Maintaining professionalism, when everything around you is crumbling down.

[ups1990]

Many of us here, have experienced a work day where our character was tested. Yes, each and every work day for a driver is a grind on the body and mind but I'm talking about a day where everything associated with driving is seemingly working against you!

One of those days where even the drive to work was made longer due to a bunch of distracted drivers and the never ending road construction. A day in which you find out your diesel truck was red tagged and replaced with a gas, no power steering truck with only 1/4 tank remaining. Then, you glance at the load and you can quickly deduce that your normal loader is absent and see packages stacked down the middle of the floor. The sup, was able to call in other drivers early but apparently failed to call you.

Needless to say, the day included road construction, many missloads, heavy on delivery and pu pieces, never ending on call air messages and a text from the wife asking if it was possible to get home a little earlier than usual.

With all this said, the hardest part was keeping my composure through the day. I've always maintained that the mental part of the job is the toughest. UPS, compensates its drivers with a high wage and included in that wage is acting professional as possible at all times no matter the circumstance. It would have been easy for me and wrong to have taken it out on those that I interact with on a daily basis and strangers by lashing out and showing rudeness, coldness. I got a lesson on the aspects, which my son constantly hears from me; patience and kindness. The last walk from the building to my car gave me an opportunity to shake off the day and clear my mind for the most important stop of the day, home.

 

[Raw]

I feel your pain! I`ve been on a retro gas no power steering pkg car for 2 weeks now and the over- allowed is very revealing!

 

[Johney]

I feel for you guys I don't even think we have any gas cars left in our building....Oh wait we did just get about 10 brand new p1000 and they are all gas.
Well said 1990.

 

[soberups]

When I am faced with a day like that I immediately try to narrow my focus down to the things that I can control, while detaching from the things that I cant.

I try to remember that, no matter what happens, the day will be over in 12 hours or so and the only thing that really matters is getting through it safely.

I also try to remember that, in many respects, I am simply the messenger. If my management team has failed to do its job, it is inevitable that I will fail to do mine.

All that I can do is to give my best effort. If I do that and there are service failures, it is my managements fault and not mine. We can always try again tomorrow.

 

[hellfire]

when my day falls apart i take it out on my customers,, rushed and rude,, i allways try to never take it home with me

 

[Coldworld]

When I am faced with a day like that I immediately try to narrow my focus down to the things that I can control, while detaching from the things that I cant.

I try to remember that, no matter what happens, the day will be over in 12 hours or so and the only thing that really matters is getting through it safely.

I also try to remember that, in many respects, I am simply the messenger. If my management team has failed to do its job, it is inevitable that I will fail to do mine.

All that I can do is to give my best effort. If I do that and there are service failures, it is my managements fault and not mine. We can always try again tomorrow.

but even if its mgmt fault...it always is our fault...said or unsaid.

 

[soberups]

but even if its mgmt fault...it always is our fault...said or unsaid.

Only if you allow it to be.

 

[grgrcr88]

Man, that sounds exactly like my Tuesday. My nice new workhorse p10 was redtagged and replaced with an old ford non power steering gasser. Loader was on vacation and was dispatched with 20 more stops than normal, mostly bussinesses. The load was horrible! Front to back top to bottom in no particular order. Whatever came down the belt next was stuffed in the middle of the truck. 128 stops 450 packages 28 stops of air and leave building at 9:30! It was so bad I got to the first bulk stop, RDC and could not find a single package for them. I tried to take the attitude of I will do the best I can, but the more I did the more frustrated I became. I actually called my Sup and told him that if I did not get help I was considering rolling the truck off a cliff and never coming back!!(Jokingly of course) It was probably the worst day I have had in 15 years. Since I was a cover driver and ran my first route blind!!

Anyway, they had to bring in a driver from a suburb 20 miles away that had an all resi route to take 25 bussiness stops off. I had to take the delivery truck back to the center to trade for an empty since I have 40 daily pickups that average 250 pieces a day, and I had 3 shelves full of resis left. Finished the pickups went back for the delivery truck(my route is only 2 miles from the center) and started running them. Finally another driver was sent to help me with the resis I had left and he took about 30. They wanted to keep me under 9.5 as to not violate the 3rd time. got in at 9.3 hrs and only ran 85 of the original 128 stops.

Funny thing is, the next day was almost the same. Only had 11 businesses that needed covered that time though and they left me all the resis to run. Didn't have to go back to trade trucks as they had someone meet me before I started pickups this time!!

