STAY OUT OF RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAYS!! NO EXCEPTIONS!! What would you do ?

[soberups]

For the love of God would you guys stop recording yourselves breaking the law?! Only stupid criminals on "caught on tape" shows do that. PUT DOWN THE HAND HELD DEVICES!

Its only breaking the law if you do it on a public road. That was a private driveway.

 

[bbsam]

Its only breaking the law if you do it on a public road. That was a private driveway.

Does UPS agree with your assessment?

 

[BigUnionGuy]

The best advice I can give you is to just tune them out and keep doing the job in the safest and most efficient manner possible.

Solid advice.

Have any doubts ?? File a grievance.

When we first got Telematics a few years ago I got the big lecture about how I was the worst in he center in terms of backing and that I needed to stay out of these residential driveways. Blah, blah, blah. The center manager who was flapping her gums at me had never driven a package car herself, or been out on my area, so her opinion didnt mean a whole lot to me. I would have loved the opportunity to give her a flashlight and a hand cart so that she could have shown me the proper method for dealing with these types of deliveries on a cold and foggy December night, but for some reason she never seemed very interested in putting on the browns and taking me up on my offer.

"Brown Up.... or Shut Up"

Very few management people will take the challenge.

They will try and threaten you with a "ride".... If they do....


Hand them the "keys" and ask them to provide a complete demonstration. From beginning to end.... Not just a few minutes.

Document that fact.... with your steward present.


​They will move on.... they always do.



​-Bug-

 

[BigUnionGuy]

Does UPS agree with your assessment?

They agree with firing someone for drug and alcohol abuse.

That's you.... right ?



​-Bug-

 

[soberups]

Driving with package in the cab, FIRED !

When I read the "suspension and discharge" section of the Western Conference Supplement, I see cardinal infractions such as drinking on duty, provable dishonesty, unprovoked assault on a fellow employee, theft, and wanton and malicious destruction of the Employers property as being grounds for immediate termination. "Having a package on the dashboard" was not mentioned in that list, so if by some chance there did happen to be a supervisor all decked out in camoflage gear and hiding in the forest with a pair of binoculars and a telephoto lens who snapped a pic of me driving by with that little package on the dashboard, the worst thing he could do would be to issue me a warning letter.

That being said, you are 100% correct that having packages in the cab is a no-no. Its a bad habit that I am trying (unsuccessfully) to break. A lot of my driveways are so rough and pot-holed that they will literally spill my entire load onto the floor, so if my next stop is a letter or a cell phone or some little Amazon envelope for a customer with a crap driveway I will often just toss the thing up on the dash so that I dont have to spend 5 minutes digging for it when I get there.

 

[soberups]

Was that a dog biscuit holder(DIAD pouch)?

Yes. I personally have no need for the DIAD pouch since the DIAD V fits perfectly in my back pocket, so I clipped my pouch to the dashboard where it makes an excellent dog biscuit holder.

 

[soberups]

Does UPS agree with your assessment?

I haven't asked them. Nor do I intend to. If a management person ever witnessed me doing that, the worst thing they could do is write me a warning letter. The video itself proves nothing because (a) they cant prove that I am the one who made it and (b)even if they could it is entirely possible that I made it by putting my iphone in my shirt pocket with the camera lens sticking out.

 

[bbsam]

They agree with firing someone for drug and alcohol abuse.

That's you.... right ?



​-Bug-

Hell, I agreed with that! Or were you trying to insult me?

 

[bbsam]

I haven't asked them. Nor do I intend to. If a management person ever witnessed me doing that, the worst thing they could do is write me a warning letter. The video itself proves nothing because (a) they cant prove that I am the one who made it and (b)even if they could it is entirely possible that I made it by putting my iphone in my shirt pocket with the camera lens sticking out.

they can't prove it's you until the NTSA starts colluding with the NSA and subpoenas Cheryl.

 

[soberups]

They agree with firing someone for drug and alcohol abuse.

That's you.... right ?



