What's your must have winter accessory?

Pkg car drivers, what do you need to get through peak season

  • An Understanding Family

    Votes: 16 17.2%
  • A Good Preloader

    Votes: 39 41.9%
  • A Sturdy Flashlight

    Votes: 4 4.3%
  • A Driver Helper that Runs

    Votes: 18 19.4%
  • A Positive Attitude

    Votes: 35 37.6%
  • A Good Management Team

    Votes: 20 21.5%

  • Total voters
    93

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
Chapstick, superglue for cracked fingers, Royal crown, and a husband that loves me when I get home beat to death.
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
I chose "A Positive Attitude". Unfortunately, it's very hard to come by if you don't already have it.

Oh, and I always needed a hat when it rained. The positive attitude goes right out the window when I have rain running down my face!
 

stevetheupsguy

sʇǝʌǝʇɥǝndsƃnʎ
An Understanding Family; Don't always understand
A Good Preloader; Has off days
A Sturdy Flashlight; Needs batteries
A Driver Helper that Runs; Will eventually get hurt/tired
A Positive Attitude
A Good Management Team; All of the members on the same page....doubtful

I think a positive attitude wins all the way.:happy-very:
 

overallowed

Well-Known Member
1. High quality winter clothing. (Mainly long johns and gloves)
2. Good loader. (Car was moved outside for preload last week, so that one is toast)
3. Good manager that understands I am not going to run 2 hours under to make his "9.5" cutoff deadline. (ROFLMAO)
 

PT Stewie

"Big Fella"
A big glass of wine every night and the cast stove on the porch cooking near my lap top so I can write on BC.
 
Last edited:

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
I would choose a positive attitude as being the most important. And thats the most important thing to have in your life, not just for work or peak season. I used to get stressed out at Peak when I was a new driver, but you get used to it after a while. This is my 35th one.

For Peak, I would rate a great Helper as next. I have the same one I did last year. She was hired off the street last year as a Helper, and UPS finally hired her into the Preload six months ago. She is 38 years old and about a hundred pounds soaking wet. She runs circles around people half her age. We have been averaging 30-32 stops an hour over my usual 17-18. She wants to become a driver one day, she will be great at it.

A good Preloader is important too, I just wish I had one. My current one is a slacker and I have to go through my entire load to get it right. My Preloader does do a good job leaving off area missorts off my car, he just has trouble getting about 4-5 stops a day on the correct shelf. He also has trouble loading the packages in a Section in sequencial order. He should have never made seniority, he thinks he wants to become a package driver with his poor work habits.

My wife is great too, I'm lucky to have her. Its nice to be able to come home to someone so supportive. She takes care of everything I can't and is always here for me. I consider myself a very lucky man.
 

UPS Lifer

Well-Known Member
An Understanding Family; Don't always understand
A Good Preloader; Has off days
A Sturdy Flashlight; Needs batteries
A Driver Helper that Runs; Will eventually get hurt/tired
A Positive Attitude
A Good Management Team; All of the members on the same page....doubtful

I think a positive attitude wins all the way.:happy-very:

Good for you! It is the ONLY thing you can control and it affects your whole physical and mental as well as spiritual being.:congrats:
 
Good for you! It is the ONLY thing you can control and it affects your whole physical and mental as well as spiritual being.:congrats:
I don't disagree with you and Steve, however the others are sometimes a must to keep the positive attitude. A rotten preloader, a terrible management team or a non-understanding family can strip that + attitude bare in a heartbeat.
 

dilligaf

IN VINO VERITAS
I don't disagree with you and Steve, however the others are sometimes a must to keep the positive attitude. A rotten preloader, a terrible management team or a non-understanding family can strip that + attitude bare in a heartbeat.
This can be true Trp. On the other side of that is if all those other things fail a positive attitude can make the day more bearable. It can make dealing with the customers easier. It can make the long hours a little more bearable. It's a glass half empty/ half full thing. :happy2:
 

UPS Lifer

Well-Known Member
This can be true Trp. On the other side of that is if all those other things fail a positive attitude can make the day more bearable. It can make dealing with the customers easier. It can make the long hours a little more bearable. It's a glass half empty/ half full thing. :happy2:

Going back to my driver days - I had an all residential route so I thought of myself as Santa and it was hard to get down no matter how full the truck was. I had Cheviot Hills which is right next to 20th Century Fox Studios and Century City and I would get 350 stops. We did not have helpers back then. Long driveways and all hill deliveries. My easy deliveries were pulled off which amounted to a Xmas route (about 150 to 180 stops).

When I was in a package center (mgmt) my goal was everything delivered and no driver working past 8 PM. I put together my own Xmas plans and as long as the plan got approved I could stick to the plan with out any interference. I always made sure there was "flexible" adjustments put in. In case of unexpected blow outs.
 

User Name

Only 230 Today?? lol
If you have a good preloader they can make the day do it dosent come down to an understanding family. If you look at the load at 845, you will know if you are friend or not......
 
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