Misloads

[proudupstexan]

I remember when I first started about a year and half ago I was bad at my missloads but they never did a thing while I was on my packet but now I dont get missloads anymore like I used to but maybe like 3 months I got a warning talk with my sup(who can care less about missloads) and a union rep for have ONE missload the week before and durning the next week I had a another missload putting a high cal(936-966) in a low cal(900-935) not such a big deal I think but I got a suspension letter in the mail and I txted my sup and he told me I shouldnt gotten it so I got suspended for 2 days, missloads never really use to be such a big deal and now all of a sudden its the end of the world if you get one we have this full-time sup who gets pissed if you get a missload and doesnt talk to you the whole night hahah and tells you if you keep it up you'll get fired so I took it up to the union and they told me not to worry about it will talk about it and since that day all of a sudden he's my best friend talking to me everytime he see's me I just think its funny but anyways I dont know why missloads are such a big deal mistakes happen.

 

[gostillerz]

My favorite is when a certain stop was labeled RDR for 2 years. On Monday it becomes 7456 when it's always his first stop of the day. Tuesday, they'll split it to 3 different routes and make up a NDA run. I still load it RDR, tell them it's his first stop, this isn't necessary (It's a bag of envelopes). When that car gets audited, that's the only complaint. The Sup says to me "great job", but I have to write up something.

 

[brownmonster]

I dont know why missloads are such a big deal mistakes happen.


Think about it. While you are loading your truck, stop, grab a package for another truck off of the belt and walk it to the other side of the building and then walk back. Make sure it takes 15 or 20 minutes. Continue loading. How far behind are you now? Chasing off some of these misloads can really kill a driver's day. Mistakes happen and I know the loader's job is tough but misloads can be a big deal.

 

[pudg00]

Amen brownmonster. It is amazing how smooth your day goes with just an OK load. Misloads cost a driver time which equals money. Driver pay versus pre-load pay. It is simple math. Working pre-load sucks so we should all help to get it right.

 

[some1else]

probably not the best advice; but i tend to get really upset when im yelled at. i take pride (yes i really do) in doing performing my duties well, and when someone complains i take it personally.

for at least five years now everytime any manager says the smallest derogatory thing to me i work to "the rules" the next day. last time it was because i had a late air (found in load) and pre-load claimed all my airs where stacked out/accounted for and questioned my integrety. it wasnt until 1100 the next day i got my chance a "leaker" 1100-1130 left the package car secured in a parking lot and sat on a bench. once the on-road got the leaker off the car i del 30min. then lunch till 1300; then messaged i was behind and had to break route for savers at 1400 (all business and lots of airs). then at 1500 was behind from breaking route for savers and would need business help...

probably wouldnt work if you are on a "**** list" but i do something like that at everytime im disciplined. when we got a new on-road a few years ago another driver said he overheard the center manager telling him "ya its best to just leave "some1else" alone..."

on pre-load you can do the leaker thing, you know the drill and it will cost you and at least each loader to your left/right five minutes each time...

 

[UpsSuP1]

Actually...you can be fired for misloads IF, you have been properly trained in belt to car methods,inside the car methods, and have been certified. After that if you have at least one day with out misloads then you prove that you are fully able to load with you having misloads. Therefore, when you have misloads it can be put down as failure to follow proper procedures and instructions. So yes you can be fired over misloads.

Honestly, you really shouldn't have them if you validate both of the labels meaning the pal label and the address label and then look at the placard on the back of the car and walk into the correct car, you shouldn't have them

I understand that the flow some times gets outta control and the unload can go down late but maybe these, tips will help you. When I was a belt sup. during training some one how to load, I would have them validate the city, state, and zip on both labels, if they don't match up then don't load it. Also another thing that you can try is matching up the last four numbers in the tracking number on both labels, just be careful with that because some times the tracking numbers will match but the address label will be wrong.

Also if you are on a pull for a while, try to learn what streets are on your cars. Just try learning a few a week. Don't try to learn them all at once, maybe just start with the 1000 section for a few days then move onto the 2000 section and so on.

Hopefully those tips will help ya out if no one has properly trained you or tried to help you.

 

[UPSer21]

Yes, you can be fired for misloads. Is it not your responsibility to provide service to customers? UPS sells service. Nothing more. It is in the master agreement between UPS and The International Brotherhood of Teamsters that employees are to maintain a specified service frequency. However, if this is a first time offense type deal then you would not be given the boot. You would firstly be given either a verbal warning, or a warning letter. The verbal warning is optional. Management can go straight into a warning letter to correct the problem. If the problem continues you can land a suspension. Then finally a termination, or last chance agreement. Managment leaves a paper trail, and we back ourselves up before ever discharging someone from employement. The best thing you can do is to commit yourself to the service aspect of your job, and always be sure you are putting the package in its proper home. To sum up, do your job and you shall have a job.

 

[brownmonster]

I looked in the contract. What is the exact "specified service frequency"? It seems to vary depending on the employee.

 

[iowa boy]

I looked in the contract. What is the exact "specified service frequency"? It seems to vary depending on the employee.

Was wondering the same thing. Thought it said a fair days work for a fair days pay?
I thing the "specified service frequency" is more UPS mumbo jumbo out of the policy book that I have never seen or read. Oh well, as long as my numbers look "good", nothing else matters, right?

