increase in paperless shippers, UPS will be able to move a few auditors to other locations in the HUB.
In my operation, I would have to say that paperless is about 30% of the volume.
