Ever been beat up by a package car?

Cobra Agent · 09-27-2008, 08:27 PM

Last week i was on split car and it was a piece of junk. I would hit one bump and come off of my seat a couple of inches. Lord forbid i hit a bunch of bumps, the seat belt would actully work and hold me in place while i was being thrown around! Lets not talk about driving on the interstate anything over 60mph I thought the car would go airborne. I am sitting at home this weekend recouperating, i feel like i have been in a brutal fight and lost. My back and ribs hurt so bad. I know it is sore muscles advil has become a good friend. Is this common?

dino · 09-27-2008, 08:40 PM

Was it a 500?

Cobra Agent · 09-27-2008, 08:42 PM

yea and man it beat the crap outta me

brownmonster · 09-27-2008, 08:58 PM

Bring that up in the PCM. Safety First.

chev · 09-27-2008, 09:28 PM

I will never forget the old 800 I used to drive a lot. The steering wheel was offset to the left. The suspension was so stiff I used to envy bull riders.

Every year for 8 years it was put on the ADA list, and every year they would take it back off to run at Christmas and keep running it.
I feel for you.
Actually you should keep writing it up for safety related issues. Keep documenting it.

CFLBrown · 09-27-2008, 09:47 PM

Smacked the ol' head coming out of the back of a P5 during the loading days. You do that once and usually that's the last time you do it.

soberups · 09-27-2008, 11:29 PM

It would really be unfortunate if you missed a shift and "accidentally" put it into reverse instead of fourth at the same time you had the accelerator pedal floored. We need to treat UPS's equipment with the same concern that UPS treats it's employees.

scratch · 09-27-2008, 11:47 PM

The worst ones I have driven was trying to run 160 residential stops out of a P-800. That was brutal climbing in and out of that junker all day. With manual steering in a hot southern Summer on top of that. And the second worst was the old P-5s that used to get the "front end shakes" going down the highway and a few knots on the head from the bulkhead door opening too.

The newer cars are so much better.

trplnkl · 09-28-2008, 02:47 AM

Cobra, when I read the title of this thread, the first thought in my head was " Nearly EVERYDAY!" I will drive a P-5 probably 80% of the time, if I get lucky I will get one of the newer cars with auto trans and power steering. It seems what ever route I am covering the good car is swapped to another driver for the week and I end up in one of three POS P-5s. I asked the preload sup one day why I was not driving the regular guy's car and was told " Well, Ole Joe on this other route has been driving the POS P-5 for a long time, I thought I would give him a break and let him drive the new car for this week". I thought my head was gonna EXPLODE.

toonertoo · 09-28-2008, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soberups

It would really be unfortunate if you missed a shift and "accidentally" put it into reverse instead of fourth at the same time you had the accelerator pedal floored. We need to treat UPS's equipment with the same concern that UPS treats it's employees.

I have noticed when a rod comes through the block of these decrepate machines, they finally junk them.

Hoaxster · 09-28-2008, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scratch

The worst ones I have driven was trying to run 160 residential stops out of a P-800. That was brutal climbing in and out of that junker all day. With manual steering in a hot southern Summer on top of that. And the second worst was the old P-5s that used to get the "front end shakes" going down the highway and a few knots on the head from the bulkhead door opening too.

The newer cars are so much better.

Remember those! P-600's were just as bad and those old P-400s would beat you up too and hit your head at least once a day coming in or out of the back doors. Then the P-500s came along and the door height was just enough to lure you to scrape the hair and skin off the top of your head.
I agree, the newer cars are a lot better, al least the few I've driven over the last 15 years.

stevetheupsguy · 09-28-2008, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobra Agent

Last week i was on split car and it was a piece of junk. I would hit one bump and come off of my seat a couple of inches. Lord forbid i hit a bunch of bumps, the seat belt would actully work and hold me in place while i was being thrown around! Lets not talk about driving on the interstate anything over 60mph I thought the car would go airborne. I am sitting at home this weekend recouperating, i feel like i have been in a brutal fight and lost. My back and ribs hurt so bad. I know it is sore muscles advil has become a good friend. Is this common?

