obsevation from an old retired guy

[rod]

I just drove 2000 miles from Minnesota to Arizona and I could count on one hand the clean UPS pkg. cars I saw. Most looked like they hadn't been washed in a month. Maybe UPS should change their color because dirty brown sure looks awful. I remember when UPS took pride in their fleet.

[loserupser]

Thats is true!! UPS doesn't wash their trucks daily, its pathetic. I went thru peak without a washing!! And it wasn't the only truck the whole line up.

[over9five]

Clean package cars went out the door about the same time as customer service.

[canon]

New mottos:

We run the dirtiest ship in the shipping business.

What can Dirt do for you?

Moving at the speed of a dust storm.


I have to keep my shoes polished, but my truck hasn't been washed in two months. With the road salt on there, it's almost the color of UPS Freight.

[Bulkstop]

Rod - You're not the only one noticing. I've gotten many comments from customers reguarding the cleanliness (lack of) of my car.

[scratch]

A long time ago I used to have customers say "I hear they wash these trucks everyday". I haven't heard that in years. Sometimes to get it washed, I could draw a fish sign, Braves Tomahawk, or "88"" on the back, and it would be wiped clean the next day.

[BLACKBOX]

Maybe UPS should invest in those NASCAR "Tearoffs" Truck Size! That way when you need a clean truck just grab one of those tabs and 'WALLAH!!"

[fredly00]

Going on 1 month without a washing... and I drive 250miles a day, majority of
my driving is on muddy/dirt roads, I have to clean the taillights 4 times a day
to keep them visable. the rear looks like it was spackled, nice concrete texture.
Of course getting in at 10:30pm a couple nights a week, well after car wash has closed doesn't help.

[upsdude]

Same here. PCM’s the last 2 days have threatened disciplinary action for drivers failing to remove trash from the interior though.

[dino]

Originally Posted by upsdude

Same here. PCM’s the last 2 days have threatened disciplinary action for drivers failing to remove trash from the interior though.

More than likely that trash is the delivery notice that we must scan even though the customer doesn't need one because we have been leaving the pkg. in the same spot for the last 12 years.

[wornoutupser]

Originally Posted by fredly00

Going on 1 month without a washing... and I drive 250miles a day, majority of
my driving is on muddy/dirt roads, I have to clean the taillights 4 times a day
to keep them visable. the rear looks like it was spackled, nice concrete texture.
Of course getting in at 10:30pm a couple nights a week, well after car wash has closed doesn't help.

Fredly,
Come in at night, code your time off to reload and wash those tailights! That IS a safety item!

[lostintransit]

Originally Posted by fredly00

the rear looks like it was spackled, nice concrete texture.

It's a "fashion" statement - someone has been watching too much HGTV and wants the cars to look rag-rolled or stucco-ed, to stand out from the crowd! I mean, how bland is it to have a nice smooth clean paint job - anyone can have that!

[Channahon]

I saw a driver today who was stopped for lunch.
Half of his truck was salt and his windows were filthy. And it's dry here after the storm on Tuesday. One would think he would not have been allowed out of the building until at least his windshield was clean. How pathetic for the management team (letting him leave the building that way) and the driver.

[Leftinbuilding]

This reminds me of an article I read years ago re Railroad Express. For you younguns, REA was a viable competitor with UPS in the 50's and 60's. Anyway, this article said the first indication the general public had of REA's woes was when they stopped taking care (washing) of their equipment. There simply IS NOT the pride in UPS that there used to be!

In a whole lot of the western US there are environmental regulations concerning waste water runoff that make daily washing prohibitively expensive.

Around here you have to contain all runoff and either test it to prove it is “clean” enough to discharge into the storm drain or filter it until it is clean enough to discharge or have it hauled away as hazardous waste.

That, and in the southeast US anyway, you’re living in a desert.

Water is one thing that government at all levels browbeats you to conserve – and that’s particularly true of businesses.

If you’re really concerned about clean equipment (or facilities, for that matter) I’ll tell you that locally we have several vendors that can come on the premises and do the car washing a lot quicker and a lot cheaper than some Teamster carwasher can.

Same with porters, matter of fact.

So how’s about we farm out all the carwash and porter stuff in the interest of you having a spiffy looking ride?

Turns out that having a clean car wasn’t all THAT important to you, was it?

[dragracer66]

I think it all depends on the building. In my building they are washed everynight after they are fueled. Even the tractors are washed daily by the oil and water guy's. Now lately they haven't been done due to the cold weather!!

