Daylight Savings Time

scratch · 11-03-2007, 02:00 PM

Well, its that time of the year again. Set your clocks back one hour and get an extra hour of sleep tonight. This also means that it will get darker another hour sooner Monday. I have always hated this time of the year. Nothing like delivering in the dark. The only upside in my situation is my 6:30 start time. Its hard to find addresses in unfamiliar areas while trying to deliver EAMs before the sun comes up. I can see those apt numbers now!

Griff · 11-03-2007, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scratch

Well, its that time of the year again. Set your clocks back one hour and get an extra hour of sleep tonight. This also means that it will get darker another hour sooner Monday. I have always hated this time of the year. Nothing like delivering in the dark. The only upside in my situation is my 6:30 start time. Its hard to find addresses in unfamiliar areas while trying to deliver EAMs before the sun comes up. I can see those apt numbers now!

I love this time of year, more $ because your SPORH go down along with the sun.

PassYouBy · 11-03-2007, 06:05 PM

I have a quick question for you... What do you seasoned guys do to find some of these addresses in the dark? (Hard enough to find in the daylight sometimes) Do you use a flashlight, spotlight or just close your eyes and hope for the best!?

BLACKBOX · 11-03-2007, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PassYouBy

I have a quick question for you... What do you seasoned guys do to find some of these addresses in the dark? (Hard enough to find in the daylight sometimes) Do you use a flashlight, spotlight or just close your eyes and hope for the best!?

Choice number 3..Close your eyes and hope for the best...right!!!

Look at the flow of the address when you first get in the area. You can pretty much get an idea the north-south and east-west streets are numbered.

Big Babooba · 11-03-2007, 06:22 PM

Area knowledge comes in to play for most of my stops. I was once told that you go to the same stops each day about 85% of the time. I use a small flashlight only to illuminate walk paths.

PassYouBy · 11-03-2007, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Babooba

Area knowledge comes in to play for most of my stops. I was once told that you go to the same stops each day about 85% of the time. I use a small flashlight only to illuminate walk paths.

I'm a part time driver...So I don't always know the addresses by frequently stopping at the same spot..So I have to rely on other things.
But I have noticed that I have frequently stop at the same residentials..(This is my biggest concern)

dino · 11-03-2007, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PassYouBy

I'm a part time driver...So I don't always know the addresses by frequently stopping at the same spot..So I have to rely on other things.

Surefire 6P flashlight. Small enough to fit in your shirt pocket so you can get to it quickly while driving. The design maintains a super bright spot beam that doesn't disperse. Not cheap, but if I lost it today I would replace it tomorrow. It's that good.

RockyRogue · 11-03-2007, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PassYouBy

What do you seasoned guys do to find some of these addresses in the dark?

I worked with a driver that used a headlamp light (like what's used in mines). Pretty effective, particularly in an area I'd never been in where the people liked to put gardens in the strangest places!

to say the least. -Rocky

Griff · 11-03-2007, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockyRogue

I worked with a driver that used a headlamp light (like what's used in mines). Pretty effective, particularly in an area I'd never been in where the people liked to put gardens in the strangest places!

to say the least. -Rocky

Was it a UPS approved headlamp?

PassYouBy · 11-03-2007, 08:01 PM

How bout these?! http://www.nightgalaxy.com/ATN_Night...night-star.htm

Sammie · 11-03-2007, 08:08 PM

Another one of Ben Franklins concepts.

But some of the drawbacks -

It disrupts the milking times of cows (who can tell time) and pedestrian accidents increase after the time change. (Drivers
not getting enough sleep?) Watch out for those on foot out there!!!!

scratch · 11-03-2007, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockyRogue

I worked with a driver that used a headlamp light (like what's used in mines). Pretty effective, particularly in an area I'd never been in where the people liked to put gardens in the strangest places!

to say the least. -Rocky

I don't use a headlamp at work, but if I did, I would use one like this. http://www.rei.com/product/721995. I have one similar to this that I use for caving and setting campsites up in the dark. Petzl also makes a lot of cheaper versions. LED lighting is the way to go, bright lighting and long battery life. I used to carry a small Maglight in my pocket.

As far as finding addresses in the dark, this comes with experience and area knowledge. Like posted by others, you will go to some addresses just about everyday. If I have to find a street in the dark running EAMs in an unfamilar area, I will look in a mapbook and count streets and which way to turn. For example: Turn left off the highway onto connector road. Turn right after counting five streets, then the destination street will be second street on the left. Start reading house numbers off mailboxes and figure out which way the number breaks go. The "corner houses" can be tricky, they may face one street but the address will be the side street. Sometimes there is a weird house which is numbered wrong, like an odd number on the even side of the road.

Leftinbuilding · 11-03-2007, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Griff

Was it a UPS approved headlamp?

UPS issued these to us one year.

rod · 11-03-2007, 09:58 PM

Years ago when we could petty cash stuff I bought a real expensive flashlight after getting no help from the center manager aquiring one. He flew off the handle because it was about twice as much as we were allowed to petty cash. I just deducted it from my COD money. He even said he would fire me if that flashlight wasn't in my package car as long as he was there. About a month later he was gone. That flashlight lasted 10 times as long as he did.

(after using it for 20 plus years at UPS I considered it my "gold watch" when I retired")

moreluck · 11-04-2007, 04:31 AM

Extra Hour of sleep, my ass !! I was up at 4:00 AM. !!!!! On a Sunday !!!!

PassYouBy · 11-04-2007, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moreluck

Extra Hour of sleep, my ass !! I was up at 4:00 AM. !!!!! On a Sunday !!!!

My thoughts EXACTLY!!

Ms Spoken · 11-04-2007, 04:44 AM

Could someone please explain as to why we have this time change. What is the benefit of it? Thanks

trickpony1 · 11-04-2007, 04:54 AM

I think before the industrialized age it allowed more daylight with which to harvest the crops.
Now I think it is because the days last longer and less energy is used lighting homes at night.
I think Arizona doesn't recognize DST which always intrigued me as to how/why.

moreluck · 11-04-2007, 04:57 AM

Trick...Hawaii doesn't "Fall Back" either.

browned out · 11-04-2007, 06:23 AM

When I was a swing driver doing about 40 different routes; I bought one of those million candle watt spotlights. It works like a charm. I can even check address a block over or shine it on planes. Seriously though it works great.

my2cents · 11-04-2007, 06:49 AM

What time is it in Indiana? From my understanding, what time it is used to vary from county to county. One county would be in the central time zone, while another would observe the eastern time zone. On top of this, some counties recognized daylight savings, while other didn't. I believe the state legislature fixed the hodgepodge time table for the state a few years ago. Anyone from Indiana care to elaborate on this? Anyway, Indiana is currently observing both eastern standard time and central standard time.