My INTEGRAD Driver Training Experience

[Re-Raise]

It is exceptionally intense. Every minute of your day is planned out.

Having every minute of your day planned out strikes you as intense. Welcome to UPS.

 

[Service Failure]

We also had the Five Seeing Habits, or "All Good Kids Love Milk", as we called them.

Jeez, i took the class this year and they are still using that same freakin' acronym. It's been 24 years! Well if it ain't broke, don't fix it right. Anyways all this Integrad stuff is interesting. The class we take to drive utility/cover is the only class we are require to take. I need to get in before this is implemented haha.

 

[toonertoo]

Wow, everything you had to learn in a very intense 5 day class, sounds very intense.
Now grab a truck, with 300 pkgs in no particular order, a map, and a lunch, say goodbye to life as you knew it as a ptimer, and squeeze it all into 8 hrs, on paper, 11 on road,.
And welcome to UPS. You are now full time. Within 3 days you will be kicking your own a** for everytime you said
"I dont know why the drivers buddy* all the time" and "if I made x number of dollars I wouldnt care how may hours I worked"
We have all said and done it.
Full time wants less, ptime wants more. Nature of the beast.

 

[IDoLessWorkThanMost]

The diad is the easier part these days. Most guys/gals 20-40 can easily get the hang of a huge text messenger. Above 40 or 50, maybe or maybe not. Driving a stick , seeing habits, etc etc are different stories. The oldschool guys have the upper hand there.

Personally, I did a driving test for maybe 7 miles and 20 minutes on company grounds before that, passed the DOT phys the next day and was in. none of this integrad whatever it is. I feel bad for the newbies having to go through all of that, there's alot more that goes into it now apparently. Although it certainly makes more well-rounded candidates it would seem.

 

[IDoLessWorkThanMost]

Wow, everything you had to learn in a very intense 5 day class, sounds very intense.
Now grab a truck, with 300 pkgs in no particular order, a map, and a lunch, say goodbye to life as you knew it as a ptimer, and squeeze it all into 8 hrs, on paper, 11 on road,.
And welcome to UPS. You are now full time. Within 3 days you will be kicking your own a** for everytime you said
"I dont know why the drivers buddy* all the time" and "if I made x number of dollars I wouldnt care how may hours I worked"
We have all said and done it.
Full time wants less, ptime wants more. Nature of the beast.

I'll take more 34.68/hr than 1.5 hours a week, thx. I wish management would find a way to let friend/T qualified workers start early and meet up with drivers, around 4 - 4:30, take off 10 or whatever stops to get them out by 6-7pm and give a few extra hours to those that want it.

 

[Forty6and2]

I wish management would find a way to let friend/T qualified workers start early and meet up with drivers, around 4 - 4:30, take off 10 or whatever stops to get them out by 6-7pm and give a few extra hours to those that want it.

thats a really god idea. I'm for it too!

 

[But Benefits Are Great!]

The diad is the easier part these days. Most guys/gals 20-40 can easily get the hang of a huge text messenger. Above 40 or 50, maybe or maybe not. ...

My problem with the DIAD -

It seems to be very inconsistant - To go back to previous screens, sometimes its esc, sometimes Big Arrow up, etc. That, and the interface / appearance is circa 1989, although I'm sure the technology must be better. Screen DOES have color capability, why not display GPS data on the screen?

Same as everything else, I guess - use it enough & you get used to it.

 

[UPS Lifer]

I am confused, on the West Coast the driver training class is or WAS 2 weeks long. In addition to the things covered in the one week school; it covers security issues, HR issues, claims, the services we have and sell among other things. I wonder if they are going to cut any of this out and go to just a one week class?? Anyone on the West Coast know if the classes have been changed???

 

[What'dyabringmetoday???]

thats a really god idea. I'm for it too!

I say reduce all full-timers to 8 hours a day. After first paycheck with no overtime, the people that ACTUALLY want overtime will not be complaining about working long hours. They will be begging for them. The folks that ACTUALLY want no overtime will not be complaining either as they will not be working overtime. Problem solved. I will now hold my breath until this happens.

 

[RozUPS]

Without a doubt, YOU MAY DRIVE SATURDAYS prior to schooling. I have no idea why that is, but it is the case. I STRONGLY recommend putting in many Saturdays prior to the course.

I'm just speaking from experience in my building. As far as I know if you want to drive Sat, you have to go to school first and then spend a couple of Saturdays out with
the driver on the route you are taking over. Then a supe has to ride with you and certify you to go out on your own.

 

[IDoLessWorkThanMost]

My problem with the DIAD -

It seems to be very inconsistant - To go back to previous screens, sometimes its esc, sometimes Big Arrow up, etc. That, and the interface / appearance is circa 1989, although I'm sure the technology must be better. Screen DOES have color capability, why not display GPS data on the screen?