​-Bug-

I'm gonna go way out on a limb here and say that getting fired for drugs/alcohol was probably the best thing that ever happened to Bbsam. There are many members of an "anonymous" club that I belong to who also hit bottom, got help, and turned their lives around when their disease got them fired or landed in jail. All of them will state quite freely and matter-of-factly that jail time or loss of job was the wake up call they needed and that their lives are immeasurably better today for having gone through what they did. I havent heard Bbsam's story but I suspect it is quite similar.

 

[bbsam]

I can't say it was THE wakeup call, but it was one of many. No regrets.

 

[happybob]

It's funny and sad at the same time that the company has different standards in different locations. Rural route I delivered in years ago has 1/4 mile long driveways and when I decided to follow the methods and stay out of them and walk them off I got a ride from my on road supervisor and he instructed me to DRIVE them, not WALK them. One had ruts so bad that in the winter time I was glad for the snow, since it made for a smoother ride. Got stuck in one of them, called the center and they sent a tow truck to get me out. Supervisor came out to look at the situation and I never heard a word about being charged with anything.
I agree with the op that those driveways constitute unsafe conditions and wouldn't dare walk them, until/unless the company allows me to carry a firearm to protect myself. As far as the video devices being hand held, prove it. Do you see a hand holding any of these devises shown on this thread? I don't. There are head straps that one can order and wear to hold the cell phone/video camera hands free. They must be using one of those.

 

[BigUnionGuy]

I'm gonna go way out on a limb here and say that getting fired for drugs/alcohol was probably the best thing that ever happened to Bbsam. There are many members of an "anonymous" club that I belong to who also hit bottom, got help, and turned their lives around when their disease got them fired or landed in jail. All of them will state quite freely and matter-of-factly that jail time or loss of job was the wake up call they needed and that their lives are immeasurably better today for having gone through what they did. I havent heard Bbsam's story but I suspect it is quite similar.

Unfortunately,

Elected officials of "your" Local Union have to deal with this.

They have to sign off on "too many" Article 35 agreements.

Life is difficult sometimes.... It's harder when people are stupid.


​-Bug-

 

[MenInBrown]

I would have them sign off on it. Just so I would have documentation that they were aware of my concerns for walking it off...then if something happened, I would let the judge decide it. I'm tired of the BS nit picky rules that just create an environment for failure...every rule contradicts another one. Park your truck next time you are almost at a dead end where the last place to possibly turn around is a driveway and tell them your stuck bc you cant go into a driveway. If they tell you to use the driveway, file it!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

They agree with firing someone for drug and alcohol abuse.

That's you.... right ?



​-Bug-

That was uncalled for.

Dave

 

[Johney]

they can't prove it's you until the NTSA starts colluding with the NSA and subpoenas Cheryl.

I'd bet the NSA has already seen that video. Subpoena or not.

 

[didyousheetit]

Most of the gates on my route are electrically operated and you open them by punching a code into a keypad. I have well over 100 gate codes stored in my iphone that I have acquired over the last 18 years on this route, and most of them are also noted in the DIAD for that particular stop. If I dont have the code, or the gate is padlocked, I put the package in a bag and leave it at the gate. If its too big or valuable to bag up, or signature required, I stick a delivery notice on their mailbox and they either come to the center to get it or they leave their gate open for me the following day. There are certain driveways on my route that are impossible to get up when it snows, those customers are well aware of that fact and I wont even try to go up there until they plow the driveway off. Those packages get sheeted as Emergency Conditions until such time as the driveway is clear.

sounds like good common sense. sorry that won't work with ups's thinking

 

[brownmonster]

I decide which driveways to go in to. I'm the driver.

 

[browniehound]

I would keep driving down it. That's not a driveway. That's a road. Where I'm from, driveway's are paved, are much narrower, have basketball hoops, garages, kids toys, etc. I would stay out of those. Not what you're showing us. That's a road.

 

[browniehound]

There is a section of my route with (literally) an aligator infested canal along side, there are wild hogs, deer, and snakes everywhere, along with every flying insect you can imagine. The driveways are about half mile long and full of ankle breaking pot holes, knee deep water/mud holes, low hanging trees, ants, you name it.

Gotta watch out for those deer and ants. They're deadly!