Peak is here! How are you doing???

[Dirty Savage]

I've been working 11-12 hrs/day for the last 6 weeks! Yesterday it went down to -30 below and my propane-fueled pkg car decided it just didn't want to work when it was that cold so I had 19 missed deliveries.

Though I gotta say that this peak has been somewhat different in that management has capped our hours this year. Every day we get told that we cannot work more than 11 or 12 hrs and if we have missed than so be it. Way different than in previous years wherein if you left with 15 hrs of work you did not come back until every pkg was attempted.

 

[john346]

I've been working 11-12 hrs/day for the last 6 weeks! Yesterday it went down to -30 below and my propane-fueled pkg car decided it just didn't want to work when it was that cold so I had 19 missed deliveries.

Though I gotta say that this peak has been somewhat different in that management has capped our hours this year. Every day we get told that we cannot work more than 11 or 12 hrs and if we have missed than so be it. Way different than in previous years wherein if you left with 15 hrs of work you did not come back until every pkg was attempted.

I couldn't agree more. I too have been way busy since the end of October. I guess the company is indeed changing it's course. When I started, if you missed, it was big, but if you missed an air package, OH MY GOD! Last day after Thanksgiving the District manager declined to send anyone out in my area, 16 missed air waiting for me to return on Monday. As far as peak goes, thank god for XM radio!! Cheers

 

[dilligaf]

Actually I am being a BITCH and you can leave Daniel out of this. And why are you calling me a? I can call myself whatever I want but you do not have the right to call me anything. You are violating the terms of this site. Do you really want to continue this?

So why do you have to be so nit-picky? I knew what Brownie meant, why didn't you?

Rats, I was hoping you weren't going to edit mine Sat!

 

[browniehound]

I have to laugh at this comment.
I have punched out at 10hrs, as an average, for the last 3 years.
Punching out at 9 tonight feels really fair.

Satellite,
In the center that I work the management team does everything it can to keep its drivers under ten hours. When a driver goes over ten hours he/she is paid a time bonus of 20 minutes of OT, so 10.5 of actual time gets close to 11 very quickly.

However, I work in a center with a relatively high stop density. I work in the suburbs very close to the city. I assume you work out in the "boonies" based on your name. So can I also assume you can't recieve help from another driver because it would take that driver 30-45 minutes just to reach you?

I know you are laughing under your breath at my poor excuse for a difficult week (2 days over ten so far, lol!), but I am very tired. I can't get my businesses off at a reasonable time anymore. Everyone is getting their Amazon delivered to work along with gifts from clients. I'm getting "Harry and David" and "Grandmas' home cookies" up the wazu and its all to businesses.

I can't take it anymore! LOL, I thought the business part of the route would be relatively constant? Its not. I think its worse. Heavy residential can be overcome with stop density and a good helper. Overloaded businesses is what makes the driver look bad!

 

[dirty moose]

how am i doing? im doing 300 a day.

 

[satellitedriver]

Satellite,
In the center that I work the management team does everything it can to keep its drivers under ten hours. When a driver goes over ten hours he/she is paid a time bonus of 20 minutes of OT, so 10.5 of actual time gets close to 11 very quickly.

However, I work in a center with a relatively high stop density. I work in the suburbs very close to the city. I assume you work out in the "boonies" based on your name. So can I also assume you can't recieve help from another driver because it would take that driver 30-45 minutes just to reach you?

I know you are laughing under your breath at my poor excuse for a difficult week (2 days over ten so far, lol!), but I am very tired. I can't get my businesses off at a reasonable time anymore. Everyone is getting their Amazon delivered to work along with gifts from clients. I'm getting "Harry and David" and "Grandmas' home cookies" up the wazu and its all to businesses.

I can't take it anymore! LOL, I thought the business part of the route would be relatively constant? Its not. I think its worse. Heavy residential can be overcome with stop density and a good helper. Overloaded businesses is what makes the driver look bad!

I am not laughing at you.
I am laughing at the inept management of dispatch.
My center team has a hard time pouring water out of a boot, with the instructions on the heel.
Yep, I am in the boonies and every mothers son has an internet connection.
Why drive to the store when you can shop at home and get high?
If you are not tired at the end of the day at UPS, then management is not doing their job.