Finally got my workhorse back on Friday,(still over 9.5 though).Wow I forgot what it was like back in the day when all we had were those old Fords. I can't even imagine having to drive one of those every day now!!

 

[Coldworld]

Only if you allow it to be.

why are the easiest things to change for the benefit of ALL always the hardest??

 

[over9five]

I sometimes find it amazing how calm and professional we all can be on the outside, while we have so much strife that we keep inside.

 

[The Brown Santa]

You guys get power steering?

 

[soberups]

Remain calm. All is well!
[video=youtube;zDAmPIq29ro]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDAmPIq29ro[/video]

 

[The Milkman]

Man, that sounds exactly like my Tuesday. My nice new workhorse p10 was redtagged and replaced with an old ford non power steering gasser. Loader was on vacation and was dispatched with 20 more stops than normal, mostly bussinesses. The load was horrible! Front to back top to bottom in no particular order. Whatever came down the belt next was stuffed in the middle of the truck. 128 stops 450 packages 28 stops of air and leave building at 9:30! It was so bad I got to the first bulk stop, RDC and could not find a single package for them. I tried to take the attitude of I will do the best I can, but the more I did the more frustrated I became. I actually called my Sup and told him that if I did not get help I was considering rolling the truck off a cliff and never coming back!!(Jokingly of course) It was probably the worst day I have had in 15 years. Since I was a cover driver and ran my first route blind!!

Anyway, they had to bring in a driver from a suburb 20 miles away that had an all resi route to take 25 bussiness stops off. I had to take the delivery truck back to the center to trade for an empty since I have 40 daily pickups that average 250 pieces a day, and I had 3 shelves full of resis left. Finished the pickups went back for the delivery truck(my route is only 2 miles from the center) and started running them. Finally another driver was sent to help me with the resis I had left and he took about 30. They wanted to keep me under 9.5 as to not violate the 3rd time. got in at 9.3 hrs and only ran 85 of the original 128 stops.

Funny thing is, the next day was almost the same. Only had 11 businesses that needed covered that time though and they left me all the resis to run. Didn't have to go back to trade trucks as they had someone meet me before I started pickups this time!!

Finally got my workhorse back on Friday,(still over 9.5 though).Wow I forgot what it was like back in the day when all we had were those old Fords. I can't even imagine having to drive one of those every day now!!

Over the years you will get more days like that. Many people think the drivers have an easy Job just riding around (or so it seems) and dropping off pkgs. They do not see behind the scenes the stuff that we put up with that puts a strain on your brain in more ways than 1. If only mgmt would give all of us more respect for the Job we did than it would feel like a Job well done but sadly the next day you are asked why you ran over or some other production crap. It would take 3 sups to do the Job the drivers do in half the time and I look at these posts and sometimes wonder how I made it to retirement in 1 piece. It all ends then..Hang Tuff and you too someday will look back at these posts as I do and wonder "How did I do it?"

 

[code5]

When I used to start at 7, I could have the crappiest of days but know id be done by 7p.m. and have the rest of the day to be me, not a UPS driver. Now, starting at 9 and having to take a lunch means a crappy day means 12 hours, then its home to bed just to do it again the next day.

 

[upsman68]

I have no sympathy for you. I've been driving a 1986 p1000 for five years now. Gas no power steering and a lap seat belt.

I deliver about 145 stops and 350 pkgs out of that piece of crap.

They keep saying they are going to replace it but they have been saying that for two years now.

 

[ups1990]

I have no sympathy for you. I've been driving a 1986 p1000 for five years now. Gas no power steering and a lap seat belt.

I deliver about 145 stops and 350 pkgs out of that piece of crap.

They keep saying they are going to replace it but they have been saying that for two years now.

That's ok. Not asking anything from you.

 

[Anonymous 10]

I have no sympathy for you. I've been driving a 1986 p1000 for five years now. Gas no power steering and a lap seat belt.

I deliver about 145 stops and 350 pkgs out of that piece of crap. Man you have to feel like a real piece of crap after working out of that.

They keep saying they are going to replace it but they have been saying that for two years now.

 

[fxdwg]

What's crumbling down" around you?

Personal life is what crumbles down around me.

 

[Slowdog]

This is were your past comes back to haunt you. We have drivers that will go out and del anything as fast and unsafe as they can to get that pat on thier head at the end of the day. Were with some who do it right all the time and always have thier sup knows before they leave the building that mis del and mis pu will be in thier lap by the end of the day. Methods are a tool to used always not just for ride alongs.

 

[Coldworld]

Yep...id rarther be yelled at for being oerallowed than run over someone and have manslaughter charges because I was speeding to get done early.