To Trace or Not to Trace

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Success (or failure) on EDD depends a great deal in how much prep work went in to setting up the run when the PAS/EDD team is in your center. I spent a lot of time on mine and, as such, it is 95% where it should be. Others that did not invest the time are struggling.

When the PAS/EDD team was in our center the only time we were able to give any input for the routes was at the end of the day (off the clock of course) and it just wasn't enough. They were set up in an office and all of us would try and go in and put show them how the routes should be traced. It didn't work out because there was a continuous stream of drivers coming in and it was always chaotic and no one wanted to stay over after work for 30 minutes to an hour waiting on their turn. Plus, those that were able to get some time in with the team found out later that they didn't even listen to the drivers half the time. We've been trying to get our dispatch sup to make changes since but when we come in each morning he always busy moving stuff around and stressing over making routes plan.

Despite all that I'm happy with EDD but there are frustrating days like I mentioned before where there are 30 stops with the same sequence number. Or an entire section assigned to the 7000 section that should be in the 1000 section. Commercial stops in the 8000 section. Still.....it beats the old way any day. At worst it's like having all the stops prerecorded and out of order.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I asked them to print my DOL, made changes/corrections while on lunch/break and, yes, at home, and then sat down with them for about 1/2 hour or so as I had given them all that they needed to work with. I was more than willing to sacrifice some of my personal time to ensure that my days would go that much smoother.

 

[trplnkl]

158 stops sounds like 13 hours of work to me.

That sounds like two days work to me.

 

[trplnkl]

What I would do is get both the center manager and the OCS in the office, with the steward along and talk to them about the situation. Conflicting instructions don't usually fair well. Someone has to make up your mind how you are going to run the route. Explain to them that you are trying the best you can to do a good job, but you are indeed struggling with the area because of the inconsistencies.
Just the other day in our center, a driver was told by the center manager to stay on trace. The driver said "OK, I'll just run it stop for stop by EDD because that's the only trace I have to go by." The center manager replied with " Never mind".

 

[Mike Hawk]

2 weeks in class i went to class for 4 days took a test on the fifth day and came home. Once i came home it was 4 mos before i started driving. The enormous amount of info shoved into our brains was simply sensory overload. My on road drove with me for first 3 days then on 6th day. I have voiced my concerns with him about trace and "they are working on it". The driver who had the rte was on it for 10 yrs he gave me some tips on the rte they helped alot. I think the biggest factor in me coming under is one that i wished people would have told me about before i started driving. BLISTERS I have blisters on top of blisters that are beside blisters. I change my socks and shoes at least once per shift and i am still hobbiling around like an ups pimp, So It is safe to say that i am not moving as fast as i should

Buy new socks, specifically a very thin liner pair that sticks to your feet, and a thicker outer pair that provides cushion. The thin inner pair will rub against the outer pair rather than your feet rubbing against the sock, no blisters! I worked two thirteen and a half hour days helping last week along with an extra local sort shift, sore legs but no blisters!

 

[helenofcalifornia]

Never heard a driver say he had blisters. It must be those new shoes of yours. First lesson to learn is not to break in new shoes when you are a new driver. You won't do this again, I bet. You must be in agony!

 

[hseofpayne]

I asked them to print my DOL, made changes/corrections while on lunch/break and, yes, at home, and then sat down with them for about 1/2 hour or so as I had given them all that they needed to work with. I was more than willing to sacrifice some of my personal time to ensure that my days would go that much smoother.

Same here, except I got them to teach me how to make the changes myself in EDD on their computer. I took the printout of the entire loop, hundreds of streets, as well as any areas that are typically adjusted to me. I broke down shopping centers in the order the stores were delivered, that helps a lot. Doing that also helps get your stop count right so everything with same address doesn't count as one stop. I spent a lot of my personal time on it, and took a lot of grief from other drivers, but it has been worth it. When splits are pulled to my rte, they are loaded exactly where fit them into my trace. Swing drivers call me and tell me how easy my rte is to run compared to others, they hardly ever have to break trace. Learning to make the changes in EDD myself was key because I knew the guys who were there to set it up would be gone soon, and I had no confidence that my sups would make changes later; they never have time. I don't regret spending so much of my own time on this, it made my job much easier and if someth ing changes, I can fix it in EDD myself.

 

[helenofcalifornia]

And UPS is cool with you making your own changes?

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

If IE and the PAS/EDD teams would do their jobs correctly, or at least a better job, the first time then no one would have to spend their own personal time on doing IE's job. And like I said....they didn't really listen to those of us that were able to voice our concerns and opinions about how the routes should be set up. One driver did actually come in one day during his vacation and sat there with them for several hours and set up his route perfectly. Or so he thought. When we finally went live it was apparent that that they hadn't agreed with what the driver had wanted. They went back in and completely changed it. You'd think the knowledge from that driver (who has been on that route for over 12 years) would be excepted. But then again.....what would he know about it? LOL!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

And UPS is cool with you making your own changes?

That was my first question when I read his post. My involvement with the computer is to check my stop count and planned day when I punch out at night and then check it when I punch in the following day--other than that I don't bother with it.

 

[1989]

When pas came to my center I did the dol changes on 50 routes and another driver did the changes on the other 50 routes.

 

[hseofpayne]

And UPS is cool with you making your own changes?

Have you ever met a sup who would mind you doing their job for them?! It just turned out I was good at it, I am sure if I screwed it up my days of computer work would be over. I had some experience doing loop work from when DIAD first came along.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I am impressed.

 

[hseofpayne]

That was my first question when I read his post. My involvement with the computer is to check my stop count and planned day when I punch out at night and then check it when I punch in the following day--other than that I don't bother with it.

If I waited on my sups to make the changes, they wouldnt get made. When doing loop work a few years ago, I sat at home and put thousands of streets in order, gave it to my sup, and he promptly lost it. So when the system was being put in, I made sure I learned how to enter streets, change order myself. Like I said in another post, if I was screwing it up, they would stop me. I did this for my rte so I wouldn't spend years digging down the shelves for my next stop and I wouldn't have to listen to trace % complaints from sups. I had a few ask me to make changes for them after they saw me doing mine, I don't mind.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Believe me, I am not dissing you. I am truly amazed that your mgt team would let you do that and I commend them for recognizing and utilizing talent when they see it. Again, I am in now way putting you down.

 

[hseofpayne]

Believe me, I am not dissing you. I am truly amazed that your mgt team would let you do that and I commend them for recognizing and utilizing talent when they see it. Again, I am in now way putting you down.

I know, you dang yankee! But just wait, I will probably hear it on this one. Some of the guys in my bldg who called me arse kisser were the same ones who ended up asking me to make changes!

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Isn't it amazing how their tune changes when they need something from you?!

 

[hseofpayne]

Isn't it amazing how their tune changes when they need something from you?!

LOL! Yeah, they would walk up and strike of a conversation about something totally different and then say something like, "Hey man, you think you could show me how to change my DOL?!"

 

[trplnkl]

Hell, in our center you could get fired just for asking a sup to show you how.

 

[tourists24]

Hell, in our center you could get fired just for asking a sup to show you how.

depending on where you are working, you are right about this. I have no problem if someone wants to spend their free time working on their route. Same should go for someone like myself though. I dont care how EDD tells me to run the route; I know the route and will run it the way it needs to be run. Ive told my whole mgt food chain that it is messed up and needs to be changed. If they want my input I will be more than happy to tell them on the clock. If not then I will continue to run the route in a manner that gives my customers the best service I can provide. If mgt gives me a hassle and tells me to run it in trace, then I can do it that way also, service failures and all.