New Preloader: How to load three trucks at once?

[Ticktockrobotsnot]

Hi everyone.

I am a relatively new preloader (2 week) at UPS and I am responsible for loading three adjacent trucks, 1 by the PAL label and the other two by the physical address. The residential truck gets between 300 to 500 packages, while the other two generally get around 250 to 300 packages each.

I was wondering if current or past preloaders could share with me what strategies have worked out for the job or maybe a few pointers on how to load the three trucks successfully?

My biggest concern is getting the driver's out on time because I have failed to do so every time my first week even with the help of my supervisor. In the beginning the drivers appeared to be ok with leaving late since I was new, but now it is my second week on the job and i think the drivers are starting to get irritated. My Sup told me to load three packages per cage as opposed to the 4 packages per minute, but I am finding the former to be a herculean task.

I need help please!!!

 

[bleedinbrown58]

Hi everyone.

I am a relatively new preloader (2 week) at UPS and I am responsible for loading three adjacent trucks, 1 by the PAL label and the other two by the physical address. The residential truck gets between 300 to 500 packages, while the other two generally get around 250 to 300 packages each.

I was wondering if current or past preloaders could share with me what strategies have worked out for the job or maybe a few pointers on how to load the three trucks successfully?

My biggest concern is getting the driver's out on time because I have failed to do so every time my first week even with the help of my supervisor. In the beginning the drivers appeared to be ok with leaving late since I was new, but now it is my second week on the job and i think the drivers are starting to get irritated. My Sup told me to load three packages per cage as opposed to the 4 packages per minute, but I am finding the former to be a herculean task.

I need help please!!!

Focus on getting the right packages in the correct cars on the proper shelves, that's the most important thing. Do whatever the sups tell you, don't talk back, even if they're giving you crap about speed. Just say okay, and do the best you can. Speed will come in time....it's gets much easier, for the most part. Eventually, it'll become second nature.

 

[oldngray]

3 trucks is easy because its about the distance between cages in a boxline. 4 cars is hard and 5 cars is insane though.

 

[rudy5150]

Its all too much work.....especially for $9 an hour what a joke. Your not superman your not a machine....tell your sup to stop harassing you! Its not your problem if the drivers dont leave on time...they could have started your shift earlier in the am but they choose not to because their #'s wont look as good. So just work at a safe steady pace and you will be fine.

 

[ORLY!?!]

Hi everyone.

I am a relatively new preloader (2 week) at UPS and I am responsible for loading three adjacent trucks, 1 by the PAL label and the other two by the physical address. The residential truck gets between 300 to 500 packages, while the other two generally get around 250 to 300 packages each.

I was wondering if current or past preloaders could share with me what strategies have worked out for the job or maybe a few pointers on how to load the three trucks successfully?

My biggest concern is getting the driver's out on time because I have failed to do so every time my first week even with the help of my supervisor. In the beginning the drivers appeared to be ok with leaving late since I was new, but now it is my second week on the job and i think the drivers are starting to get irritated. My Sup told me to load three packages per cage as opposed to the 4 packages per minute, but I am finding the former to be a herculean task.

I need help please!!!

Things will get easier in time.

The real issue is working your cages. The cages dont forgive and they never forget.

To work your cages better, go for the larger stuff inside the cage. Make the pieces within cage neat and pushed to the sides and labels or slaps out ( hopefully the idiot chargers wont mess up your piles, which they will ). Keep telling yourself " dont take too much time inside the car ". Always check twice, multi-carry and check whats in your hands and on into the car as you enter. You want to not stop yourself each time for going into the same car.

 

[oldngray]

Things will get easier in time.

The real issue is working your cages. The cages dont forgive and they never forget.

To work your cages better, go for the larger stuff inside the cage. Make the pieces within cage neat and pushed to the sides and labels or slaps out ( hopefully the idiot chargers wont mess up your piles, which they will ). Keep telling yourself " dont take too much time inside the car ". Always check twice, multi-carry and check whats in your hands and on into the car as you enter. You want to not stop yourself each time for going into the same car.

Preloading was so much easier when you could sort your cages and not get slammed with full cages the last couple of revs.

 

[Brownslave688]

3 trucks is easy because its about the distance between cages in a boxline. 4 cars is hard and 5 cars is insane though.

I was just getting ready to say. Wait til peak and they want u to do 5.

 

[you aint even know it]

Focus on getting the right packages in the correct cars on the proper shelves, that's the most important thing. Do whatever the sups tell you, don't talk back, even if they're giving you crap about speed. Just say okay, and do the best you can. Speed will come in time....it's gets much easier, for the most part. Eventually, it'll become second nature.

Do not be your supervisor's yes man, they'll work you till they break you, then they hire another naive sheep off the street to replace you and continue the cycle. Speed will not come, you won't get any faster than you already are, you will actually get weaker due to all the wearing and tearing that you're going to put on your body by going insanely fast. Tell the supervisor to stop harassing you. Remember that you're a union employee and you have more job security than your supervisor. Their intimidation is a joke, just ignore it and let the grievance speak.

 

[bleedinbrown58]

Do not be your supervisor's yes man, they'll work you till they break you, then they hire another naive sheep off the street to replace you and continue the cycle. Speed will not come, you won't get any faster than you already are, you will actually get weaker due to all the wearing and tearing that you're going to put on your body by going insanely fast. Tell the supervisor to stop harassing you. Remember that you're a union employee and you have more job security than your supervisor. Their intimidation is a joke, just ignore it and let the grievance speak.

