Who Handles Your Large Bulk Stops Pickups/Deliveries??

[mdnj88]

Hi all, new here and do not post much (at all) but read almost everyday.

I have a bulk route with bulk deliveries and 2 bulk pickups. 1 is a electronics business and another is a ups store that doesnt really count.

My one pickup was on a feeder forever until recently they made me start picking it up. Everyday its 3-5 pallets all 50lb+ bombers that nearly fill my p13...it sucks but because of that, they took a section of houses off me...so its good and bad.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Mine is not a bonus center. We used to have 4 routes that were delivered and PUd by feeder guys, plus a route that was feeder delivery only. Everything was fine until anything picked up by a feeder, my center lost credit for. So now, unless it will fill a trailer, my bosses would rather send in several packages cars and get the center credit for it, instead of doing it the easier, timing saving way of having a feeder pick it up.

Once the cost structure changed, the feeder routes were eliminated as the drivers retired. Now we only have 1.

That is a biggie here too. I think if the work is picked up by feeders but brought to the center to be unloaded then the center still get credit. That's what we used to to. The only problem is that our small center isn't equipped to unload feeders on reload. We had to set up our own rollers to the trailer to do it.

 

[pretender]

Mine is not a bonus center. We used to have 4 routes that were delivered and PUd by feeder guys, plus a route that was feeder delivery only. Everything was fine until anything picked up by a feeder, my center lost credit for. So now, unless it will fill a trailer, my bosses would rather send in several packages cars and get the center credit for it, instead of doing it the easier, timing saving way of having a feeder pick it up.

Once the cost structure changed, the feeder routes were eliminated as the drivers retired. Now we only have 1.

Just curious--How could a feeder delivery-only driver stay busy all day?

Our centers got credit for the pick-ups made by feeder. However, it was a love/hate relationship because while the pickup numbers looked great, when you only make 5 deliveries, it screwed up the delivery numbers.

 

[pretender]

Hi all, new here and do not post much (at all) but read almost everyday.

I have a bulk route with bulk deliveries and 2 bulk pickups. 1 is a electronics business and another is a ups store that doesnt really count.

My one pickup was on a feeder forever until recently they made me start picking it up. Everyday its 3-5 pallets all 50lb+ bombers that nearly fill my p13...it sucks but because of that, they took a section of houses off me...so its good and bad.

That is just plain stupid, and there are some customers that will not put up with a package car (or more) tying up their dock, when a feeder can be in and out in 15 minutes.

 

[mdnj88]

That is just plain stupid, and there are some customers that will not put up with a package car (or more) tying up their dock, when a feeder can be in and out in 15 minutes.

I completely agree..the business complains to me everyday about missing the feeder. They know it's not my fault and they always help me load up but it takes us about 15-20 mins everyday.

The kicker is a feeder is at the next business over that gets only 2/3 full and could easily fit a few more skids and it pulls at 5pm. I beep/wave to him when I'm backing onto my pickup. It's crazy but my center manager doesn't wanna hear it. I love sending that message in when blown out and need help with the rest once a week

 

[Anonymous 11]

This question is mainly for people in extended centers but anyone else please feel free to comment. Do regular package car drivers deliver and pickup your larger bulk work or do you have people that split time between package and feeders that are usually called "CPU" or Central Pickup? Here package handles EVERYTHING but I know that some centers will put those larger bulk stops such as SurePost and others on someone else like a CPU or a route that's put in just for bulk stops. I like that idea of CPU's doing the work because this creates more feeder opportunities.

I have a large shipper that can ship up to 11 skids a day sometimes with as little as three. Anything over five and feeders comes in and saves the day. I love showing up and there's nothing left. It usually happens when I least expect it.

 

[Marne Vet]

Times have changed, and so has how these bulk stops are picked up. There was a time we could just call the Center and say "I need a Feeder at so-and-so-stop". Now we're told to take as much as possible and they'll see if they can have other drivers tap it, or get a "bulk" car out to hit it. It's common to see sups out in package cars making bulk pickups, and even some Art 22's out delivering them without a DIAD. Don't even get me started on this shady method. Guys dropping off entire bulk stops without a DIAD and the regular driver has a printed sheet with all the bar-codes to scan and DR the stop and they're no where near the actual stop. smh

 

[TooTechie]

Guys dropping off entire bulk stops without a DIAD and the regular driver has a printed sheet with all the bar-codes to scan and DR the stop and they're no where near the actual stop. smh

No way in hell I'd scan that if I didn't physically deliver it. They're just begging for a package to go missing and then they're paying for it.

 

[FilingBluesFL]

While having a CPU route is nice, also remember that it's counted not as a feeder run, it's counted as a package car.

SO while that "car" goes out with 3 CPU stops... because of stops per car... all the other routes get blown out because it's counted as a package car.

 

[Random_Facts]

I won't say the company but the new phones are coming out from over seas/not to mention the tablets and everything else for that matter. We get the bulk stop air for them on our route. Anywhere from 175 to 300 pieces of 30 pound boxes roll down second half. Have to stack most of them out because they are PAL labeled to "1325". "Work as directed" always makes me laugh. Why on earth would I load a 250 plus bulk stop of Air in the front of the truck. While packing everything behind it that's ground/tire related. When I asked a full time supervisor about this, they told me my driver can just "walk it around the front cab". Needless to say I load it last, and the preload management might hate me for that, but the driver management appreciate it greatly.

 

[joeboodog]

I won't say the company but the new phones are coming out from over seas/not to mention the tablets and everything else for that matter. We get the bulk stop air for them on our route. Anywhere from 175 to 300 pieces of 30 pound boxes roll down second half. Have to stack most of them out because they are PAL labeled to "1325". "Work as directed" always makes me laugh. Why on earth would I load a 250 plus bulk stop of Air in the front of the truck. While packing everything behind it that's ground/tire related. When I asked a full time supervisor about this, they told me my driver can just "walk it around the front cab". Needless to say I load it last, and the preload management might hate me for that, but the driver management appreciate it greatly.

Wow! A loader with common sense.

 

[barnyard]

That is a biggie here too. I think if the work is picked up by feeders but brought to the center to be unloaded then the center still get credit.

That is not the case in our center. If it is delivered or picked up by a feeder, the feeder department gets the credit for it. We have enough work to easily add another daytime feeder deliver and pick up route, but it will not happen because, "that would take too many pieces out of our center."

 

[oldngray]

That is not the case in our center. If it is delivered or picked up by a feeder, the feeder department gets the credit for it. We have enough work to easily add another daytime feeder deliver and pick up route, but it will not happen because, "that would take too many pieces out of our center."

My center was the same. The center manager would always try to cover as many big pickups as possible with package cars so he would get credit for the pieces. Many times pickups were left hanging because the center manager refused to send a trailer even after he was told package cars couldn't handle it.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

My center was the same. The center manager would always try to cover as many big pickups as possible with package cars so he would get credit for the pieces. Many times pickups were left hanging because the center manager refused to send a trailer even after he was told package cars couldn't handle it.

Yet another example of how the over emphasis on metrics causes managers (that are desperately trying to justify their existence) to make irrational decisions that end up screwing customers.