Same as everything else, I guess - use it enough & you get used to it.

Yeah that is true.

One thing I never fully understood was when big arrow and override to move along in sheeting. There was something I missed havign never been formally trained on it, just thrown into it for a few years, after you put in street name or street type It'd be override instead of big arrow right. I don't remember which it was. That was just the tip of the iceberg, I don't remember the other confusing aspects.

It will become more advanced drivers will have to adapt to it and get used to it all over again at some point. Hopefully it will be even more user friendly in the future.

 

[tieguy]

I am confused, on the West Coast the driver training class is or WAS 2 weeks long. In addition to the things covered in the one week school; it covers security issues, HR issues, claims, the services we have and sell among other things. I wonder if they are going to cut any of this out and go to just a one week class?? Anyone on the West Coast know if the classes have been changed???

Beni correct me if I am wrong. I saw some inside ups articles on integrad I understand integrad has a lot of simulated training sessions. Driving course and even one where they strap you in a harness and teach you how to survive walking on a slick surface?

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I guess I'll be the one that speaks against this INTEGRAD training. I just don't think all the intense strictness to detail when learning the 5 seeing habits and 10 point commentary is necessary. The main point should be that everyone understands the purpose for each one and not whether or not they can remember where the word "the" goes and doesn't go in the statements. The DIAD should be hands on training instead of ridiculous "CBTs" because the CBT is nothing like a real day out on the job and nothing beats hands on training.

Driving is not a hard job and in no way does it warrant a boot camp like approach for training. Looking back to my training I just don't really recall learning anything usefull (except for the 5 seeing habits) that helped me when it actually came time to start running routes. 95% of what I learned was during the first week I was out by myself.

 

[p400npaper]

When I started they had us in our own cars driving around at x-mas. After that first peak they hired me full time driver but no ride untill about 6 months latter. The sup looked at my records and asked if anyone had every given me any training and was pretty suprised at the answer. He flew down and we drove around for afternoon and that was that. 21 year safe driver now.

 

[toonertoo]

I do less work than most. The easiest way I mastered the diad is, and it depends on whether you have numbered sts, such as 1st, 3rd or alpha sts such as main, elm. Pick one and stick with it. You can hold down the soft key which switches between letters and numbers, you do not have to switch from one to the other. After a few day, (I leave mine in alpha), you will know to hold down the soft key when typing numbers and let up on it when putting in alpha streets. There is also a thread in the stacks that gave lots of tricks which may help you.

 

[tieguy]

I guess I'll be the one that speaks against this INTEGRAD training. I just don't think all the intense strictness to detail when learning the 5 seeing habits and 10 point commentary is necessary. The main point should be that everyone understands the purpose for each one and not whether or not they can remember where the word "the" goes and doesn't go in the statements. The DIAD should be hands on training instead of ridiculous "CBTs" because the CBT is nothing like a real day out on the job and nothing beats hands on training.

Driving is not a hard job and in no way does it warrant a boot camp like approach for training. Looking back to my training I just don't really recall learning anything usefull (except for the 5 seeing habits) that helped me when it actually came time to start running routes. 95% of what I learned was during the first week I was out by myself.

The only argument against what you're saying that I would have is I don't think todays kids have the personal discipline our generation brought with them.

 

[old brown shoe]

I was told to cut my hair, get some shinny shoes and show up with my drivers lic.

 

[atatbl]

You can hold down the soft key which switches between letters and numbers, you do not have to switch from one to the other. After a few day, (I leave mine in alpha), you will know to hold down the soft key when typing numbers and let up on it when putting in alpha streets.

I believe you mentioned this in the past. I am glad you did. This saves me time during the day. Had you not spoken of this, I would have never figured it out.

Thank you

BTW, I keep mine on numerical (easier for suite numbers in businesses).

 

[Babagounj]

Yeah that is true.

One thing I never fully understood was when big arrow and override to move along in sheeting. There was something I missed havign never been formally trained on it, just thrown into it for a few years, after you put in street name or street type It'd be override instead of big arrow right. I don't remember which it was. That was just the tip of the iceberg, I don't remember the other confusing aspects.

It will become more advanced drivers will have to adapt to it and get used to it all over again at some point. Hopefully it will be even more user friendly in the future.

All Diads are preprogramed by the center using that board; thus override is the correct way to enter different cities when using a customer counter board, like the ones you used to use.

 

[Babagounj]

I was told to cut my hair, get some shinny shoes and show up with my drivers lic.

Cut my hair, shave my goatee, shine my shoes and bring a map.