If you could READ, the OP has only been there two weeks, he's not a union employee yet. He's on probation, and has no job security. But yes, you're the expert, with all your months of experience lol.

 

[jibbs]

^^Since when does a 2 week employee have any seniority to protect his or her job? The only protection they have until they make seniority come from federal, state and local labor laws. Barring those laws, management can dismiss a probationary employee for damn near any reason they see fit barring the obvious exclusions.

Please refrain from dispensing advice that will likely result in a prospective Teamster's termination. If you want him to lose his job, just be honest and speak your feelings.



[Edit: Damnit! bleedinbrown beat me to the punch.... back to the High Life....]

 

[UPS Preloader]

Focus on getting the right packages in the correct cars on the proper shelves, that's the most important thing. Do whatever the sups tell you, don't talk back, even if they're giving you crap about speed. Just say okay, and do the best you can. Speed will come in time....it's gets much easier, for the most part. Eventually, it'll become second nature.

Unfortunately, just when it becomes second nature he will probably be let go. Most likely he was only hired as seasonal help.

 

[bleedinbrown58]

Unfortunately, just when it becomes second nature he will probably be let go. Most likely he was only hired as seasonal help.

Probably. Just another day in paradise lol. Sorry jibbs....you can have the next troll response lol. They'll all be coming out tonight...

 

[Ticktockrobotsnot]

"Unfortunately, just when it becomes second nature he will probably be let go. Most likely he was only hired as seasonal help."

That sounds horrible! My sup told me that he was building me up to load the three cars, since the regular guy who normally loads them is on vacation. So I guess they might let me go after the regular guy comes back or maybe after the peak.

I actually wouldn't mind being let go after the peak after reading about all the knee and back surgeries some of the people working for UPS had to have, lol.

 

[bleedinbrown58]

"Unfortunately, just when it becomes second nature he will probably be let go. Most likely he was only hired as seasonal help."

That sounds horrible! My sup told me that he was building me up to load the three cars, since the regular guy who normally loads them is on vacation. So I guess they might let me go after the regular guy comes back or maybe after the peak.

I actually wouldn't mind being let go after the peak after reading about all the knee and back surgeries some of the people working for UPS had to have, lol.

The job is not for everybody.

 

[Cementups]

If you are loading off a boxline, I always found it easier to sort out the bins during one rotation and the next time they came around I would load them off into the cars. Granted there were more packages being loaded in their but usually most of the sorting I did was still in place when it came back around.

 

[Loyal Teamster]

Probably. Just another day in paradise lol. Sorry jibbs....you can have the next troll response lol. They'll all be coming out tonight...

LMAOL, Yes we will. hahaha


Thanks,
Loyal Teamster

 

[Indecisi0n]

I felt bad because I had a new loader and sort of flipped on him this morning. He boxed himself out at about the 5000 section and instead of correcting it he just started throwing everything on RDL and RDR. When I saw him do it I flipped ****. I was already over dispatched and didn't have a second to lose today. So as I am yelling sup comes over and say calm down he is new which I then flipped on the sup for not properly training. Oh well, water under the bridge I guess.

We drivers get pissed from time to time but we know you guys are setup to fail just like us. Hang in there.

Punched out at 9:30pm. Remember your bad loads do effect us a lot.

 

[you aint even know it]

^^Since when does a 2 week employee have any seniority to protect his or her job? The only protection they have until they make seniority come from federal, state and local labor laws. Barring those laws, management can dismiss a probationary employee for damn near any reason they see fit barring the obvious exclusions.

Please refrain from dispensing advice that will likely result in a prospective Teamster's termination. If you want him to lose his job, just be honest and speak your feelings.



[Edit: Damnit! bleedinbrown beat me to the punch.... back to the High Life....]

I didn't see that he was on probation. And I had no intention to give him wrong advice to get him fired. To the op, disregard all my advice, follow ibleedbrown's advice, he's right.

 

[you aint even know it]

I felt bad because I had a new loader and sort of flipped on him this morning. He boxed himself out at about the 5000 section and instead of correcting it he just started throwing everything on RDL and RDR. When I saw him do it I flipped ****. I was already over dispatched and didn't have a second to lose today. So as I am yelling sup comes over and say calm down he is new which I then flipped on the sup for not properly training. Oh well, water under the bridge I guess.

We drivers get pissed from time to time but we know you guys are setup to fail just like us. Hang in there.

Punched out at 9:30pm. Remember your bad loads do effect us a lot.

No offense, but you sound like a jerk. I had a driver did that to me when I just started. I don't even look at him when I'm passing by him or say anything to him even though it's been 3 months. He cannot say anything to me, I wish he would. I would really tell him off.

 

[Indecisi0n]

No offense, but you sound like a jerk. I had a driver did that to me when I just started. I don't even look at him when I'm passing by him or say anything to him even though it's been 3 months. He cannot say anything to me, I wish he would. I would really tell him off.

lol I am really not a jerk but as drivers this stuff gets to us. You need to understand where we are coming from. We walk into the truck seeing you guys friend--ing the load and we already know before we start the truck we are going to be out until 9-10PM. At the same time I understand you guys don't have it easy which is why I said I felt bad afterwards but when you are in the moment you just want to rip someones head off. Do it day in and day out and trust me, we all have a bad day and get caught up in the moment. That was my day.