Is it the full moon or what is the problem...... - Brown Cafe

dannyboy · 04-15-2006, 08:25 AM

I dont know if it is just that some people are just that stupid or if they think they are just that much smarter than any one else.

Have a driver now fired pending his local hearing. Seems that he was taking stops and putting them in pre record. Then he would go to the house and sit for most of his lunch and then some, competing stops. for signature deliveries, he signed names, not his own.

Why are some of you that stupid? Dont you know you will get caught? And while there might be some precedence for leniency in other cases similar to this, do you really want to bet your house and livelihood on it?

We had a driver a while back that had a large mall, and made the pickups as he made the delivery. Then sat at the house completing pickup stops. In his case we got the termination reduced to 5 months off without pay or benefits with the understanding that if something like this ever happened again, he would resign. But with this new case, I think it is over for him.

What makes this somewhat interesting is that our district had no knowledge of this taking place. LP from another district nailed him. They have video tape, delivery records etc etc etc for three months. Only when they showed up at the center with the proof was our district involved.

Guys, dont do things like that. You will get busted, and usually there is nothing the union can do but beg to get your job back. And if you are very lucky, you get it back, but are usually out of work for months. So just dont do it, PLEASE!!!

scratch · 04-15-2006, 08:35 AM

Ever since we went on DIAD I, UPS knew exactly what time of the day you recorded a stop. It didn't matter if you prerecord or not. We used to have some guys before PAS/EDD who would prerecord their whole truck and run all day to get off early. Never understood that. We are told now to never use the Prerecord key unless you are delivering to an apartment complex.

over9five · 04-15-2006, 10:24 AM

We had a driver who had a business on his route where the receiver was not always at the dock.

So he told the driver, "No problem, just sign my name".

Which worked fine for many months................. till .....

One day the CEO was waiting for a package....... and tracked it...... and saw that his receiver had signed for it.....

....his receiver who was out sick that day.

Don't do stupid stuff. Find someone to sign, or don't leave it. There's always tomorrow. Better to keep your job.

toonertoo · 04-16-2006, 01:37 PM

There are ways to cheat. Most of them were taught to me by mgmt. Now mgmt doesnt know how but we do, but the pre-record feature isnt good anymore. So do it right girls and guys coz big brother will catch you. If you have too much tell them, too many air tell them. Leave it in their lap because no matter how much you like them, or how nice of a sup they are, their butt is on the line also.

retiredone · 04-16-2006, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by over9five

16 years in. Only need 74 more years to make what Mike made in 2005..

I would like to address the comment about what the CEO is paid. To be honest, I do agree that Board of Director pay in the US in general is really screwed up. But we don't have to go as far as the head of the company to prove that. Teachers, police and EMTs are usually paid considerably less than UPS drivers. Having said that, it would also be true that UPS pays the board a fraction of what boards for comparably sized companies earn. I have also seen our CEO and board members (from a distance). These folks essentially give up years of their lives including week ends, holidays and vacations. Essentially, these folks lives (years prior to getting the top jobs and the big pay) are consumed with the job. I wouldn't want it and neither would you. We have families and we have lives outside of UPS. They have sacrificed those things for the money and glory.

coldworld · 04-16-2006, 08:23 PM

the thing that I think is **** with this company is not that they try to fire stupid drivers who try to milk the system like what danny was mentioning. Yes, these drivers should get fired...period. When you are sitting around for an hour and saying in your diad that your picking up, you shoulds be gone. What I think is bull**** is when ups tries to fire someone over a minute, yes a minute. And they spin the proven dishonesty so far one way that it is absolutely ridiculous. this is way over the edge in my opinion.

Doug Heffernan · 04-17-2006, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coldworld

What I think is bull**** is when ups tries to fire someone over a minute, yes a minute. And they spin the proven dishonesty so far one way that it is absolutely ridiculous. this is way over the edge in my opinion.

I totally agree! What is Bull**** is when they try and get someone for a minute and others in the good ole boy network take 2 hours and drive home which is 10 miles off area. Thats just one example. I suggest to everyone to document everything they instruct you to do and account for every minute.( fueling off-site, calling in and being put on hold 5-10 minutes, accident and traffic delays) I was called into the office for going 5 minutes over 1 hour for lunch and only escaped when I pulled out my trusty notepad and told them that when I returned to my package car I received a message from the OMS to look for a NDA that was supposedly misloaded in which I followed intructions.
When I think they can't be more unscrupulous they suprise me and inturn I learn from it. so to prevent that same mistake I wait till my next recorded stop then look for misload but also still document it.

I wonder why it has to be this way, anyone have any suggestions?

dannyboy · 04-17-2006, 07:50 AM

It has to be this way because there is too much management, and they all have to justify their jobs. So even when there is no problem, they feel like they need to find something.