 

[MyFeetHurt]

Hi folks, new seasonal driver helper here. Thought I would let you know how it's going for my driver during this peak.

He has a residential route with some business pickups as well out here in the Chicago burbs. Throughout the year I think he normally has around 180 stops.

I've been running for him for almost a month now and we have had a pretty full truck every day, and I think generally around 240 stops. The past few days it definitely has been increasing, around 290 stops yesterday and today we had 325 stops. He has been using me on average 6-7 hrs. per day, and has himself been putting in 12 hour days for the past couple of weeks.

As a sidenote - this is my first time helping and it is tough work! I'm getting better at it though, but right now the challenge is simply staying on my feet on the ice & snow we have here. Last Friday night I fell twice, and tonight I fell 3 times. What a klutz! Thankfully I am on the burly side and thus have padding to keep my 46-year-old bones from cracking. Anyhow it's been fun nonetheless, great way to get in shape and I am helping to keep my driver from overdoing himself so I feel good about that. The money's obviously not great but it is helping to keep me afloat while I continue job-hunting in my field (was layed off 10 months ago). I must tell you that I do get much satisfaction at the end of a hard-worked day and will always remember this experience. And, I have a new-found respect for how hard UPS drivers work.

I hope everyone has a safe week to come.

Peace out, Rod

 

[8Years2Go]

Plain and simply, one of the worst planned peaks in all of my 26 years with Buster Brown! But Hey! It pays great, great benifits and I'm thankful to have it! Really!!!
Merry Christmas to all of you!!!!!

 

[satellitedriver]

Plain and simply, one of the worst planned peaks in all of my 26 years with Buster Brown! But Hey! It pays great, great benifits and I'm thankful to have it! Really!!!
Merry Christmas to all of you!!!!!

I agree, I am thankful.
As to the planning thing, what planning?
They (IE) planned for a bad economy and made plans that insured that there would not be enough drivers and helpers to keep the "numbers" inline with their crystal ball.
Merry Christmas.

 

[NaiveRapture]

I agree, I am thankful.
As to the planning thing, what planning?
They (IE) planned for a bad economy and made plans that insured that there would not be enough drivers and helpers to keep the "numbers" inline with their crystal ball.
Merry Christmas.

We certainly need more drivers than we have, but management is keeping more helpers out there, and on the trucks longer during the day. I pick my helper up at 10am and he rides with me until I am done.

 

[old brown shoe]

Cold, snow, ice and long hours. Another big storm to be here tomarrow. Glad it pays by the hour.

 

[buttere]

We got 4.5" of snow here today, made for a miserable day. Stop counts are going way up too. Worked 11 hours today and it looks like I will all week. Merry Christmas!

 

[brownrodster]

We certainly need more drivers than we have, but management is keeping more helpers out there

I hear we ran out of trucks today. If the snow melted I could do 275 stops a day no prob. With the icy roads I'm busting my arse to get 200 done.

 

[dilligaf]

Well one of our wonderful new trucks had to be towed back from BFE today. Nice! Now we are down another truck. This is going to be a very long week.

 

[McLeod]

I have seen heavier peaks, but the weather has been rough this whole month!! Snow then ice, and now more snow..still snowing made for a long day today.

 

[dilligaf]

It rained here all day. In the general scope of things rain isn't a really big problem, unless you are doing a rural rte with LOTS of dirt roads. I brought back 8 EC's tonite. If it rains here tonite and all day tomorrow (that's what the forecast calls for) I will be bringing back even more.

 

[upsdude]

I’m running pretty much the same stop count as last year but with fewer miles, less area. Average punch out, 1830. My helper is awesome and proficient with either DIAD. The center manager praises our performance every morning so we must be doing something right. We were also given control over our helper hours, center manager said the drivers have been using good judgment with helper hours.

 

[stringerman85]

In the sort aisle, 11 hours monday, 10 hours tuesday Nice OT though

 

[longlunchguy]

Bad weather? What,s that? 78 and partly sunny here. We could use a couple more drivers...come on down!

 

[trplnkl]

Bad weather? What,s that? 78 and partly sunny here. We could use a couple more drivers...come on down!

hmmmm, I wonder if UPS would let me split shift? Work S Fla in the winter and then come back here for the summer?