Little Black Book

Cobra Agent

Mandalorian
I have seen many drivers at our center that carry little books/ notebooks and record daily data in it at the end of their shift. Stuff like hours worked, route ran, packages not on car and stuff like this(not phone numbers). I am told by everyone to cover my a_ _. But really putting it in a book what will this help? I understand logging your hours, but the other stuff would be for your own personal info....right?
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
I have seen many drivers at our center that carry little books/ notebooks and record daily data in it at the end of their shift. Stuff like hours worked, route ran, packages not on car and stuff like this(not phone numbers). I am told by everyone to cover my a_ _. But really putting it in a book what will this help? I understand logging your hours, but the other stuff would be for your own personal info....right?

Sounds like a diary.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
We have a couple of drivers who do that and I asked them why. They both said they do it to make sure that the hours that they worked are the hours that they were paid for. They also do it to compare the dispatch for that day to similar days (based on stops/pkgs/miles) and both have noted that the time allowance has indeed been lowered since the advent of PAS/EDD.
 
S

speeddemon

Guest
I keep the info so that I can check my hours worked . We had a supervisor to get fired a few years back for shaving a few minutes a day off everyones timecard.
 
Probably 10% of our drivers do that, mainly for making sure they get paid for what they do. Most of our guys do their recording the next day in the a.m. so they can get all the info off the DOR. That used to be more important than now because there aren't that many running bonus to keep up with anymore.
I'm going to be keeping up with my total hours work for O/9.5 filing and for my option3 days taken/paid.
 

New Englander

Well-Known Member
Also...if your asked to do something out of the norm. It's nice to be able to go back and see some info if the need ever arises.
 

Highwayman

Well-Known Member
I keep track of my hours worked every day. Have been shorted many times. This happens more if you work in different pay rates.:surprised:
 

dilligaf

IN VINO VERITAS
I keep notes on things that have happened in the am or during the day, what rte, stop counts, miles, and most definately clock out time. There have been many a time when those notes have come in handy when filing grievances. It makes it easier to go back and refresh memories when needed because sometimes grievances take months to be heard.
 
Absolutely. You need to know if the driver doing your bid worked more hours. As they owe you the difference.
I have never kept a book before, but I am attempting to start one, beginning Monday. There is no telling how many times I have been shorted on hours and never knew. I've never really thought about the oddities that occur that I need to keep up with also. Maybe even keep record of what odd instructions I have been directed to follow from time to time.
Come to think of it I may need a secretary.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
I have never kept a book before, but I am attempting to start one, beginning Monday. There is no telling how many times I have been shorted on hours and never knew. I've never really thought about the oddities that occur that I need to keep up with also. Maybe even keep record of what odd instructions I have been directed to follow from time to time.
Come to think of it I may need a secretary.

To be p.c. they prefer the term "administrative assistant".
 

User Name

Only 230 Today?? lol
This is funny to me because these people are probably not the same people who might just talk to a dock worker just a little longer than they should. Maybe drive around the block once or twice. Finally stand in the truck organizing bulk stops. I know theft from ups happens from supervisors. I know of a manager that was busted but come on, keeping a log every day. What do you tell them, monday I had such and such stops and ran 40 late and on wednesday I had five more stops and ran a 100 late. Do you think that they care???? Until over-allowed becomes an issue, I would never worry about that. My only worry would be to be safe and follow the methods..
 

probellringer

Well-Known Member
the reason i keep a book is simple....i am a cover driver-...i am on a different route every day...what has happened in the past is ...timecards have been changed,,,,(start time pushed back 15 minutes)..i dont know what i am doing so i just punch in any board so i dont punch in late--then some one takes that board and delivers all day as me-them oms asks why i did this -he has to find out who did that other work-...also so when i cover a rte i know how many stops they go out with....and i can show the supe last time i did rte was 9 months ago --always good to show them (mgmt) that you keep good records---they will not try to get over .......happy new yr all
 

JohnnyPension

Well-Known Member
Kept a book for years for my hours and any weird stuff that goes on during the day. I had a few doorman apartment bldgs and the stops could vary wildly from day to day - 4 one day 30 the next. Only used the book a couple of times over the years when I was called in for production. "What happened to your numbers two weeks ago". They were not happy when I whipped out my book and said "lets see - only 6 stops in my drop buildings, stuck behind an oil truck 40 minutes).. etc. It becomes tedious keeping track everyday but my sup knew I did and they left me alone. And don't forget that you should be jotting this stuff down on your own time.
 

jw55wags

Well-Known Member
I have kept a book for over 25 years. I have seen the times when they short you hours just cause they can! I have caught them changing start times. I have been called into the office for production over the years only to whip out my book and say lets see here on this day I had this many stops,packages,miles,etc. and got this much time and on this day you gave me less time for same stops, packages, miles, cod's and so forth. So someone in your time card dept. FAT FINGERED my times. If you are not keeping track then they can do as they please and you have no way of calling there hand. Just think for a second if by chance they could( Not saying they will) shave a minute or two off all the drivers and inside workers every day. That adds up to a wad af savings. Over the years when we where held in building for late trailors and you get out of building 1 hour late and the next day they show you got fifteen minutes. That extra 45 minutes goes toward you planned day.
The time cards are done by humans and there is always a chance of getting the wrong numbers in there. If you don't know by now UPS is all about numbers. They live and die by numbers. So if you care about getting paid for what you do, then keep a book. If not then let them smile at you and tell you what a great job you are doing. As for me I will keep my little book.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
Hey User

You can tell you are still wet around the ears. When you understand CYA, then you really understand why.

There are lots of reasons. YEah, payroll is one. A few minutes here, a few there. Most drivers would never ever know. Does not happen often but enough to make it worth the while.

One of the big things they used to do is change leave building times. They want to make the preload look good at the expense of the drivers on road number. While not illegal, it still is wrong.

To keep track of your performance. I know that a lot of you post that you could care less. But it does give you a lot of hard data that can be useful in many ways, including self improvement.

Then there are those days when things happen out on road. You know, that irate customer that cusses you out, then calls in a complaint a week or two later. Nothing like being able to go back through the book and gather your information on the subject to respond without that blank look.

Then there are those days when your sup wants to play games. Things like telling you to do certain things that are wrong. Or to cut corners. Nothing like being able to go back through the pages and say, "yeah, on october 3 at 8:57 Jimmy came up to me and said for me to driver release that huge apartment building off stone drive. And Don was right there and heard the conversation." That type of response at a discipline hearing stops a lot of things dead in the water.

Then there is the coverage issue. As a cover driver, it was so amazing the driver followups that had my name on them. It became such an issue that warning letters were given out.

But after matching the dates of the problem deliveries, and the routes I ran per the little black book, wouldn't you know, I was in a totally different town, off on a personal, running other areas, etc etc. Without the book, there would have been no way to protect myself.

The same was true when they tried to charge me with two accidents where the UPS man tore up the yard on one and a tree on another.

Funny too how several of the issues above, after proper investigation, were traced back to supervision delivering packages.

It also allows you to document any issue you run into on road that causes you to lose a lot of time, like an accident, a long wait at the railroad etc. Nothing like trying to figure out a large dead spot in your delivery trace when LP is trying to build something that is not there.

So there are a lot of little reasons. these are just some that have affected me personally and was the reason I carried one in my back pack.

Like your seatbelt. It might not ever be needed, but it can save your behind when you do need it.

d
 
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