Potential backfire

[MC4YOU2]

A postal carrier told me today that the routes in our little town (under 10k population) will henceforth be dispatched by a computer program using gps. She also said while attempting to reduce cost, it is actually adding overtime to every route, due to poor trace on all of the routes. I mentioned that we have been on a similar system for a few years and that for those who got the bugs worked out (rare) it's not so bad. For those whose bugs remain buggy (more typical) it's no picnic either.

So, while a profitable giant like ups can indeed withstand poor planning and implementation by simply using the "ride 'em hard" plan to achieve implied success, the USPS not so much.

I seriously wonder if this will be a coffin nail for them. If they take as long to align trace nationwide as ups did (forever and still not finished) how long can they last by utilizing yet one more way to lose money. Next thing you know they will start accepting 70-150 lb pkgs from customers for ups to pickup and deliver. They can call the new service "Sure-ups".

 

[BrownArmy]

I imagine that setting up their traces be much easier for the USPS, since they more or less deliver to every house every day.

It's all about the implementation, as we all know...

 

[chuchu]

I imagine that setting up their traces be much easier for the USPS, since they more or less deliver to every house every day.

It's all about the implementation, as we all know...

Like when they (USPS) implemented delivering all the metro businesses after 2 PM a few years ago. It is all about common sense....or lack of.

 

[old levi's]

I imagine that setting up their traces be much easier for the USPS, since they more or less deliver to every house every day.

It's all about the implementation, as we all know...

Exactly. They already run 100% trace every day.

 

[MC4YOU2]

Exactly. They already run 100% trace every day.

You would sure imagine that to be the case, end of story. According to the carrier I spoke to however the USPS is trying to find more efficiency than a straight line. Go figure huh?

 

[menotyou]

Here's an example of USPS efficiency. I live 11 miles west of Henderson in a little town called Woodville. They closed the Woodville PO. Ellisburg is 3 miles away. Instead of running a route out of Ellisburg to take care the RR delivery locally, the send someone down from Henderson. Mannsville is 6 miles away. Don't use that one, either. Nope. And, Henderson has a PO, as does Henderson Harbor-1 mile away. Of course, many senators and rich people have summer homes in Henderson Harbor.

 

[chuchu]

Exactly. They already run 100% trace every day.

Running "on trace" is only part of the job. I deliver to the P.O. daily. They closed the large (NEW) sorting facility in town and moved all the work 90 miles north to another sort plant. I asked the employee sorting the in-bound freight (news publications, magazines, etc.) on the dock that day how it was going with the sort relocation and he replied..."Well today is thursday, right? This bulk mailing I'm sorting today is TUESDAYS USA Today. That is how it is going!" Run that on trace.

 

[Catatonic]

You would sure imagine that to be the case, end of story. According to the carrier I spoke to however the USPS is trying to find more efficiency than a straight line. Go figure huh?

Worm holes?

 

[satellitedriver]

Duh...cough....
Ups developed all their routes based upon USPS zip codes, trace and rural route numbers.
EDD was based on this concept.-( another mistake)-
Thank the great JuJu in the sky, the 911 numbering system replaced the old RR system in my area before EDD was implemented.
I can stand on the corner of four intersecting roads and look at houses that are delivered by three different USPS mail carriers out of two towns, and I cover them all.
One mail carrier has to drive 5 miles from this point to pick back up on to their route.
Now, they want to copy us after we have been copying them?
Don't get me started on the four Fedex drivers that cover my route.
Let all those big thinkers/planners do their job.
I am just the mop that cleans the mess up.

 

[menotyou]

We still had RR's in my area when we got EDD. What a joke!!

 

[old levi's]

As late as 2000 we had one route that covered all of one very large county and fringes of several others. That large county had only 2 traffic lights. Other than 4 State roads and 2 Federal highways none of the roads were named. Let me repeat that: None of the roads were named. Talk about a swing driver's worst nightmare; this was it. Paved roads without names. Miles and miles of dirt roads without names. The only way a local could give you directions would be dependent upon where someone else lived. And if you didn't happen to know that paticular someone else, game over.

 

[satellitedriver]

As late as 2000 we had one route that covered all of one very large county and fringes of several others. That large county had only 2 traffic lights. Other than 4 State roads and 2 Federal highways none of the roads were named. Let me repeat that: None of the roads were named. Talk about a swing driver's worst nightmare; this was it. Paved roads without names. Miles and miles of dirt roads without names. The only way a local could give you directions would be dependent upon where someone else lived. And if you didn't happen to know that paticular someone else, game over.

I can relate, so well.

Each road had names, by the locals, they were just not on any map.
This is how the locals gave directions to me.-( and they still are called by these names)-
"Old Sand" road, you know the one the county paved 15 yrs ago.-( CR 153)-
"Todd Ranch" road, you know the road that goes down to the river bottom.-(CR 163)-
"Brushy Creek" road, don't go down there if its been raining.-( CR 125)-
"Saxton Switch" road,
you know the one that use to have the railroad switch tracks back in the 30's.-(CR 4675)-.
On a side note, I have to drive twenty miles from my home to see a traffic light.
My route covers parts of 3 county's.
3 towns and 5 mail routes.
The largest city in my county has a population of 6,500.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Sat, I thought all of the side roads in Texas were FM--Farm to Market.

 

[satellitedriver]

Sat, I thought all of the side roads in Texas were FM--Farm to Market.

Nope, the FM's are the big fancy paved roads that are maintained by the state.
CR's -(county roads)- are maintained by each county road dept.
In one county I deliver, only the state maintained roads are paved. All the county roads are just dirt, clay and are graded about twice a year.