Taking a lunch in the middle of the day vs at the end doesn't mean one's route has to be blown up, nor does it mean more drivers need to be hired. In some cases, minor tweak need to be made; in others, methods checks will be in order.
My own experience: this year I have finally begun taking all 60 mins of lunch, and 10 min break, day in and day out. A big reason for this was the realization that skipping lunch not only SHOULDN'T be necessary to finish a route on time, it really ISN'T (that is to say, it's not just that the company shouldn't set up routes that require skipping lunch-as many if not most drivers feel like they do-but that not properly methods was the culprit, in part because the guys covering me could take their hour lunch AND THEN SOME). At first I bombed, as expected, and they blew up, also expected. Then came the pressure, some harrasment, and 3 rides, although not consecutively. In tuose rides I rediscovered certain methods, and my day became such that I could take an hour lunch more frequently.
My management team also put pressure on me to abide strictly by the 3rd to 5th hour rule (although the language actually provides for more flexibility than that, if left to one's own devices), i believe in part to dispel my belief that it was not possible to take an hour lunch in the middle of the day and do my route properly. After I began to run more effectively they backed off, bt now i had a desire to explore that idea further, and began experimenting on how I ran. Minor tweak, so as to get more done at certain times, can make a world of differnece. For Instance, my residential area where i regularly do 30 stops an hour, no sweat. There is an apartment complex, however, that takes more of a 20 sph pace. I must attempt a delivery at the apartment before I leave Items at the rental office, their rules. This complex is in my edd to be done early, but now i do it a little later to get more done before my pickups; my day has gotten shorter. In addition, I now notice delays like waiting for a receiver to come and sign, or even why I need to get them to sign before scanning the pkgs (some do resist doing so, but they typically stay by while I scan and are there when I am done scanning; those who used to get away and leave me hunting for a signature understood real fast when I explained my "change" in method, and now comply).
Minor adjustments, some re-training. Some routes may need to be adjusted. For a time, some airs for mall I do but not close to my area were taken off, but further experience has shown I can do those as well. I never needed to sacrifice my lunch, or run-and-gun to take one; I needed to work smarter.
