Peak Dispatching: Pathetic

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
I absolutely hate peak season. It wasn't so bad as a hub/center employee but as a driver I've never liked it. I'm fed up with dealing with helpers and the helper boards. Why the :censored2: do we need them??!!. I'm tired of getting stuck with the many (not all) helpers that are lazy and hearing all of their varied, yet, similar stories about how their previous jobs didn't work out so that they ended up becoming helpers instead. I'm tired of management waiting till the last minute every year to put TCDs on and then freaking out when the experienced drivers don't want to come of the routes we want to run. Then we have to go bail them out after we finish whatever route we end up on.

What I'm most irritated with is November. The first week or so we get helpers forced down our throats for a whopping two hours and later that progresses to 5,6,7 hours but with a dispatch that covers every corner of the delivery zone our center services. That's real effecient! And all of this while TCDs are laid off and missing out on the valuable experience that they WOULD DEFINITELY benefit from in December when peak REALLY starts. But that is potentially a whole other thread by itself. The dispatching is pathetic. There is no logical excuse for why the routes can't be more condensed. I approached one of our upper management members about this and was told that we didn't have enough volume to condense the routes. I just walked away. This really all goes back to one recurring problem at UPS. The "STOPS PER CAR" metric. Until the company decides to ditch this destructive and useless metric the mess will continue.

End of rant. :)
 

barnyard

KTM rider
I usually do not mind peak.

With a helper on board, I try to stay as close to 8 hours as I can. January is way worse than December, IMO.
 

browniehound

Well-Known Member
Don't get me started on helper boards. Unless the helper is actually using it, they become just another thing we have to battle through at peak. If the helper is to use the board it means I have to train him. When will I time for that? And now they are using DIAD 4 here for helpers. With him having to master the toggle key, is there any possible scenario where he would pick it up after a few hours? It took me months to get used to the toggle key and my helper is expected to do it for 4 weeks? Not likely.
I don't like the helper boards because it wastes precious time. How many times have I set the board up for him and send him into a business for the signature and he's gone for 10 minutes because he gets stuck with the DIAD on something and can't figure out that he should just come back and ask me quickly? It happens every year with every helper.
BUT, we need a certain # of stops in the helper board (no matter who records them) to make someone make their numbers. What a joke.
Please, just give me 1 DIAD , 1 good helper and 1 good preloader and I will do a mighty fine job for you. Just don't give me a helper board. I don't need it and my helper doesn't need it because he doesn't know how to use it and never will in time for santa claus.
 

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
Don't get me started on helper boards. Unless the helper is actually using it, they become just another thing we have to battle through at peak. If the helper is to use the board it means I have to train him. When will I time for that? And now they are using DIAD 4 here for helpers. With him having to master the toggle key, is there any possible scenario where he would pick it up after a few hours? It took me months to get used to the toggle key and my helper is expected to do it for 4 weeks? Not likely.
I don't like the helper boards because it wastes precious time. How many times have I set the board up for him and send him into a business for the signature and he's gone for 10 minutes because he gets stuck with the DIAD on something and can't figure out that he should just come back and ask me quickly? It happens every year with every helper.
BUT, we need a certain # of stops in the helper board (no matter who records them) to make someone make their numbers. What a joke.
Please, just give me 1 DIAD , 1 good helper and 1 good preloader and I will do a mighty fine job for you. Just don't give me a helper board. I don't need it and my helper doesn't need it because he doesn't know how to use it and never will in time for santa claus.

On paper having a helper board makes me look VERY VERY VERY unproductive compared to if I just had a helper without the helper board. With that in mind you'd think they'd ditch the helper boards and just let me do my job. But hey…..they have metrics to accomplish no matter what. Plus, with so many drivers skipping their lunches and looking not so bad (but still bad in many cases) why would anyone in IE or anyone else in the district/region staff even notice? And I say them because we all know that the center level management teams sure as hell aren't going to make the decision either way.
 

jumpman23

Oh Yeah
You guys aint seen nothing yet boys. 17 days for peak this year between mon after black Friday and xmas eve. Going to be the worst holiday ever guaranteed. I use both boards. I aint got time to teach him the board funk dat lol. Its always a good idea and try and find your own jumper, you cant rely on ups to find you a good jumper. It goes way smoother when you find your own jumper whether its an outside hire or a preloader. Put the extra work in and find a dependable jumper. The last time I checked a lil extra work aint going to kill ya, but then again look at society too many people will only do enough work to get by or do as little as possible. I said it before and ill say it again you cant teach a great work ethic bottom line period. Some are built strong and some are built weak.
 

