Hey all, been working for UPS for a few years now as a loader and decided to write my first post questioning the logistic decisions being made by upper management. It's not even peak season yet, but for the last 2 months I have been having a hard time completing the load for my set of package cars on time. Most of the time, I have to leave off 1 or 2 bulk sets of packages off to the side in a giant pile, usually ranging from 25 - 85 big packages, all while being told that I can't stack. And most of the time, all of these package cars are bricked out by the end, so there is a physical impossibility of fitting more volume onto any of them. The drivers and I have both let management know about the problems, being as blunt as possible, letting them know certain routes (mall routes) can only contain so much due to the sheer size of the packages. For example, this one route can usually fit 200 - 260 boxes, 260 on a good day, and again, we have let management know that. Yet for some reason, they just ignore it and keeping creating loads above 290. Just wondering if the company has moved on to using AI to create these loads for the drivers or is management pretending to have there heads buried and ignore the blatant problem. I fully understand how some routes have bad days when it comes to containing a full load, unfortunately this happens 9 out of 10 times, so there seems to be no efforts on resolving the problem any time soon. I'm usually the last loader to clock off with no help from others (Box line teamsters that are on their phones kicking sand). One of the drivers told me to not stress about it, and said "don't feel bad, management does it to themselves". Which only made me question the logistic decisions being made and why. I am just wondering if anyone else has or has had any similar problems to this, because it feels like sabotage.
Sabotage?
- Thread starter GBTC
- Start date
UnionStrong
Sorry, but I don’t care anymore.
clean hairy
Well-Known Member
Load what you can, leave what there is no room for.
Notify them of the problem, now they have to figure it out.
Not your job to figure it out!
Notify them of the problem, now they have to figure it out.
Not your job to figure it out!
Your local management is mostly just bodies and figureheads with limited power beyond harassing/disciplining you.
These things are determined by people in an office in a completely different building from you. Just work with what they give you and file for harassment if they bother you.
It’s out of your control. Work as directed and cash in. At the end of the day leave it at the door when you punch out.
The other guys have given you good advice here.
If you're the last one on the clock, congrats. You make more money.
Work as directed, and let their stupid decisions make you money.
Been In Brown Too Long
Ex-Package Donkey
I worked 32 peaks at UPS, and every single year I found myself saying to saying to management, "You know, UPS has been moving boxes for 100+ years. And every year you guys act as if this peak thing is a new phenomenon and it somehow snuck up on you."
Just do what they ask you to do, no matter how ridiculous. This way the disaster is on them, not you. You'll end up making more money that way too. If they say "don't stack," cube that bad boy out, and then request direction on what their plan is for the rest of what now won't fit. Simple as that. The "no stacking" policy will disappear pretty quickly after that if you have many random stops outside the package car vs. one big bulk stop sitting there.
Just do what they ask you to do, no matter how ridiculous. This way the disaster is on them, not you. You'll end up making more money that way too. If they say "don't stack," cube that bad boy out, and then request direction on what their plan is for the rest of what now won't fit. Simple as that. The "no stacking" policy will disappear pretty quickly after that if you have many random stops outside the package car vs. one big bulk stop sitting there.
I have NOT been lurking
Degenerate Member
They ain't moving
542thruNthru
Well-Known Member
twotwofour
Well-Known Member
Are these the same dummies that came up with putting a 1oz envelopes squarely behind a 50lb dogfood boxes?
542thruNthru
Well-Known Member
Nope. Different person.
PT Car Washer
Well-Known Member
Under the box.
eats packages
Deranged lunatic
IDK inside the building it's usually good advice to take nothing personally and do whatever makes sense until they hand you a warning letter.
I came from preload relatively recently and the feelings (not feelings, this place really is that dumb) of "industrial sabotage" don't go away on either side of the job. You'll outlive the shenanigans whether it takes 1 day for them to repair or 35 years, just keep applying pressure to the normality of how you are stacking packages out, try to save the easiest stuff for last :cheesy:
Oh and your drivers sound like decent people. Worst case scenerio is going on hour 5-6 of the preload, you can hardly fit a 8.5x11 sheet of paper in-between the boxes that are already loaded. and some driver is mad at you under the implication of laziness. Yea ok, thanks for adding a bunch of mental stress to a physical task that only gets harder hour-by-hour.
I came from preload relatively recently and the feelings (not feelings, this place really is that dumb) of "industrial sabotage" don't go away on either side of the job. You'll outlive the shenanigans whether it takes 1 day for them to repair or 35 years, just keep applying pressure to the normality of how you are stacking packages out, try to save the easiest stuff for last :cheesy:
Oh and your drivers sound like decent people. Worst case scenerio is going on hour 5-6 of the preload, you can hardly fit a 8.5x11 sheet of paper in-between the boxes that are already loaded. and some driver is mad at you under the implication of laziness. Yea ok, thanks for adding a bunch of mental stress to a physical task that only gets harder hour-by-hour.
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PPH_over_9000
Well-Known Member
Just want to piggyback and say 99 out of 100 drivers will appreciate you more for leaving the bulk that literally won't fit outside of the truck. The best rule of thumb to that being that you should make an effort to fill the shelves before the floor, the floor before the aisle and then whatever
s up your movement in and out of the truck you just leave under the belt (or outside the truck.) Make an effort to load whatever's left out at the end of the shift, but you and I both know that when you hear folk shoutin' "LOAD AND GO" down the belt then you need to get goin' regardless of the state of things.At least give them a chance to set their stuff down and get their handcart locked in before the avalanche of cardboard.
It's extra motivation that way. Can't eat lunch until you're able to dig it out!
Brownisbrown
UPS EMPLOYEE
Not a justification but im 95% sure the reason is due to profitability per voyage. In the sea shipping industry, 90% of the cargo that is sent over thru voyage covers the overhead costs of the trip meanwhile everything else is the profit. That means its necessary to fill 90% of your volume or else you will have made a net loss in your trip. Thus although we generally overestimate by roughly 10%, Its probably better to reallocate 10% of surplus volume at a later period than send a package car/trailer 10% under volume.
You could probably say we would be a lot more efficient if we had skilled individuals able to gauge how to properly allocate volume in each ctr, but I guess upper management believe its better to have an AI that gets it right 75% of the time than a human who can 85%-95% of the time.
You could probably say we would be a lot more efficient if we had skilled individuals able to gauge how to properly allocate volume in each ctr, but I guess upper management believe its better to have an AI that gets it right 75% of the time than a human who can 85%-95% of the time.
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Jkloc420
Do you need an air compressor or tire gauge
Did this guy quit @IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U
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