Whatever happened to . . .

rod

Retired 22 years
Packages could not weigh more than 50 pounds.

Customers were limited to only shipping 100 pounds total combined weight to the same address on the same day.

We didn't deliver to any state west of the Mississippi except Calif., Wash and Oregon. (pre 1971)

You had to keep the next 10 stops up front with you on the built in tray of you P400.

Pay was like $6.25 an hour.

You had to be married, have the service over with and 21 to become a full time driver (was told that to my face by the hiring team from Minneapolis). Women need not apply. The first women driver I heard about was in the mid 80's. I don't know if that was accepted practices nation wide but it was where I got hired.
 

CaliforniaPaul

Well-Known Member
Packages could not weigh more than 50 pounds.

Customers were limited to only shipping 100 pounds total combined weight to the same address on the same day.

We didn't deliver to any state west of the Mississippi except Calif., Wash and Oregon. (pre 1971)

You had to keep the next 10 stops up front with you on the built in tray of you P400.

Pay was like $6.25 an hour.

You had to be married, have the service over with and 21 to become a full time driver (was told that to my face by the hiring team from Minneapolis). Women need not apply. The first women driver I heard about was in the mid 80's. I don't know if that was accepted practices nation wide but it was where I got hired.
When I started in 1964 the pay was $3.50 per hour. We did not deliver to rural route boxes. The first woman driver I heard of was in Oakland Ca in the early 70's. Most of the deliveries were retail without signature required. There were no partimers at that time. Trailers were "Z" frame. To be continued!!
 

rod

Retired 22 years
I knew an old guy who worked for UPS in the Bronx in the late 40's in their furniture delivery division. He said there were very few elevators and his days were spent lugging beds, dressers and living room furniture up 5-6-7 stories to the tenement apartments. He said it was the toughest job he ever had in his 90 plus years.
 

oldngray

nowhere special
I knew an old guy who worked for UPS in the Bronx in the late 40's in their furniture delivery division. He said there were very few elevators and his days were spent lugging beds, dressers and living room furniture up 5-6-7 stories to the tenement apartments. He said it was the toughest job he ever had in his 90 plus years.
My center had one of those old (1950's?) furniture trucks still around when I started. Ugly boatlike beast.
 

clean hairy

Well-Known Member
When the company could be super selective who they hired.
Now, if a person is walking and breathing and has no felonies, they are hired.
When HR had folks lined up every day to apply.
Now, they are at job fairs and college campuses almost BEGGING folks to apply at UPS!
 
O

OLDMAN3

Guest
-5 point check-in
-Dropping your cash envelope in the safe
-wood shelves
-ice cold pad locks on the bulkhead and rear doors
-washing package cars every night
-delivery record audits, for that matter D.R. audits

I don't miss everything that has disappeared!
 

rod

Retired 22 years
P100 Ford Econoline
P100 Ford Econoline bubble top
P400-banging your head on the rear door frame when loading it.
On Strike---Unfair Labor Practices
Showing smut flicks on the side of a UPS trailer at night while on strike using the extension cord our center manager ran
out to us to run the projector. He joined us for smut flicks and beer.
Trying to find customers in the country at night on a strange route when 3/4ths of the mailboxes didn't even
have a name on them.
 

Packmule

Well-Known Member
I Do remember the term fur call, can't remember what it was exactly.
I Actually had a NDA merchandise exchange last week. So glad they weren't home!
As a rural driver now, I'd like to see the return of deferring. So many places way out in the country getting stuff 4 days a week.
 

Packmule

Well-Known Member
P100 Ford Econoline
P100 Ford Econoline bubble top
P400-banging your head on the rear door frame when loading it.
On Strike---Unfair Labor Practices
Showing smut flicks on the side of a UPS trailer at night while on strike using the extension cord our center manager ran
out to us to run the projector. He joined us for smut flicks and beer.
Trying to find customers in the country at night on a strange route when 3/4ths of the mailboxes didn't even
have a name on them.
I Actually bought one off those wore out bubble top economies. They stripped it down and sprayed it gray. I was going to make a camper out of it. Parked it down on the inlaws' ranch. 30 years later it got hauled to the scrap metal dealer.
 

oldngray

nowhere special
P100 Ford Econoline
P100 Ford Econoline bubble top
P400-banging your head on the rear door frame when loading it.
On Strike---Unfair Labor Practices
Showing smut flicks on the side of a UPS trailer at night while on strike using the extension cord our center manager ran
out to us to run the projector. He joined us for smut flicks and beer.
Trying to find customers in the country at night on a strange route when 3/4ths of the mailboxes didn't even
have a name on them.

I thought the bubbletops were called P300's.
 

rod

Retired 22 years
I thought the bubbletops were called P300's.

You are right. Its been a long time since I drove one of those. I remember thinking at the time ----Damn-if I roll this bitch I'm :censored2:. Absolutely zero protection from a flimsy fiberglass roof.
 

oldngray

nowhere special
You are right. Its been a long time since I drove one of those. I remember thinking at the time ----Damn-if I roll this bitch I'm :censored2:. Absolutely zero protection from a flimsy fiberglass roof.

I only drove them a couple of times. The only thing I liked was the heater worked and the seats were softer.
 

rod

Retired 22 years
I Do remember the term fur call, can't remember what it was exactly.
I Actually had a NDA merchandise exchange last week. So glad they weren't home!
As a rural driver now, I'd like to see the return of deferring. So many places way out in the country getting stuff 4 days a week.

The trouble with that deferring program they had for awhile was if you got done early they would just add more to your route the next day. Besides that it always seemed that when you did finally deliver it the customer would get something again the next day anyway.
 
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