Not Passing probation

[barnyard]

The job is not for everyone. If you cannot do the jib, find anotjer line of work that can make you happy.

 

[SCV good to go sir.]

I typed out a response to your post a few days ago but didn't post it since it was more or less the same stuff the other posters have posted.

I remember feeling exactly how you felt when I first started driving. Your description is spot on. Don't let it make you think that you're dyslexic. Anyone will start to fumble and break with enough pressure. It's overwhelming to us green drivers, this job really does require nerves of steel. Regardless of whether you pass or fail, talk to your shop steward about running more than one route during probation. Assuming you're ready, you wouldn't be having the issues you have now if they weren't pulling that on you.

I wouldn't quit though if this is what you really want to do. It gets darkest before dawn and the tide will not turn if you quit. Tomorrow may be the day it clicks and you'll go out and murder that . Maybe you're not ready at this moment and you need more experience. If you quit you will never develop the skills required to overcome this challenge. I firmly believe that many managers try to get you to quit to see if they can break you. Don't give those s that satisfaction. They want you to quit? Make them actually do something and DQ you.

Don't quit man. I've been there, we've all been there. It's part of the learning curve and it's a very very harsh one. It's one that most people won't understand unless they go through it, which is why we have the camaraderie that we have as drivers. Trust me, I have done SO MUCH stupid this past year. I've made so many people facepalm, laugh, get high blood pressure and because of my blunders. No one calls me by name, they all got a nickname for me that relates to my performances. I would go into detail but I want to remain anonymous. You won't get any external validation from the supervisors on a job well done, it has to come within. Besides area knowledge and staying organized, the big thing is that you have to believe that you can do this. It doesn't matter if you ed up yesterday, it doesn't matter if half your boxes are on the floor, it doesn't matter if you're running out of time, it doesn't even matter if it's possible. I don't care if your truck stops working, in the face of it all, you have to keep telling yourself that you can do it. I say it aloud to myself as I drive. It's hard to control your nightmares, but it's easier to control your day. When you start stressing, stop, take a deep breath, and tell yourself that you can do this.

And one more thing, if you only take one thing away from my post...

The next time your center manager says that UPS wants guys that can scratch routes blind, you tell him that you want a pony.

 

[Scuderia]

I'm tapped guys. I ran a blind route, with edd/Orion out of order on Friday. Clocked out at 21:45. Missed a bunch of business because I had no idea what was resi and what was business.

I can honestly say I don't want to live this life. This is not a job, it's a lifestyle choice. Now I understand why we hear stories of drivers quitting mid-route.

No regrets. Just not willing to pay the price with my body and my mind.

 

[PT Car Washer]

I'm tapped guys. I ran a blind route, with edd/Orion out of order on Friday. Clocked out at 21:45. Missed a bunch of business because I had no idea what was resi and what was business.

I can honestly say I don't want to live this life. This is not a job, it's a lifestyle choice. Now I understand why we hear stories of drivers quitting mid-route.

No regrets. Just not willing to pay the price with my body and my mind.

You were set up to fail. I would hate to be your driver sup or center manager.

 

[Turdferguson]

I'm tapped guys. I ran a blind route, with edd/Orion out of order on Friday. Clocked out at 21:45. Missed a bunch of business because I had no idea what was resi and what was business.

I can honestly say I don't want to live this life. This is not a job, it's a lifestyle choice. Now I understand why we hear stories of drivers quitting mid-route.

No regrets. Just not willing to pay the price with my body and my mind.

Was that your first rough day?

 

[Scuderia]

Heck no! But that was it. I get there in the morning thinking I'm doing one of the 3 previous routes I've been doing, but they're like, "Nope, you're doing this. Here's a map, figure it out." One of the guys wanted to set me up, but he too was running a blind route and couldn't.

I'm not doing this for the rest of my working life. Especially after they sent me a 40 year old utility driver to take some loads off. Really nice guy (he should be paid in gold bars). He took a 100 pound box and carried it over his shoulders into his truck, because it was faster than using a hand-cart. I wanted to help him, but he just took it. I felt like telling him that he was hurting his body doing that, but he was just so focused on figuring out the area (he was ignorant to the route as well).

I'm standing there thinking to myself, how this job takes a bit of your humanity away and turns you into this routes and numbers machine. All while supervisors are high-fiving each other because so-and-so is "killing" X route. But they don't know or care what that guy might be going through, how he may be hurting his body just to hit their precious sporh (or however you spell that ).