I took lunch, after right at an hour, I go back to the truck, punch back in, and then sort the remaining stops. I guess to someone that really wants to raise hell, that might look bad, but after the first go round, they left me alone for the next 10-12 years.

Remember, some managers try to make themselves look good by making others look bad. Shame, but truth. Like some cover drivers.

d

toonertoo · 04-17-2006, 07:35 PM

First day back, 15 ods msgs, which all required a response. How to code that time off?????? Lets see at least 2 minutes required for each .50
Had two call tags ods to me, wrong tracking #'s, spent time trying to get them in the board they were wrong....waited in the office for 15-20 minutes for them to be reprinted , and were suppose to be in my diad slot when I got in...and werent. Was told they had to be sheeted today as ni3. Wasted all that time, and tomorrow, I will get the big question...what happened yesterday?

browniehound · 04-18-2006, 04:01 AM

<<Shame, but truth. Like some cover drivers.>>

Why should I make myself look bad when your the one that sucks? There's too many drivers out there milking the clock and taking there sweet ass time doing their route. Why should I do that and make myself look like a lazy pig? I know too many drivers, that, no matter how much work they have they're going 9.5. The only way a cover driver is making you look bad is because, you think, maybe you ARE bad?

xracer · 04-18-2006, 05:18 AM

Brownie from your posts on here I can tell that you are the type that consider the customer an inconvenience and they only slow you down in your pursuit of looking good for your supervisor, I am guessing that you are the type that shoves the board in the customers face looking for a signature because it is always more important than what they are doing at that particular time. I understand that there has to be cetain production numbers to guage workers by because there will always be those that try to cheat the system thinking that they can outsmart it, but you have to understand that the numbers are not the only criteria that should be used there is also customer satisfaction that has to be taken into consideration because an unhappy customer will seek other services that may better suit their needs.

wily_old_vet · 04-18-2006, 08:56 AM

Brownie-In another thread a customer has been asking why their cover driver can't make the pickup at the time they were promised by UPS. How would you, as such a good example of excellence in driving, deal with this circumstance if you were the cover driver on this route? Please enlighten those of us who believe the customer comes first.

browniehound · 04-18-2006, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wily_old_vet

Brownie-In another thread a customer has been asking why their cover driver can't make the pickup at the time they were promised by UPS. How would you, as such a good example of excellence in driving, deal with this circumstance if you were the cover driver on this route? Please enlighten those of us who believe the customer comes first.

I would make the PU at the scheduled time. If I happened to get there early, I would politely ask them if they needed me to come back

over9five · 04-18-2006, 05:48 PM

Browniehound, Its just that when we get back from vacation, we have to:

1. Listen to all the customers complain about the cover driver.

2. Go around picking up the miss-deliveries. (Cover guy left at wrong number or wrong street).

3. Apologize to residents complaining of cover guy speeding in neighborhoods.

4. "Sorry your package got soaked. He's in too much of a hurry to bag".

5. "Sorry you had to send your last package Fedex. He wouldn't wait for you...."

6. Strange how all the calltags and CODs are Not In....

What else, guys?

Hangingon · 04-18-2006, 05:59 PM

I always liked the fact that half my businesses are sheeted up as closed on Friday (or I think that's what the illegible scratching means on the service cross) when I come in on Monday after a vacation.

dannyboy · 04-18-2006, 06:11 PM

Brownie

Your problem is that you see everything from your perspective. There are other perspectives that factor in to every drivers day.

From your past posts you have left a distinct footprint of what type of driver you are.

There are only two real reasons why you are like you are. One, you dont know better, but are just too damn smart to let anyone tell you anything. The other is that you are trying to suck up to your management team to get promoted. In that case good luck. I hope you make it as high as you want to go.

I have had good cover drivers, and I have had bad ones. The bad ones never could run what the route is capable of. And like other regular drivers, trying to cut corners just never works. There was one that even got himself thrown of so many routes he had to take time off even when he didnt want to.

So your attempt at trying to say the regular drivers like myself are stealing from the company just does not fly.

d

scratch · 04-18-2006, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by over9five

What else, guys?

I have a lot of guys that somehow havn't figured out how to work the gas pump or fill out the DVIR Report. Nothing like coming back to work from vacation and hitting the gas pump first thing Monday morning. They also leave bare metal scratches, dents, one even poked a hole through my truck's roof with a tree limb, nothing is ever written up.