 

[UPSer21]

The specified service frequency is a grey area because there is no set MAR to hold each and every single employee to. It is whatever your supervisor or upper management sets as the goal for your specific job function. Although, as long as you are at least meeting corporate MAR then you are probably fine (corpo MAR tends to be a lower expectation). The "fair days work for a fair days pay" only protects a union employee from discharge over production. However, when you think about it...that same line of the master agreement does pertain to the service aspect of the job. Undoubtedly, if you start misloading you are not putting in a fair days work. I had a manager once tell me that 400 PPH doesn't mean anything if that person cannot check and scan the pieces. Service always comes before production. Only thing that comes before service is safety

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I looked in the contract. What is the exact "specified service frequency"? It seems to vary depending on the employee.

The specified service frequency is a grey area because there is no set MAR to hold each and every single employee to. It is whatever your supervisor or upper management sets as the goal for your specific job function. Although, as long as you are at least meeting corporate MAR then you are probably fine (corpo MAR tends to be a lower expectation). The "fair days work for a fair days pay" only protects a union employee from discharge over production. However, when you think about it...that same line of the master agreement does pertain to the service aspect of the job. Undoubtedly, if you start misloading you are not putting in a fair days work. I had a manager once tell me that 400 PPH doesn't mean anything if that person cannot check and scan the pieces. Service always comes before production. Only thing that comes before service is safety

It is a "grey area" because it is not in the contract. The contract simply states a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. MAR is not mentioned in the contract but are established at the center/hub level.

 

[ol'browneye]

Service always comes before production. Only thing that comes before service is safety

Maybe back in the day, but not anymore! Just which company do you work for anyway? It sure isn't UPS!

 

[iowa boy]

Service always comes before production. Only thing that comes before service is safety

Maybe back in the day, but not anymore! Just which company do you work for anyway? It sure isn't UPS!

UPSer21,

I would have to agree with ol'browneye on this one. I have been with this company long enough to see the change from "safety first", to production first, service a distant second, and safety third. Unless someone gets hurt, then its all about safety for about a week then back to production first.

Things may be different where you are, but where I'm at its all about "numbers" and nothing else.

iowa

 

[upsgrunt]

Not only is it NOT safety first, it might not even be in the top five.

 

[UPSer21]

It is a "grey area" because it is not in the contract. The contract simply states a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. MAR is not mentioned in the contract but are established at the center/hub level.

That is exactly what I had said NY UPSer. There are no set MARs in the contract. However that good old line that states a fair days pay for a fair days work IS in the contract. That is why someone can be terminated for misloads. Service is why we even have jobs. If we cannot provide service than we are not doing our jobs. Therefore, if a person is a serial misloader/missorter that person is not completing a fair days work. Management will make every attempt to notify the employee of the issue via verbal warning, warning letter, last chance agreement ect. As I have said before I understand human error and, Im not complaining saying people need to be perfect because that is impossible. I'm simply talking about the people who consistantly cause service failures with no signs of improvement.

The safety first thing was just a joke guys. I agree that safety has taken a backseat to a service, and production driven company. Plain and simple... **** happens.

 

[brown bomber]

my car, is "misloaded" every day.....I have to sort every section...every day, I've been doing this for years

 

[UPSer21]

when loading package cars it is easier to get away with misloads because there isn't any scanning. often time drivers will just hand the misload off to another driver. when you scan a misload in a feeder for example it shows up on the SEAS report and makes the sort look like crap when the building is below corporate mar. thats when they pull out the weed wacker and get rid of problem employees.

 

[brownmonster]

My loader rarely walks one in the wrong car. I'll even cover for him if it happens. I tell the preload supe it was a bad pal label.

 

[NHDRVR]

Actually...you can be fired for misloads IF, you have been properly trained in belt to car methods,inside the car methods, and have been certified. After that if you have at least one day with out misloads then you prove that you are fully able to load with you having misloads. Therefore, when you have misloads it can be put down as failure to follow proper procedures and instructions. So yes you can be fired over misloads.

Honestly, you really shouldn't have them if you validate both of the labels meaning the pal label and the address label and then look at the placard on the back of the car and walk into the correct car, you shouldn't have them

I understand that the flow some times gets outta control and the unload can go down late but maybe these, tips will help you. When I was a belt sup. during training some one how to load, I would have them validate the city, state, and zip on both labels, if they don't match up then don't load it. Also another thing that you can try is matching up the last four numbers in the tracking number on both labels, just be careful with that because some times the tracking numbers will match but the address label will be wrong.

Also if you are on a pull for a while, try to learn what streets are on your cars. Just try learning a few a week. Don't try to learn them all at once, maybe just start with the 1000 section for a few days then move onto the 2000 section and so on.

Hopefully those tips will help ya out if no one has properly trained you or tried to help you.

The other problem is giving a guy a 3 or 4 car pull when he can't do 2 properly. To have consistent load quality the time has to be there to do it. I have to look for packages every day. Our preload is just happy they have bodies to put in the cars. You don't get any quality with that mindset.

 

[Clutch]

When I started they were real sticklers about missorts, I averaged 1 or 2 each month, Sup told me to be careful and we went on. Last month I had no missorts. Last week I had one... Sup didn't say a word....

However, I do work with a person that missorts, literally, 5+ per week, consistently. I'm not buddies with the sup or anything, but he once told me that, "It's my goal to get this B fired." He told me this months ago, and only yesterday did he write her a warning with a union steward present. There are others that average 2-4 each week; no warnings. It's "interesting" and from reading previous replies I guess it really comes down to your location.