Peak season perspective

[ups1990]

Curious to read what others experienced at their respective hubs as to the overall peak season.

My take is that this season seemed to be heavier due to online shopping, even the big box retailers deliveries were a little lighter than last year but the residential stops grew as the week went by. Normally, my stop count goes down as the week progresses but this year the opposite happened, stops went up making Thursday and Friday peak days. We got a little taste of what can occur when many individuals take to the computer for Christmas shopping, my guess is that peaks season's will continue to gradually get worst.

I read on the UPS Headlines threads were UPSTATE made a reference to UPS having a smooth peak due to overall good weather across the US. This could be a reason why every day was heavier than the previous one. My fear is that many more Americans take to the internet for shopping and combine it with a year where the climate doesn't interrupt UPS operations to make the perfect storm in where the unthinkable happens, UPS can't contain and deliver its promised services. Maybe it can happen, look at Best Buy, the company couldn't process all of its orders in time for Christmas.

 

[over9five]

Rate your Peak at our new poll, too!

 

[The Other Side]

Our peak was a complete disaster. Starting the week of thankgiving, we were already rolling packages. The company did not plan to run what we have normally run in years past. (90 cars) and instead, kept it at 80 cars.

This led to service failures daily and the next days dispatches kept increasing on top of normal volume. As the days extended week over week, we got to peak week with all drivers in jeopardy. Yesterday (friday) the company had to gather supervisors from HR, Loss Prevention and Safety to brown up with on road sups and go out at 8 pm and take over routes with 100 stops left!

YES, I said over 100 stops left at 8pm!

When I was relived, and returned to building, we were only 10% in and drivers were buried and most likely going to bring stops back. We ended up rolling so many stops this week, we are ALL mandated to work today (saturday) to clean out the hub!

This is what happens when you put management without the benefit of actual driving experience in charge of centers and allow some IE person ( i wanted to say geek, but knew it would be removed) to destroy a centers productivity.

This years peak exceeded the worst peak on record for us and that was 2007.

Peace.

 

[scratch]

Our Center handled Peak well for the most part. They kept all the routes in most days. My Peak Day was 278 stops Wednesday, with 218 Thursday and a small jump up to 228 yesterday. All routes were in and the stop count didn't go down the last two days as normal. We made pickups and a Twilight Sort was running when I got back in last night. I don't know how the stop counts are projected when we go back Tuesday, but we had to use Preloaders as Helpers the last couple of years.

 

[Catatonic]

Our peak was a complete disaster. Starting the week of thankgiving, we were already rolling packages. The company did not plan to run what we have normally run in years past. (90 cars) and instead, kept it at 80 cars.

This led to service failures daily and the next days dispatches kept increasing on top of normal volume. As the days extended week over week, we got to peak week with all drivers in jeopardy. Yesterday (friday) the company had to gather supervisors from HR, Loss Prevention and Safety to brown up with on road sups and go out at 8 pm and take over routes with 100 stops left!

YES, I said over 100 stops left at 8pm!

When I was relived, and returned to building, we were only 10% in and drivers were buried and most likely going to bring stops back. We ended up rolling so many stops this week, we are ALL mandated to work today (saturday) to clean out the hub!

This is what happens when you put management without the benefit of actual driving experience in charge of centers and allow some IE person ( i wanted to say geek, but knew it would be removed) to destroy a centers productivity.

This years peak exceeded the worst peak on record for us and that was 2007.

Peace.

Geek is fine.

Gosh darn, even "pencil-headed" geek is OK.

 

[brownelf]

we also had a rough peak, many of us including myself came close to running out of hours each week since thanksgiving. That's why I'm home today instead of working, only had 1.5hrs available. The only thing that kept a major disaster from happening was the fact that the weather has been a non issue this year. But it did take it's toll on the centers safety numbers which are now the worst ever, it's seems that's a trade off our current management can live with.

 

[brownmonster]

Our peak was a complete disaster. Starting the week of thankgiving, we were already rolling packages. The company did not plan to run what we have normally run in years past. (90 cars) and instead, kept it at 80 cars.

This led to service failures daily and the next days dispatches kept increasing on top of normal volume. As the days extended week over week, we got to peak week with all drivers in jeopardy. Yesterday (friday) the company had to gather supervisors from HR, Loss Prevention and Safety to brown up with on road sups and go out at 8 pm and take over routes with 100 stops left!

YES, I said over 100 stops left at 8pm!

When I was relived, and returned to building, we were only 10% in and drivers were buried and most likely going to bring stops back. We ended up rolling so many stops this week, we are ALL mandated to work today (saturday) to clean out the hub!

