Underdispatched yet again...

[Anonymous Coward]

It seems lately as though UPS has decided to try and get as many of the senior (ie over 10 years seniority) drivers to quit as possible so they can get the young guns in and train them in the new run and gun methods. My route presently has a 26 sphor that includes about 60 business stops. The cover drivers can almost make scratch on it by not taking lunch and paperboying the route (throw pkg on front porch and nevermind the proper DR techniques).

I have 23 years in, 16 years safe driving, very few negative DDFU's and even with sups riding with me, without them finding anywhere I can safely save time, run 2 hours overallowed. Despite all this I have been told I will have to make scratch on my route or face disciplinary actions. In an effort to increase my numbers (or, as I feel, make me have to decide between my family and my job) they have been putting 230+ on my route every day which is 10 on paper and 12 on road. All the senior drivers are getting these numbers while most of the new guys are taking out 8.5 on paper. Is this simply a center or district (Baltimore) situation, a company wide policy, or am I just being paranoid? Then again, as they say, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't someone behind you.

PS How the heck do you get the paragraps to indent?

 

[OldUPSDriver]

The space bar works quite well.

 

[OldUPSDriver]

Wrong, I guess it won't!!!! lol

 

[toonertoo]

An you are telling me to just quit when you have the exact same problem?????????
I had a muscle bound sup with me for 3 hrs once and I still ran 1.5 late.Now how could that be, I dunno..
I didnt take a nap, and my goal in the am is to empty then fill the truck, work safely, and get home, while treating the customers humanely.
That is the only direct problem I have, is that I used to be able to run a decent number and now I cant, and the only thing that changed is the numbers. EXCEPT for the weight and size.
So before you decide someone else is being a whiner, look in the mirror,

 

[UPSmeoff]

why dont i hear more about grievances being filed?
In my supplemental it states...


'Employees shall have the right to file a grievance if the Company has continually (means any three (3) days in (5) consecutively scheduled work days) caused an employee to work over nine hours and forty five minutes per day'

If you are not a normal grievance filer this might help as it shows you mean business.
I myself care not what their numbers say, but i generally dont see numbers like you(anonymous coward) posted.
BTW i think that the quitting comment was managerial material at best, i was dissapointed when i found out you were a driver.

 

[stepitup]

Our center has at least 50 percent working over 10 hours a day. Granted those are actual work hours. We had PAS finalized and implemented two weeks before peak. To those who have yet to experience PAS I can only send you my regrets. Your route, your workday and your life will never be the same. You will never be underdispatched, your day will be planned by someone sitting in front of a monitor with a map and no real understanding of how far that inch on the map really is from where you are traveling.

You will learn to speak a new language. PAL (preload assist label), EDD (or "special EDD" as we like to call it), PAS (no thanks, I'll PAS), SPA (have not figured that one out yet...help me out).

You will travel areas you never knew existed, miles reduction? Not yet, so far!

What was instilled on us for years, consistency,repetition, and SERVICE is a thing of the past. Misloads creating missed pieces are now the norm and it is disheartening when you take pride in your job to have to accept that.

I, for one, can empathise with tooner's attitude. It is no longer about the customer.....it's about numbers, control and micromanaging. JMHO

 

[Anonymous Coward]

Tooner, I'm the second anon coward that posted, not the first one that told you to just quit!

 

[wily_old_vet]

Tooner, I'm the second anon coward that posted, not the first one that told you to just quit!

then register and get an identity no one else can have

 

[Anonymous Coward]

LOL, I tried, had a name all picked out, Misndinner, but after trying to register a few times and not recieving a confirmation (it was around the time the board switched over) I just gave up. I don't post too much, once or twice a month.. umm except for the last 2 days, so I decided anon coward was just as well.

 

[toonertoo]

Ok, sorry, you all look the same. Seems cowards are also in the same boat as registered people. Dont be afraid come on in.

 

[over9five]

Stepitup, Don't look for it to get better.
PAS plus 19 months here. Preload still can't get a handle on it. The missed pile is what hurts me the most. I try to do my off route misloads because I care, but no one cares if I don't.

 

[toonertoo]

Now how sad is that, no one cares about misloads. we dont have PAS, but if something looks important like medicine, I try to deliver it, others I can only fix so many mistakes. It all comes down to the same thing, only WE are held accountable for mistakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another thing of the past that worked if used correctly, preload communication cards. Was that just "too Much" for the preload sups to relay? Wasnt when I was in it.

 

[Fredly000]

I was told during peak not to touch an entire pile of AIR
it was a late plane or something I told the clerk that I see pieces
that I can deliver(right next door to the HUGE pick up I had to do)
he said I shouldn't, I said, customers come first, I'm doing them a
disservice by just letting it sit, granted it was only one package out of
probably 300 sitting there. I was able to take 5-10 pieces out on area to get delivered.. I felt better in my heart for trying... Unfortunately, we are never rewarded for going the extra mile, but take one step the "wrong" direction, and 'they' jump all over you like flies to pie.

I pride myself in a job well done. Too bad our management can't take part in that. Employee Moral speaks volumes to production numbers, but again not something taught at the git-er-done school of management.

 

[InTheRed]

SPA (have not figured that one out yet...help me out).

Scan
Print
Apply

 

[scratch]

We are fixing to go on PAS/EDD here at my hub. We got a new Center Manager, a PAS guy Monday morning. I've got new Sequence numbers on my shelves and it looks like my load will be totally screwed up judging by the new PAL labels showing up on my boxes. I haven't gotten my DOL yet, my work group isn't supposed to be affected until the end of the month. I was wondering from you folks out there on PAS already. Does the driver have any imput on how his route is set up? I looped my area myself eight years ago to give my customers the best service possible and cut down on my time and mileage. This is totally idiotic, I get the impression that someone who has never delivered a box is deciding they know better than my thirty years of experience.

 

[dannyboy]

Welcome to the new UPS.

Just because they did not ask you for input does not mean they did not ask. Maybe someone delivered a couple of air stops one day, that should make them an expert on your route, at least enough for them to set up the pas system.

Besides, you can look on a map and draw lines, who cares what type of deliveries are on that street.

And who cares that one section will blow out at 6 am every morning and have to be loaded on the floor, while other sections only have 5 packages at the end of the day.

d

 

[UPSmeoff]

They should sit down with you and work out how you want to run the route.
I, unfortunatly was on vacation when my group got pas and it has been a challenge getting it straight. My route is not very conducive to the pas system since i unload 95% of my truck from the rear.
I run my route exactly like i used to even though it differs from the order in the board. I basically have to sort the entire truck just like i used to exept now its worse.

 

[stepitup]

There is so much to talk about with PAS....as far as driver input, they will listen but as to whether they implement what you suggest is their discretion. The frustrating part in my center came with a drastic reloop. Routes were eliminated, new loops established, drivers given the choice of which part of their old route they wanted to follow. We are still in shock 3 months into it.

Does it have potential to be successful? Maybe. Right now there are too many bugs that never seem to get worked out. Wrong PAL labels creating misloads, preloaders with far too many trucks and packages to load creating misloads, all trucks being given the same sequence numbers creating misloads (hey it was loaded on the right shelf, just on the wrong truck. They all look alike from the inside). Next day airs being mixed in your load so that you have to rifle through your contents to find it.

It was my understanding that your day was supposed to be set up stop for stop. No sorting required. Grab and go. "" Oops, my diad says I am supposed to here but I can't quite put my hands on your package. It was good to see you though!"

Uh oh, I'm starting to rant....sorry. Please tell me this is just a bad dream!