JakeD

Well-Known Member
I think it's funny the drivers on here bitch so much in a time when unemployment is off the charts.. being busy should be a good thing, it keeps you employed.

this is peak 2 for me as a driver helper. Last year during orientation we got trained on the DIAD and had an idea of what was what when we left. They also explained the shipping label and PAL label so we could help more. My driver had me use it as much as I could but would put it away if we were in a rush. The first week was rough but I got the hang of it. Diad 3 was a miserable POS so the upgrade to 4 this year is a welcome sight.

This year, zero DIAD training in orientation. didn't even have one to look at. every newbie in my group will have no idea. They didn't even show them a label, PAL.. nothing. i've been once with a different driver and he did all of the boards and just had me run. He did have me get some signatures and i had him show me on the 5 how to enter the name so I could speed up the process.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
I think it's funny the drivers on here bitch so much in a time when unemployment is off the charts.. being busy should be a good thing, it keeps you employed.

So you find it annoying that union people have a false sense of entitlement? So do I. Yes, it is going to be a very busy Peak----17 days to deliver what we usually do in 20-22 days----but the alternative would be much worse. We should all be thankful for the jobs and benefits that so many of us seem to take for granted.

I have several homeless people who I see quite a bit on my delivery route. One of them is constantly searching through trash cans looking for deposit soda and beer bottles----I will save any that I have and give them to him. Another does the same but instead is looking for food. I refuse to give either money as I fear that their next stop would be the liquor store----occasionally I will buy each of them a hot sandwich.

I will have a new helper this year----he is a preloader who I have known for quite some time as he went to school with my son (one year behind). He is a smart kid who should have no problem picking up the DIAD. Since the DIAD will not be linked to the pkg car, I plan on using any windshield time as classroom time. I prefer to work as a team, not as master/slave, and a helper who can use the DIAD is a huge asset, especially on a commercial route.
 

upschuck

Well-Known Member
The problem is not the work, it is the way the onus is put on the driver, it is that you have to put 20 stops in the helper board, it is that you have a helper that has no idea how to use the DIAD, it is the way the trucks are loaded, it is the subdivision where you only got two stops in, etc, etc, etc. This place could be run a lot more efficient than it is now. That is all we are saying.
 

JakeD

Well-Known Member
I was glad when I could use the Diad competently because it did add flexibility. Our route had tons of turn arounds so he'd drop me off with 2-3 houses and the board and i'd go do them while he turned around. or in the trailer park we had, he'd go up one row and i'd go down another row and double the speed. I was sorting the truck by the end or lining up our next stops while he was in a business. having 2 sets of eyes knowing wtf you are looking for is helpful too.

it does help that i have a college education and am in good shape (3000mi on bike this year) The running part is easy. working to be more helpful is the challenge.
 

JakeD

Well-Known Member
The problem is not the work, it is the way the onus is put on the driver, it is that you have to put 20 stops in the helper board, it is that you have a helper that has no idea how to use the DIAD, it is the way the trucks are loaded, it is the subdivision where you only got two stops in, etc, etc, etc. This place could be run a lot more efficient than it is now. That is all we are saying.

I get that. I don't understand (well, i do) why they spend so much time reading policies instead of teaching people what they will be doing. It should be after your application and "please sign saying you have read the handbook" . ass covered, now we can show you stuff instead. I heard a lot more "the driver will show you" this year than last year. She spent a half hour talking about door notices (i think i did 2 last year?) and didn't have a spare DIAD. Hell even an old broken 3 to see the buttons would have been more helpful.

The college education does help but anyone with an ounce of common sense can use the DIAD after a brief orientation.

True.. have to actually have that orientation though.

i'd say that graduating college with a 4 year degree would instill some work ethics.. not for everyone i suppose.
 

barnyard

KTM rider
I did 5 different routes this week, 3 with helpers. Dispatch was not really that heavy and I asked about it. I was told to use the time to train the helper on the Diad so that when we do get heavy, they are rolling. This week, the only advantage to having a helper was punching out at 8.5 hours instead of 10.
 

JakeD

Well-Known Member
I know I was given a few he filled out, i thought i filled out at least one myself. could be wrong. still not worth the time during orientation when we could have done something useful.
 

upsman68

Well-Known Member
I worked 59.5 hours this week. No helper because my route has more business than residentals. I have a post office that takes 30 minutes. I hate it. It slows me down.
 
Top