 

[SCV good to go sir.]

Heck no! But that was it. I get there in the morning thinking I'm doing one of the 3 previous routes I've been doing, but they're like, "Nope, you're doing this. Here's a map, figure it out." One of the guys wanted to set me up, but he too was running a blind route and couldn't.

I'm not doing this for the rest of my working life. Especially after they sent me a 40 year old utility driver to take some loads off. Really nice guy (he should be paid in gold bars). He took a 100 pound box and carried it over his shoulders into his truck, because it was faster than using a hand-cart. I wanted to help him, but he just took it. I felt like telling him that he was hurting his body doing that, but he was just so focused on figuring out the area (he was ignorant to the route as well).

I'm standing there thinking to myself, how this job takes a bit of your humanity away and turns you into this routes and numbers machine. All while supervisors are high-fiving each other because so-and-so is "killing" X route. But they don't know or care what that guy might be going through, how he may be hurting his body just to hit their precious sporh (or however you spell that ).

Well it sounds like this isn't for you then. Nothing wrong with that, hopefully you'll pursue another interest that will be viable for you.

I think some of it comes down to perspective though. I definitely understand the sentiment that this job can take away a bit of your humanity, but I don't think that's exclusive to UPS.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

I'm tapped guys. I ran a blind route, with edd/Orion out of order on Friday. Clocked out at 21:45. Missed a bunch of business because I had no idea what was resi and what was business.

I can honestly say I don't want to live this life. This is not a job, it's a lifestyle choice. Now I understand why we hear stories of drivers quitting mid-route.

No regrets. Just not willing to pay the price with my body and my mind.

It seems like this is more YOUR choice than UPS's. No one should be learning more than ONE route in training. The UPS training packet, which UPS is supposed to follow, has specific guidelines/ checkpoints/projected workloads for all drivers, each day of qualifying. It seems like you just want to go with the flow and take whatever UPS wants to give you. That is your choice, though.

 

[Jackburton]

I can honestly say I don't want to live this life. This is not a job, it's a lifestyle choice.

I've said this the whole time when folks ask "how's it working for big brown". People don't understand the day to day things that go into being a driver. You can explain it to them, but until they are doing it, they still don't get it. Good luck in your future endeavors.

 

[bbsam]

So let's say the OP doesn't make probation and they let him go. What recourse does he have? Union or legal? Either way I can't see UPS putting themselves in such an obviously losing position if training routes are so defined by contract. Is it possible that local management is actually happy with his performance regardless his over allowed or does local management just not know the contract well?

 

[Jackburton]

So let's say the OP doesn't make probation and they let him go. What recourse does he have? Union or legal? Either way I can't see UPS putting themselves in such an obviously losing position if training routes are so defined by contract. Is it possible that local management is actually happy with his performance regardless his over allowed or does local management just not know the contract well?

To answer your last question, I'd say both. Generally speaking, if they weren't happy with his performance they would be abiding by the contract as to not allow recourse by the employee if they disqualify him. Being satisfied, they are probably throwing him on ball buster routes because of staffing issues. This is mangament's way to trial by fire, and seeing how far they can push him. Regardless, management wants to drivers who try their hardest, even if they are set up to fail as this is how long timers are treated on a daily basis anyways, resulting in an employee who's "conditioned" to be screwed every day as the normal dispatch.

Then again, maybe I give his management too much credit in making this an intentional practice, instead the resulting "hardened" driver is just them going through drivers until one sticks it out even given the conditions in which they were trained in.

 

[oldngray]

Bouncing a trainee around and sending him out blind sounds like they were trying to see how he did under stress. I would guess those days wouldn't count against him qualifying other than breaking his spirit.

 

[Jackburton]

Bouncing a trainee around and sending him out blind sounds like they were trying to see how he did under stress. I would guess those days wouldn't count against him qualifying other than breaking his spirit.

Southern Supplement Art 49

The employee awarded the job must satisfactorily complete a
thirty (30) working day training period within a one hundred twenty
(120) consecutive day period. An employee who fails to qualify shall
not be allowed to bid for one (1) year for the job he or she was disqualified for. No employee will be afforded more than three (3) opportunities
to qualify. The above procedure will be applied on an alternating
six (6) for-one basis (e.g. for every seven (7) jobs, six (6) will be filled
as outlined above and the other from applicants from other sources).

