STUCK

[gman042]

You see the videos on YOUTUBE. You know the ones. Somebody filming the UPS guy stuck in the snow in a driveway or street all the while making snarky comments about the idiot driver.

Well how do you handle it? You know UPS's policy. No help from unauthorized partys. Call a tow truck. Now they want the drivers to pay the tow bill. $500.

They say "put your chains on". They say "it's simple. Don't get stuck".

It is not that simple when dealing with 1 foot of new snow or blizzard conditions.

 

[cachsux]

Nowadays with the ability to communicate with the hub I would make management aware of every condition of every street and let them decide. "Possibility of stuck or no delivery. Your call. "

 

[lateagain]

Where I come from, they don't care how you get out, and I'll leave that truck stuck until spring before I am going to pay for it. I have been in snow where you get stuck every time you stop. I will make every attempt to get out, and that includes help from a passing hillbilliy with a strap.

 

[kingOFchester]

Now they want the drivers to pay the tow bill. $500.

I would fight paying the tow bill. I would exhaust all avenues available to me in order to fight the tow bill.

 

[cachsux]

I would fight paying the tow bill. I would exhaust all avenues available to me in order to fight the tow bill.

Including pointing out that UPS is negligent in using vehicles equipped with open diffs and the same tires year round.

 

[oldngray]

In my center you were supposed to do anything possible to get unstuck without calling for a tow ( including getting help from customers). If you needed a tow you would get charged with an accident but wouldn't pay out of pocket cash.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Here you will only be charged with an accident if it costs the company money; beyond that, they don't care how you get out as long as there is no damage to the pkg car.

 

[Jones]

If I think there's even a remote possibility of me getting stuck I don't go down that road/driveway, that's what ecd is for. When I was on a more rural route there a few times where I brought well over half the route back.

 

[menotyou]

Here you will only be charged with an accident if it costs the company money; beyond that, they don't care how you get out as long as there is no damage to the pkg car.

I hear we had a switch in the big chair at the hub. MS instead of JT, now. He use to be here, years ago, wasn't he?

 

[HEFFERNAN]

I find it irresponsible that this company doesn't have an insurance policy like AAA for stuck incidents.

To pay $500 for each and every tow is downright robbery !!!!

 

[Indecisi0n]

If I think there's even a remote possibility of me getting stuck I don't go down that road/driveway, that's what ecd is for. When I was on a more rural route there a few times where I brought well over half the route back.

I do the same.

 

[Notretiredyet]

Just another reason to call in when the weathers bad. Not a problem.

 

[Covemastah]

I got stuck on a hill with empty doubles in a big storm, called and was told to wait for a wrecker!! 5 hrs later the Ma. State police sent out one cuz they were tired of waiting for our guy to come!! $700. tow LOL he wanted my credit card cuz Brown was to cheap to hire him for the winter,,i laughed said no way and will wait till April before I would pay him!!

 

[cachsux]

I got stuck on a hill with empty doubles in a big storm, called and was told to wait for a wrecker!! 5 hrs later the Ma. State police sent out one cuz they were tired of waiting for our guy to come!! $700. tow LOL he wanted my credit card cuz Brown was to cheap to hire him for the winter,,i laughed said no way and will wait till April before I would pay him!!

There have been a few times I've heard of a towing company putting a lien on a vehicle. That O'hare towing from that show on Speed channel was one of them here.

 

[Ms.PacMan]

Our city has a tow ban on day's when they declare emergency conditions (blizzard conditions). If your car or truck gets stuck, tow trucks will not respond until the ban is lifted. The only exception to this is auto accidents to tow the cars away.

We bring back thousands of stops those days.

 

[barnyard]

We are told to ecd if it looks doubtful, then when someone does bring back more than 5 ecd packages, they get called into the office to explain them all. We were told a couple of years ago that we could not use outside help to get unstuck and that if we called a tow, it would be considered an accident.

A bunch of years ago, my center bought plastic grip strips and the mechanics attached hooks and cables to them. If you get stuck, put down the grip strips, attach the cables to the bumper and take off. Stop when it is safe and grab up the grippers and go on. They are really slick the way they work, but we are not buying anymore and as they get wrecked, are being replaced with a bucket of sand.

Sad.

 

[oldngray]

I loved those traction strips and used them many times. Much quicker and easier than messing with the chains.

 

[stink219]

You see the videos on YOUTUBE. You know the ones. Somebody filming the UPS guy stuck in the snow in a driveway or street all the while making snarky comments about the idiot driver.

Well how do you handle it? You know UPS's policy. No help from unauthorized partys. Call a tow truck. Now they want the drivers to pay the tow bill. $500.

They say "put your chains on". They say "it's simple. Don't get stuck".

It is not that simple when dealing with 1 foot of new snow or blizzard conditions.

Why would you need to call a tow truck. If you get stuck at say 11am. Call your center, say I'm stuck and trying to get out. They will say, ok go on lunch. You say, lunch is between my 4th and 5th hour. They will send a tow for you. Example if it's at 5pm. Same convo except tell them you already took your lunch which you should have done.

 

[brownmonster]

We no longer get charged for an accident when we need to get towed. A Supe needing to get towed changed that policy. I got stuck last Friday. A guy wandered out from the neighboring house and pulled me out with his truck.

 

[Brownslave688]

Why would you need to call a tow truck. If you get stuck at say 11am. Call your center, say I'm stuck and trying to get out. They will say, ok go on lunch. You say, lunch is between my 4th and 5th hour. They will send a tow for you. Example if it's at 5pm. Same convo except tell them you already took your lunch which you should have done.

Not here. I don't know why but they would rather you try for 5 hours to get out and then call the tow instead of just calling a tow in the first place.