This is what happens when you put management without the benefit of actual driving experience in charge of centers and allow some IE person ( i wanted to say geek, but knew it would be removed) to destroy a centers productivity.

This years peak exceeded the worst peak on record for us and that was 2007.

Peace.

I thought all 90 of your drivers ran out of hours?

 

[728ups]

This was the heaviest peak i remember in over 20 years both in volume and duration. It started before Thanksgiving and even yesterday i ran over 200 stops. Amazon,Best Buy and QVC in particular were a huge part of my deliveries

 

[hypocrisy]

The proper term is "Pencil-necked Geek"

[video=youtube;JNM4atakanI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNM4atakanI[/video]


Smooth peak on my end, just too many subcontractors. Seemed like the hubs I went to were getting hammered though. I didn't see many rental vans until the last two weeks which says emergency planning to me. Some hubs more than 80% of drivers will still out after 9 p.m.

 

[AKCoverMan]

My peak route for the final four weeks was a 200 mile stretch of rural Alaska north of Palmer. It is over an hour to and from area, have to chain up and unchain on area. Had to institute a plan of "rolling brown outs"..skipping one area each day so as not to screw over the same people two days in a row. Got it clean a couple of days including Thursday but on Friday got 108 stops including 14 cut to me from a different remote route.. one I go to about once every three years.

Sadly those stops did not make it. First "last day before Christmas" that I didn't get everything delivered.

We rolled more packages this year in our center than in the previous six combined I feel certain.

 

[Catatonic]

The proper term is "Pencil-necked Geek"

Knew it didn't seem right. At least I used a part of the body north of the waist.

 

[Anonymous 10]

Knew it didn't seem right. At least I used a part of the body north of the waist.

Just don't mix to much of that stuff with your nitrates. I want to see you post another day.

 

[EmerCond421]

Worst planning I've experienced in 25 peaks; although, for the most part, the weather co-operated.

50,000 Packages In Limbo At UPS Distribution Center CBS Denver

 

[Babagounj]

#35 peak has passed, now the real fun begins.
The volume stay the same with less manpower and mgt demanding everyone work less hours.
It's like a broken clock.
Year in and year out , nothing changes but the one's screaming .

 

[toonertoo]

#35 peak has passed, now the real fun begins.
The volume stay the same with less manpower and mgt demanding everyone work less hours.
It's like a broken clock.
Year in and year out , nothing changes but the one's screaming .

AMEN BABA, well put!!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

#35 peak has passed, now the real fun begins.
The volume stay the same with less manpower and mgt demanding everyone work less hours.
It's like a broken clock.
Year in and year out , nothing changes but the one's screaming .

AMEN BABA, well put!!

This is not my experience. The volume definitely drops and they do cut areas but it is not nearly as intense as during Peak.

 

[Raw]

A very heavy season here ending up with over 19 hours OT the last week, including a few hours on saturday, compared to last year never over 6 hours OT any week in December. That being said, the whole peak ran VERY smooth and calm! Hat`s off to everyone in my center!

 

[Raw]

Worst planning I've experienced in 25 peaks; although, for the most part, the weather co-operated.

50,000 Packages In Limbo At UPS Distribution Center � CBS Denver

This is an isolated incident in an area of the country loaded with stoners! Not that I`m against free choice ( go Ron Paul) but xmas peak is a challenge for people who smoke pot on a daily basis!

 

[Northshoredriver]

Our peak was a complete disaster. Starting the week of thankgiving, we were already rolling packages. The company did not plan to run what we have normally run in years past. (90 cars) and instead, kept it at 80 cars.

This led to service failures daily and the next days dispatches kept increasing on top of normal volume. As the days extended week over week, we got to peak week with all drivers in jeopardy. Yesterday (friday) the company had to gather supervisors from HR, Loss Prevention and Safety to brown up with on road sups and go out at 8 pm and take over routes with 100 stops left!

YES, I said over 100 stops left at 8pm!

When I was relived, and returned to building, we were only 10% in and drivers were buried and most likely going to bring stops back. We ended up rolling so many stops this week, we are ALL mandated to work today (saturday) to clean out the hub!

This is what happens when you put management without the benefit of actual driving experience in charge of centers and allow some IE person ( i wanted to say geek, but knew it would be removed) to destroy a centers productivity.

This years peak exceeded the worst peak on record for us and that was 2007.

Peace.

I had 50 left wednesday nite at 9:30

 

[Northshoredriver]

worst day was 340 stops in a p700. Wow was that a crazy sight to see. I only had 10 hrs left for friday. Punched out friday after 6 with 174 stops