When do you sheet a package as emergency conditions?

DriverMD

Well-Known Member
The problem for me has never been getting up to the house. It's getting turned around once you're up there.

Those little cars don't need near as much room.
Its a house ive driven to before and theres always room to turn around, but it just didn't look right. Like it seemed more like that icy snow just completely matted down over the course of a few days. I just thought that if I ventured down there I'd feel that horrible sensation when the truck starts to lose grip on the ground. Who knows. It could have been perfectly ok even one day after the snow fell but i dont wanna find out.
 

3 done 3 to go

In control of own destiny
If ups had 4x4s we wouldn't have as many ecds just saying I don't mind walking off stops but when you have a long narrow dirt rd pack full of snow what do you do or even hills to climb not worth it to get into an accident

4 x 4's get stuck too. We would go places we never should be. Also the cost to fix for the over use of a vehicle
 

3 done 3 to go

In control of own destiny
Its a house ive driven to before and theres always room to turn around, but it just didn't look right. Like it seemed more like that icy snow just completely matted down over the course of a few days. I just thought that if I ventured down there I'd feel that horrible sensation when the truck starts to lose grip on the ground. Who knows. It could have been perfectly ok even one day after the snow fell but i dont wanna find out.

Agree. I follow my gut feeling often. It's more often right
 

Brownslave688

You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
Its a house ive driven to before and theres always room to turn around, but it just didn't look right. Like it seemed more like that icy snow just completely matted down over the course of a few days. I just thought that if I ventured down there I'd feel that horrible sensation when the truck starts to lose grip on the ground. Who knows. It could have been perfectly ok even one day after the snow fell but i dont wanna find out.
Yeah if you aren't comfortable don't try it.

What vehicle do u drive?
 

AKCoverMan

Well-Known Member
If ups had 4x4s we wouldn't have as many ecds just saying I don't mind walking off stops but when you have a long narrow dirt rd pack full of snow what do you do or even hills to climb not worth it to get into an accident

We do have 4x4s.
image.jpg
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
I have a couple of customers who have my phone number, and when the snow gets bad they will call me and warn me not to even try to get up to them.

If I don't honestly think I can make it, its EC. If I put the truck into a ditch, I'm not getting any work done at all. Sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
 

joeboodog

good people drink good beer
EC in my mind should be used sparingly. I've seen others use it as a way to cut their dispatch. I try to make every reasonable attempt to complete delivery and will use EC as a last resort.
 

upschuck

Well-Known Member
Its a house ive driven to before and theres always room to turn around, but it just didn't look right. Like it seemed more like that icy snow just completely matted down over the course of a few days. I just thought that if I ventured down there I'd feel that horrible sensation when the truck starts to lose grip on the ground. Who knows. It could have been perfectly ok even one day after the snow fell but i dont wanna find out.
We had a sup that always said "Don't be a hero" when it got bad. If you don't think you can get out, don't go in.
 

superballs63

Well-Known Troll
Troll
It could have been perfectly ok even one day after the snow fell but i dont wanna find out.

That's the response you should have given to this "nice" customer.

Or

"Well, Sir, I have to be sure I can make it up, and back down your driveway safely. While not damaging your property or getting myself stuck. I didn't know that I could do that, so regardless of your cars getting up the driveway, I felt it in UPS' best interest to not risk it."

Thanks for choosing UPS
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
The people who complain about the fact that you didnt want to risk going up their driveway are usually the same people who will complain if you get stuck and block their driveway for 2 hours, or tear big ruts in the gravel trying to get out.
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
Never once have I regretted making the decision to EC a package.

There have, however, been numerous times when I have regretted NOT making that choice.

The older and more experienced I get, the less willing I am to "go for it."
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
Part of my decision-making process is to ask myself..."would a reasonable customer expect us to make a delivery attempt on this package?"
 

barnyard

KTM rider
We have quite a few people that have to pay to have their driveways plowed, so the only time they do it is when we have 8+ inches of snow. They get their stuff at the end of the driveway in a DR bag. Most of them keep their garbage cans at the end of the driveway, so I will pull one 30ish feet down from the road and put the package behind the can. My thinking is they have to move the can to get to their house and will see the package when they move the can.

It does irritate some customers and in 2 cases that I know of, my driver supe went out, looked at the driveway and said, "There is no way our truck could get down here, turned around and out again."

Whenever I see a customer during nicer weather, I bring up bad weather situations and ask them if they have a better way of doing it. We now have a couple that have really big Rubbermaid utility containers chained to trees and that is the year round delivery points. Others grumble and just accept that no matter how much they sputter, we are not driving down their driveway and getting stuck.

I did have one lady start to chew me out in December and I pointed to where I turned around and said, "A few more inches of snow, I would probably be stuck there. Agree? Are you going to keep that turnaround point plowed well enough for me to get turned around??"

She said, "We cannot afford that, so do what you can I guess." She was really deflated, but when pointed out with the obvious, understood.
 
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