New Courier

I'm new to FedEx and struggling with my route. I'm not familiar with the area and the DRA doesn't help because I keep getting additional stop put on me. I have no idea what order to do the stops. I've heard of apps that help but where would I get the time to input all the stops. Any advice ?
 

Operational needs

Virescit Vulnere Virtus
I'm new to FedEx and struggling with my route. I'm not familiar with the area and the DRA doesn't help because I keep getting additional stop put on me. I have no idea what order to do the stops. I've heard of apps that help but where would I get the time to input all the stops. Any advice ?
Look up the few extra stops on the map on your phone and add them to your DRA map.
 

Star B

White Lightening
Look up the extra stops and dot them on the DRA maps. The phone apps only work well if you're SRA and none of your stops are in order.

Are you a swing?
 

Express Courier

Well-Known Member
Look up the few extra stops on the map on your phone and add them to your DRA map.
Do this or ask the person that is giving you extra stops to show you where they should go in your current stop order. (even though DRA stop order can be highly questionable at times anyway and you don't get a detailed view of all the streets.)

OR if you really felt like it you could come in 15 minutes early and plot them all out either on the phone or actual paper map with highlighter. And then just add the stops that are extra as they are given to you. App I use at times is called Route on the iPhone. It's free.
 

fedx.drivr

Active Member
I have a iPhone app I use to use called co-pilot gps. You can plot out all your stops, then visualize the approximate stop order. Paper map always works best though.
After a few weeks on the same route you won't need it anymore anyways.
 

Operational needs

Virescit Vulnere Virtus
OR if you really felt like it you could come in 15 minutes early and plot them all out either on the phone or actual paper map with highlighter. And then just add the stops that are extra as they are given to you. App I use at times is called Route on the iPhone. It's free.

What?!?! Come in early and work off the clock????? Nooooooooo!!!!! No free time to Fedex!! Just say no. We get paid by the hour.
 

Cactus

Just telling it like it is
Keep having lates or else the managers will never get you any help. Someone who's done the route before needs to ride with you to give you the best solutions.

Learn the area first, screw DRA 'til then.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
I'm new to FedEx and struggling with my route. I'm not familiar with the area and the DRA doesn't help because I keep getting additional stop put on me. I have no idea what order to do the stops. I've heard of apps that help but where would I get the time to input all the stops. Any advice ?

Ask your manager what to do, and then work as directed. Usually, a few weeks on a route will have you familiar enough with it to feel comfortable. Don't speed, and if you have lates, let management deal with it.

How much "training" did you get on the route?
 

Express Courier

Well-Known Member
What?!?! Come in early and work off the clock????? Nooooooooo!!!!! No free time to Fedex!! Just say no. We get paid by the hour.
I think it's ok if you are new and struggling to get the hang of the job you are being paid to do. I know at a new job I kind of want to get the hang of things quickly and make my day as smoothe as possible, not be a newbie making waves like NAH FEDEX YOU AINT GETTIN :censored2: FROM ME FOH FREEEE and then spend the rest of the day playing catch up lol. Plus by taking that 15 min earlier you end up getting done faster and then can easily milk that 15 back.

Me personally as a seasoned vet, no I'm not giving FedEx any free time.
 
I'm not a swing. I do pick ups four days and a route on my fifth. I had someone with me for one day and they kicked me out the door to fend for myself. The pickups are easy because they're the same stops. On my route the stops seem like different stops every week. My pickup route isnt the same area as my route
 

Purplepackage

Well-Known Member
I'm not a swing. I do pick ups four days and a route on my fifth. I had someone with me for one day and they kicked me out the door to fend for myself. The pickups are easy because they're the same stops. On my route the stops seem like different stops every week. My pickup route isnt the same area as my route

Ask someone to set the route up for you how they would run it. I do this all the time for people (vets and new guys alike) when they have never ran an area before.

Screw the DRA, I've never had it and will never use it. Just ask to be set up a few times and before you know it you won't need help
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
I'm not a swing. I do pick ups four days and a route on my fifth. I had someone with me for one day and they kicked me out the door to fend for myself. The pickups are easy because they're the same stops. On my route the stops seem like different stops every week. My pickup route isnt the same area as my route

OK, so now we have established you were not properly trained. That means it's incumbent upon management to get you proper training, which is rare these days.

Good luck, and welcome to the dysfunctional world of FedEx.
 

Cactus

Just telling it like it is
OK, so now we have established you were not properly trained. That means it's incumbent upon management to get you proper training, which is rare these days.

Good luck, and welcome to the dysfunctional world of FedEx.
Yeah MT3 now allows 10 minutes of training per station per year but he already thinks that's too much.

Thornton is completely clueless about properly servicing customers.
 

Code 82 Approved

Titanium Plus+ Level Member with benefits!
I'm new to FedEx and struggling with my route. I'm not familiar with the area and the DRA doesn't help because I keep getting additional stop put on me. I have no idea what order to do the stops. I've heard of apps that help but where would I get the time to input all the stops. Any advice ?
Imagine a day where you know every route in your building, and are so valuable to others they fight over your days not on a route.
 

whenIgetthere

Well-Known Member
I'm not a swing. I do pick ups four days and a route on my fifth. I had someone with me for one day and they kicked me out the door to fend for myself. The pickups are easy because they're the same stops. On my route the stops seem like different stops every week. My pickup route isnt the same area as my route

Do you do PUP route T-friend and deliveries on Saturday? If so, a lot of the Saturday stops you will see quite a bit. Not every week, but there are certain resi's who are always getting amazon on Saturday, others who have prescription deliveries every Saturday, or every two weeks etc. It will take a while to learn the area, but you may be surprised how quickly you do learn the area.
 

l22

Well-Known Member
As someone who has been doing it for a while now but is still new compared to the majority of Express' aging workforce, I can tell you: it will get easier. Just focus on safety and getting to know your regular pickups and oncalls that you get often. As a new courier, you are going to have lates. Give it your best but make safety your number one priority. PUPs are easier than deliveries imo. Like someone said earlier, have those extra deliv stops plotted on your DRA map.
 

dex 84

Well-Known Member
Just set up your stops in a way that makes sense. Make it so when you do a stop you're never too far from the next one. Don't have yourself taking too many lefts in busy traffic areas. It shouldn't take more than a few times out on a route before you see how the area flows and you know how you like to set up the route.
 
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