DS · 04-18-2006, 07:36 PM

I agree its a drag having to pick-up and redeliver packages dropped off by cover drivers whenever I`m off.Customers complain about getting thier stuff late,or good address packages that they sheet as nss.
But to be honest,I have respect for theses guys.I could never do it.
A different area every day in unfamiliar places,
Never knowing the customers preferred delivery and pickup locations,
just the lack of area knowledge would drive me to drink...hang on,its a bit too late for that...ok it would stress me out way too much.
Hats off to the cover drivers, especially the ones that make a real attempt on every package.

coldworld · 04-18-2006, 09:10 PM

hey, in brownies defense, how nmany of you old timers walked off the street into a ups driving job and only cut drove for 6 months then got your own route. Its not like that anymore. Many part-timers are working 5-10 years part time then cut driving for another 5-10 years before getting their own route. how the hell are they suppose to run your route, along with 30 more that they need to know, perfectly. Or how about the, "dont worry, you can go out cold on that route, you have done a cut in that area before....ha so much bull****. Im not saying brownie is a know it all, but have a little respect for cut drivers, many of the regular route drivers dont. Im not pointing fingers at anyone in particular here. some divers would have a mental breakdown if their routes were changed by the slightest. some have no idea on how to adapt to a change or two. maybe you can call it a routine but its being in a 25 year rut.and yes, I was part time for 7 years and a cut driver for 4 and yes I have my own route.

brownhorn · 04-18-2006, 10:08 PM

Just got back from my first vacation week of the year this week. Prior to that I had taken 3 option days to handle some business. Guess what I had when I came back? 3 driver follow ups, none of which had my name on them. Somehow, I have gone almost a year without getting a DFU with my name, but on the rare occasion I take a day off, a driver follow up is almost guaranteed with a cover driver's name on it. And it's by one of the "runners," whom I need to ask how they get in so much earlier than me, according to my on road supervisor. And then, if I can't recover the package and get it to the right place, then LP makes it Code 4, so I have to get a signature now. And of course it's usually in a trailer park, so the whole damn place is non-DR now. So on behalf of myself and all the other regular drivers who are such slugs, may I say to the cover drivers: "JUST DO THE JOB RIGHT, DELIVER THE PACKAGES WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO GO, MAKE YOUR PICKUPS WHEN YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO, AND TRY NOT TO BE RUDE TO MY CUSTOMERS!!!" Thank you.

browniehound · 04-22-2006, 07:57 AM

Seriously, the customers out there love me. I'm always considerite and polite. If the customer says the deliver goes over there and not here, I always bring it over there with a smile on my face. You shouldn't hate me because a do a better SPOHR on the route than you do. Just trying to do my job. Some people are better than others at it. Why should I slow down and be an hour paid over so I can get a 3-day babysat ride. If thats what you want, thats fine. Just leave me out of it.Sorry if that upsets you.

dannyboy · 04-22-2006, 08:29 AM

Brownie

You dont upset me.

The problem with your last post and other that you have made is that they dont jive. Im glad you listen to the needs of the customer. Many of our cover drivers do, but some do not. All they care about is what they want, to get in early or cut corners to spend time elsewhere instead of doing a good job.

As for running over, most of the cover drivers that run my route run about or longer on road per day than I used to. Now that the route has a new regular driver, the split is cut in more days than it used to be, even with the same volume. It was very rare for me to be over allowed, ever. And I did take full lunch every day, but sometimes after the day was over so I would make service. So your assumption of a lazy fat bald guy sucking the clock to steal money from the company is a bit off.

Regards

d

browniehound · 04-22-2006, 08:40 AM

Sorry danny, I didn't mean to direct the post at you personally. Its directed at the driver who gives me crap for finishing earlier than he does assuming I make the PU at the scheduled times and do the job correctly and take full breaks. I can only do the job the way i know how. AM I supposed to be out there stealing time just so that I finish no earlier than the regular driver?

dannyboy · 04-22-2006, 08:55 AM

Nope. And in the case of drivers stealing time, as long as you dont, everything is great. You can not ever be responsible for what others do wrong. Keep your nose clean and everything will be great in the world.

But also be aware of one last thought. Some drivers as they get older can not keep up the pace they have had. Its not that they dont want to, they are physically unable to. That is why in most cases, delivery drivers do not stay after they are able to retire, unlike feeder drivers. So if the driver you are filling in for is 50 or older, it might be he is just worn out from all those years of pounding the pavement while many of you newer drivers were still in diapers. So dont always assume the driver is just lazy.

That being said, there are those that are...............

d

retiredone · 04-22-2006, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannyboy

Some drivers as they get older can not keep up the pace they have had. Its not that they dont want to, they are physically unable to.

When I was in my early 20s I worked in the office. I was in fairly good shape and I wanted to know what driving was like. My boss accomodated me and sent me out on the road to help a driver for a couple of days. The driver was an old guy. He was in his mid 40s, so from my perspective then he was old. Without even breaking a sweat, he ran me into the ground. I was amazed. Doing the job for so many years had taught him the methods and got him in shape that most people would only wish for. He was 20 years older than me and he was running circles around me.

I don't buy the idea that older drivers will inevitably become less productive. There is a lot to be said for conditioning and experience.