new ups freight city driver

[ch317273]

hello im new to ups freight about two months, im a city driver in central ny. i came from doing city driving at nemf for the last few years. the work here is pretty much the same deal, just the pay and benefits here once full scale is reached is wayyy better, im grateful to be onboard. i just had some general questions hopefully another freight guy can answer. the terminal i work out of is pretty big, ive been working pretty steady this winter, covering guys routes when theyre off or doing extra p&d work for overage. its been really busy, ive been doing anywhere from 14 to 19 stops a day but im hustling big time. sometimes i dont even take a lunch because they give me soo many stops. i know thats probably a bad thing, i need to take my breaks but since im new i feel like i gotta hustle and dont wanna bring freight back or miss pickups. i feel overwhlmed sometimes, it was the same at nemf but since i was there a few years i would just take it a stop at a time and i knew if i did at least 1.5 stops an hour there was nothing they could do to me, but since im new here i just dont know, can anyone here help me out? i dont even know if im making sense but i hope so, being new i just dont know. they preach saftey safety safety but how can you possibly think a 20 stop day in a 45 foot trailer in the city is safe? and i know im a hard worker im not lazy, should i just take it a stop at a time and if i dont get everything off or on then oh well? is there a stops per hour number where if i do that they cant say anything? also, what about bad weather do they make ya run in ice and snow? thanks for any advice anyone can give me id appreciate it sorry for rambling here just new and confused

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Syracuse?

 

[ch317273]

Newburgh

 

[ChrisTheBrown]

Yeah, where are you working out of? I'm a central NY'er as well..

Sent using BrownCafe App

 

[ch317273]

I'm working out of Newburgh terminal, I guess you can consider that southern ny maybe

 

[sppollock]

There are very few of us UPS Freight drivers that post here so it will take awhile for us to get back to you, sorry. First of all, never skip lunch, they will start expecting that then when you, not if you get into an accident you will get fired for not taking a lunch, you will be thrown under the bus quickly. Second, take your stops one at a time, we don't have a production quota in our contract, there isn't anything in any rule book so take it at your best safe speed, period. Your steward will back you up. Third, get a copy of your contract, learn it and talk to your steward, you shouldn't have to come onto a message board to get these basic questions answered, your steward and fellow drivers will help answer these questions. Welcome aboard, stay safe and take one stop at a time.

 

[ch317273]

Hey thanks sppollock I appreciate it I'm going to do just that

 

[RolloTony Brown Town]

Totally agree with sppollock.

1 stop at a time. Take your lunch by your 6th hour. Try your best. Fair days work for a fair days pay. They usually expect 2 stops per hour but there are sometimes situations that will prevent this from happening. Safety first always

 

[ch317273]

Thanks for the advice yeah I've been doing just that, if and when they pound me with pickups that are insanely impossible to make by the time the places apparently close ( which is usually an hour or so earlier then the places actually close, I think they do that to try and get you to go faster) I just call them at about 330 and ask what's priority and have them tell me what to do.....I leave the terminal everyday with at least 13 or 14 stops, and get a minimum of 4 or 5 pickups, and the route in covering is usually an hour drive from terminal, i will take the advice here and just do the best I can and be safe thanks for the responses

 

[alex4815]

Just do your job driver.There are only so many hours in a day.And yes take your lunch

 

[ch317273]

Thanks for all the feedback I've been taking my breaks within the first 6 and if they have given me too many stops Ive been bringing some back....I'm thinking about asking to switch to the road list though because here at my barn they have this "red circle" seniority thing going where all the old overnite dock guys without their cdl can get their cdl and then bump me and even a few other city guys down the list and there is no statue of limitations on this so the dock guys even 5 years from now can get their cdl and bump people whereas they can't go to the road until they have a year in the city and they would go to the bottom of the road list....I think the road is a better bet a few other city guys here have switched to road for this reason.....anyone ever deal with this at their barns?

 

[sppollock]

At our barn we have had two drivers switch to road, they have enough road seniority now that they cannot be bumped, but a couple of the drivers under them have been called off recently because we are using more and more contractors and the rail. I'm not sure what your barn is like, if the contractors are invading as bad as they are here on the west coast but you should probably as before jumping to the road board. I am on the city board and have been since I started 8 years ago, at that time we were begging for drivers so I have never been chasing hours.

 

[ch317273]

At our barn we have had two drivers switch to road, they have enough road seniority now that they cannot be bumped, but a couple of the drivers under them have been called off recently because we are using more and more contractors and the rail. I'm not sure what your barn is like, if the contractors are invading as bad as they are here on the west coast but you should probably as before jumping to the road board. I am on the city board and have been since I started 8 years ago, at that time we were begging for drivers so I have never been chasing hours.

Yes the contractors are invading like the plague here as well from what I've seen and come to know in my brief time here, but the red circled dock guys here That are getting their cdls make it very difficult for a new guy like me to advance on the city board at least in the next decade AND the senior city guys are not that old and there won't be anyone retiring anytime soon, so the city I could be looking at the perpetual bottom for years to come..... The road list here is as long as santas list and with the contractor invasion That's isn't exactly "greener grass" BUT I can't get bumped once I'm on the road board I can only go up not down, it might take a looooong time but it's only upward progression AND even with contractors and it being winter my barn is pretty busy I'm seeing bottom road guys getting at least 3 days a week, making more money than a 5 day, 60 hour city week..... I'm gonna seriously think about it I appreciate your feedback I'm swaying toward the road though I think it's safer I give city guys here credit they really pound ya with work and lotta excess unnecessary pressure from dispatch

 

[Pink Slip]

I agree with the other here. I am a steward as well and part of the safety committee. I will tell you this. We get paid by the hour. I'm not saying don't go out and give 110%. I'm saying take care of you and your fellow brothers and be safe in the process. You do not want to be on that call with the safety guy asking you "What could you have done different?". You can only do what you can do. Tomorrow is another day. Be safe.

 

[Reaction Junkie]

Road drivers don't have garneted hours. Some of the lower guys in sw ohio only work a couple days a week in winter