 

[bbsam]

Southern Supplement Art 49

The employee awarded the job must satisfactorily complete a
thirty (30) working day training period within a one hundred twenty
(120) consecutive day period. An employee who fails to qualify shall
not be allowed to bid for one (1) year for the job he or she was disqualified for. No employee will be afforded more than three (3) opportunities
to qualify. The above procedure will be applied on an alternating
six (6) for-one basis (e.g. for every seven (7) jobs, six (6) will be filled
as outlined above and the other from applicants from other sources).

So could they bounce him around for 90 days and then for the last 30 put him on his qualifying route?

 

[Box Ox]

You're getting screwed big time. The most important part of training for me was being put on the same wild route every day for 6 weeks and learning to keep cool and my thinking straight while dealing with whatever circumstances popped up on the route. Your not being able to think straight isn't your fault. It's a natural reaction to not having been given a chance to develop a process (to deal with everything as the clock ticks on any route) before being tossed out on 3 blind routes in as many weeks as a totally new driver. You might very well have what it takes to make it if you're given a fair shot.

 

[a911scanner]

I am a newer seniority driver. Started in October '14. I too, had many of the same issues you are experiencing. Although I was on 1 training route during my probation, I just couldn't seem to get the hang of doing routes blind in an efficient manner until about March. I wanted to quit so much, because I felt like a failure. My on-cars & center manager did not have much faith in me to do much of anything, although I kept trying.

The veteran guys around me told me that it would eventually just click, and now it seems to have happened. I'm not necessarily a scratch driver, but I am not lost when going on a route or coming in 2 hours or more over every day. I figured out what works for me to be successful, and do it everyday (print maps of stops, look at my load for a few minutes before I leave the building, organize each package I touch until I find the one I need for this stop, etc.)

My point is, like yourself, although I did not find it an easy process I have finally got to a point where I can do the job effectively. Hopefully that will last next winter during the 10 below temps, because that sucks!

 

[Jackburton]

So could they bounce him around for 90 days and then for the last 30 put him on his qualifying route?

They could, but that gives an arguement for the union that he wasn't given a fair shake, much like measuring a FT driver's performance on multiple routes wouldn't be an accurate assessment of their abilities. Hence why non bid drivers don't face the scrutiny that bid drivers do. This is why I think they are more than ready to qualify the guy but putting him through "trial by fire" to see how far they can push him.

The first 30 working days this guy performs work on would "qualify" him, working him beyond that would in and of itself admit that management finds his performance acceptable, if not they wouldn't work him past those thirty days. This is how management can also end up with a driver that shouldn't be as they don't seem to follow up on how many days these drivers work, unless of course the driver is being watched because of poor performance. In that case they would be following the "30 days on one route" to insure they have a solid case for disqualifying.

 

[By The Book]

So could they bounce him around for 90 days and then for the last 30 put him on his qualifying route?

If they did what you are suggesting, yes., as long as within the 120 consecutive days the driver in training would have driven 30 working days. In this scenario they would bounce him around for about 78 days.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Threads like these are just so pathetic. Not because of the drivers that post them but because of the way UPS "trains" it's people. The empty suits in control in Atlanta need to revamp the entire training process. Get rid of expensive and ineffective BS like Integrad, throw the worthless training packets in the garbage, and get the ON CAR SUPERVISORS off of the damn conference calls or their email accounts and into the trucks and let drivers supplement them as trainers. It's not rocket science.

 

[DriverMD]

Threads like these are just so pathetic. Not because of the drivers that post them but because of the way UPS "trains" it's people. The empty suits in control in Atlanta need to revamp the entire training process. Get rid of expensive and ineffective BS like Integrad, throw the worthless training packets in the garbage, and get the ON CAR SUPERVISORS off of the damn conference calls or their email accounts and into the trucks and let drivers supplement them as trainers. It's not rocket science.

Yeah when I went to my driver training class they didn't properly schedule a driving test for us, so on our last day (the day we'd finally go out on the road for our test) they just said "well all the sups are out now, so you guys passed. Cya." Just have the new guy ride with a full timer for a week to learn the ropes, instead of putting us in a class to learn the safety lingo VERBATIM. I feel like the most stressful part of being a driver was learning the 5 seeing habits, etc.