Swing Courier
- Thread starter BigWork13
- Start date
You can expect to work anywhere from 30 to 50 hours a week. Depending on the station. Anything over 8 hours in a day is overtime. You can do night rts and work Saturdays if you desire. HOWEVER, I say you might work 30 hrs because if for instance a manager asks you at 1400 to do a pickup rt because of a sick call, and you say you cant, it will cancel out your minimum because you just refused work. So the rest of the week they could put you in a split or a 6hr rt just to be spiteful. Ive seen it happen
outtatime
Well-Known Member
Have you ever been a courier before, or off the street hire? Being a swing and never a courier is not recommended as you will be bounced around on a different route almost daily. You will also probably be working both shifts from week to week and have a different day off every week. If the station has DRA then you will have a MUCH easier time as a new swing.
5yearsleft
Well-Known Member
Say goodbye to your life as you know it! Morning shifts, night shifts, split shifts.....they own you. Do not make plans for anything outside of work!
I am an off the street hire. From what I have read I have heard nothing but bad things about this DRA on this site. What exactly is it?
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
Delivering for Dummies.
whenIgetthere
Well-Known Member
Depends on the station and managers. The new swings (five) here all know about three or four loops each, the rest of the swings (four) know all the routes which was the way it was when I was a swing, we were expected to know/learn any route we were scheduled for. Now the new ones whine if they're somewhere they don't know, because we are not a DRA station.
outtatime
Well-Known Member
DRA is where the Roads system puts all of a route's stops in order for you before the morning sort begins. Each route gets a print out that lists all of the stops in numerical order with the address, name and number of packages for each stop. It will also give you the stops plotted out on a map, it's basically a connect the dots. Also, when every package is scanned while going down the belt during the morning sort it gets a little yellow label put on it with the route number and actual stop number on it. If you can count, you can load any number of trucks without knowing a thing about that route. Just load them on the shelves in numerical order. Remember, DRA is just a tool and you don't necessarily have to do them in stop order. Common sense is helpful here.
The Powerpad also has the delivery list downloaded to it when you sign on to it in the morning. It will update the list with the number of pieces once you scan them on to your truck (Van scan it's called). When delivering to a stop with multiple packages, the Powerpad will alert you if you missed a package for that address when you go to the signature screen. That feature is very helpful to prevent you from going back to the same address later when you find another package for it.
The Powerpad also has the delivery list downloaded to it when you sign on to it in the morning. It will update the list with the number of pieces once you scan them on to your truck (Van scan it's called). When delivering to a stop with multiple packages, the Powerpad will alert you if you missed a package for that address when you go to the signature screen. That feature is very helpful to prevent you from going back to the same address later when you find another package for it.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
As I said, Delivering for Dummies.
outtatime
Well-Known Member
I used to love it when DRA was down for the day and the newer swings would freak out without their printouts. In my early days of being a swing you just had to figure out the best way to run each route but they are all basically the same, clean up one area and move to the next. No zig-zagging across town. If you look at a DRA map it will put say stops 75-80 two streets away from the stop 40's section. It makes more sense to do all of them in a group and move to the next section. New swings just can't grasp that common sense knowledge.
outtatime
Well-Known Member
Exactly. For the newbs it's a godsend but for the oldtimers they hate it since it's constantly changing their boundaries.
Operational needs
Virescit Vulnere Virtus
And having you bypass stops to come back to them later.
Operational needs
Virescit Vulnere Virtus
And designed by dummies with engineering degrees, who have no idea how to run a route.
Operational needs
Virescit Vulnere Virtus
When I was a swing, the only thing I liked about DRA was it saves you from having to look up the stops. It's already done for you. I always ignored the delivery order because it hardly ever made sense.
Purplepackage
Well-Known Member
The problem with new swings is they don't want to think or get a little stressed. They want the route all plotted out for them so they won't get lost.
When I started I got training on 2 whole routes in the station but by 6 months in I could cover at least 9 of them and I learned them all blind, I loved the stress I feel like it made me more efficient
When I started I got training on 2 whole routes in the station but by 6 months in I could cover at least 9 of them and I learned them all blind, I loved the stress I feel like it made me more efficient
Operational needs
Virescit Vulnere Virtus
At every station I've ever worked, all swings worked doubles.
whenIgetthere
Well-Known Member
I took a big hit in pay to take a route after being a swing for more than 12 years, but it was worth it to get some resemblance of a life back.
outtatime
Well-Known Member
Not at any of the stations in the district I was in, and I worked at 3 stations over the years. This was in the Eastern time zone if it matters.
overflowed
Well-Known Member
much different than the other coast