[Channahon]

I was with UPS when cars were washed everyday and when UPS decided to not wash the cars as a cost inititative. The intent was to not stop washing the cars, it was to wash them as needed. The driver and management team would determine which cars would be washed.
And our trailers are just as bad if not worse in some areas. Not the clean image of the old UPS. Times must be changing, as even the Whiteboard guy, isn't clean looking. Our drivers have better appearance than this guy. Although, the Whiteboard is CLEAN

[wildgoose]

Originally Posted by rod

I just drove 2000 miles from Minnesota to Arizona and I could count on one hand the clean UPS pkg. cars I saw. Most looked like they hadn't been washed in a month. Maybe UPS should change their color because dirty brown sure looks awful. I remember when UPS took pride in their fleet.

Hey Rod you only see the outside of the truck ? If you have seen how some of these pigs keep the inside of the truck you would see why kids act like they do today with no respect for anything !!!!!! Taco Bell wrappers - Burger king - Mickey dee`s and big gulp drinks left there all night - the inside looks like a ghetto home on wheels. Slimey and dirty. I can imagine if a customer came out to the truck to see how the pigs that drive these trucks take care of their packages ? Coporate obviously doesn`t check this out because it is never addressed. When i drove i cleaned the windows daily and washed out the inside of the truck 1 to 2x`s weekly. I would be ashamed for customers to see this truck in this kind of shape. I can imagine how they live at home and how they treat others !!!!!! Company needs to wake up and see how they are. The fine points that help create a great company are being overlooked can loose a ton of business. Help me from puking :-)

[rockymtnupser]

Not only are our pkg cars filthy half of the p700s in our center wont go faster than 50 mph I think the turbos are shot our mechanic says as long as they run his boss wont let him put any money into them. Oh thats 35 mph in the wind on highways posted 65. Talk about embarrasing tightest ship in the shipping business more like tightest a**es in the shipping business

that's crap about the P70s. You have a lazy mechanic that doesn't know how to fix the p70s.

the trucks look like crap (everywhere it seems) , but are not supposed to run like crap.

Ups will spend thousands on a vehicle just to get it through peak, even when its going to the bone yard in January or Feb.

East coast (everywhere actually) has regs on waste water. Invalid excuse.

the real reason trucks are filthy is other operations use car wash hours to pad there production numbers. carwarh expense is still there.

[island1fox]

Car Wash !!!!
Same as PAS and many other elements. "LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY" Years ago when the entire fleet was washed everyday --- Look at the expense per car day then --fairly low ---now with all the "combo" jobs and additional car washers ----- look at the fleet ???? Everyone mentions expense as if all the "car washers " have disappeared. You would be surprised to know that many car washers in a five hour period --- now may wash 0ne or two cars !! Makes alot of sense ----Many of today's problems are related to the real District and Division managers that have recently retired in great numbers -----the "Baby Boomer '' --Generation ----Play Hard ---Work hard ---Make it happen and make it fun.
Remember the old car washer time cards -----on the back of the card every night the car washer wrote the car number down of every car that was washed ---- SELF AUDIT --EASILY CHECKED ---- Those days are gone.

[rapidrandall]

When they first stopped washing the trucks everyday they used to use a dust mop to clean them if they weren't too dirty and wash them when they were. Gradually washing has gotten less and less. I got tired of asking to have clean windows and mirrors, so I started getting a ladder, squirt bottle and rags and washing them myself before leaving the building. Man, did the center manager wig out. Only had to do that once and now at least they wash the windows everyday.

[wyobill]

I try and clean my windows when I fuel up. Our car wash sprays down my truck leaving dirt to run down
and water spots for the next day. Water spots are
permanently etched in the glass. Clean windows and mirrors
are saftey concerns that UPS ignores. Cost cutting over-rules
safley.

[Dutch Dawg]

Recent IE studies have indicated .00005 hr. could be saved daily on the wash if drivers are retrained during methods to rub against package car sides while exiting vehicle. Granted there is some risk involved while envoking this method on the highway side. To compensate for this, it is suggested rubbing port side of vehicle during exit once of every ten exits and then not on busy highways. An additional benefit of this method will be diminished enviromental issues on company property as now in all probability much of the waste will be carried home on the driver's jacket to be laundered offsite.

Note: 2000 man hours have been invested in this study compiling data, so in the big scheme of things it could be awhile before any real savings is realized. Oh my....