My supe swore that my 600 jumping off the ground on bumps could never have contributed to my hip issues. The thing was like a a wild Bronco. I aslo hit a bolt, that was sticking out near the drivers seat, with my knee cap. I was in pain for a week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chev

I will never forget the old 800 I used to drive a lot. The steering wheel was offset to the left. The suspension was so stiff I used to envy bull riders.

Every year for 8 years it was put on the ADA list, and every year they would take it back off to run at Christmas and keep running it.
I feel for you.
Actually you should keep writing it up for safety related issues. Keep documenting it.

We must have driven the same car. Was it 44071? This cars steering wheel was left of center and the gear shifter was right of center. The steering wheel was also so close to the windshield I would hit my fingers when turning.

helenofcalifornia · 09-28-2008, 10:13 AM

Remember that sharp bolt that jammed into your back when you sat in the jump seat? The new trucks are such a dream. I wish we all could drive them. Every single time I drive one, I am immediately in a good mood.

That lasts until the first stop. JK.

UpstateNYUPSer · 09-28-2008, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by helenofcalifornia

...Every single time I drive one, I am immediately in a good mood.

That would be the seat warmer.

upsgrunt · 09-28-2008, 04:17 PM

Doesn't have to be a package car to beat you up! Have you ever tried to pull a heavy package off the shelf and your hands slip off and you punch yourself in the face? I always look around to see if anyone saw me. That swollen nose is a tough explanation to your cm and your spouse.

wornoutupser · 09-29-2008, 03:58 AM

There is an orthopod in my area that I went to for knee pain on my own a while back. He did an MRI on me and when I went back the first question was " How long have you driven a P-500?"
That was a shock. I never put down which truck I was driving. He told me that I had an injury specific to P-500 drivers! I had been driving one for years.
My center still has plenty of the old cars without power steering and the high steps. We are a building that gets the old cars to use before they are scrapped. It would be nice to have a center full of decent cars!

Big Babooba · 09-29-2008, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoaxster

Then the P-500s came along and the door height was just enough to lure you to scrape the hair and skin off the top of your head.

So that's how I got my bald spot. Maybe Liberty Mutual should pay for a hair transplant.

chev · 09-29-2008, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevetheupsguy

My supe swore that my 600 jumping off the ground on bumps could never have contributed to my hip issues. The thing was like a a wild Bronco. I aslo hit a bolt, that was sticking out near the drivers seat, with my knee cap. I was in pain for a week.

We must have driven the same car. Was it 44071? This cars steering wheel was left of center and the gear shifter was right of center. The steering wheel was also so close to the windshield I would hit my fingers when turning.

You know, I have been in feeders for 10 years now and I will never forget that car number ...59314. That stick shift was a nut cracker too.

fredly00 · 09-29-2008, 08:12 PM

Once upon a time I was covering a route in an old 500(IIRC)
I usually would drive a 700 or 1000, but the 500 had a front
bumper from a 700 I think cause it stuck out like 6 inches
on either side, I was going around the front for a left side delivery
on a one way street and caught my thigh square on the bumper,
I was bruised and limping for a long while.

satellitedriver · 09-29-2008, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobra Agent

Last week i was on split car and it was a piece of junk. I would hit one bump and come off of my seat a couple of inches. Lord forbid i hit a bunch of bumps, the seat belt would actully work and hold me in place while i was being thrown around! Lets not talk about driving on the interstate anything over 60mph I thought the car would go airborne. I am sitting at home this weekend recouperating, i feel like i have been in a brutal fight and lost. My back and ribs hurt so bad. I know it is sore muscles advil has become a good friend. Is this common?

Yeah, Cobra, it is common.
I drive an 1988 manual / no PS P5 with 700,000 miles on it.
200 miles day on back country roads that you can not drive 50ft without hitting a pot hole.
Advil, beer and sleep are my friends on the weekend.