cell phones - Brown Cafe

retired2000 · 08-12-2007, 08:35 AM

just heard that because of the death of one of our pkg car drivers. sups are no longer to call their drivers on the employees cellphone. this may have been a cause of the accident. is this true anywhere else? if not it should be

Fnix · 08-12-2007, 09:33 AM

it's one of those dont but people do it anyways.

brownrodster · 08-12-2007, 10:33 AM

It's a no no to talk on a phone and drive where I'm at...

Dirty Savage · 08-12-2007, 01:13 PM

We actually had to sign a waiver indicating that we promised not to talk on the phone AT ALL, period. No cell phone calls during work hours . . . yet we get paged all the time to call the centre or dispatch or whatever, so I guess it's ok to drive around for ten minutes looking for a pay phone . . .

Nor are we allowed to listen to MP3 players or even have a radio for that matter.

UPS is the death of fun.

Harley Rider · 08-12-2007, 01:15 PM

Never been a word said in my center about cell phones. They call the drivers all the time on their phones. Personally I refuse to own one. If I did you can be sure that UPS would not have my number.

toonertoo · 08-12-2007, 01:33 PM

Several people have my number, and I have caller ID, for certain customers, work , etc. I look when I stop, if I feel it important I call. I never talk on the phone driving a company truck, and barely driving a personal truck.

brownrodster · 08-12-2007, 01:49 PM

let me clarify.

Drivers and sups use cell phones all day. I get calls from my sup and other drivers, etc... But, the truck cannot be moving while you are talking on the phone. That is the rule. But I saw a feeder driver go by me a few days ago while he was on the phone. Maybe they're aloud to??? But I think it's now a state law to not talk and drive.

AirDriverAmy · 08-12-2007, 06:33 PM

I try not to use my cell phone while driving. I have used it in the past. It looks real unprofessional. I try to keep myself looking like a pro at all times.

VTBrown · 08-12-2007, 06:42 PM

I've had sup's training me on the cell while they are driving

Fishbulb · 08-12-2007, 06:46 PM

in my center its one of those things where everyone does it but if management is out to get someone they'll use it against you. personally i dont like to use it while driving & hate the things altogether. only 2 people call my cell phone- my girlfriend & work, typically i dont want to hear from either when i'm on the road. i normally cant hear anything over the noise of the truck anyway, a lot of times i dont even hear it ring. a lot of drivers used to use the bluetooth thingy where it stuck in their ear, management said it screwed up info transmitting signal but i think thats BS. in my state its illegal to drive while on a cell phone unless its a hands-free device but everyone does it anyway, cops & all.

over9five · 08-12-2007, 06:50 PM

I only call two people also.... my girlfriend and my wife.

VTBrown · 08-12-2007, 06:50 PM

I have yet to figure out WHY you guys give the center your cell numbers????

Diad 4 is cellular, then can reach you if need be.

It would be one thing if UPS provides the phone but my cell is for emergencies and my personal use. Not for UPS to call me and see if I can cover some pick ups.

Fishbulb · 08-13-2007, 04:08 AM

just because its so much easier VT. rather than send 10 messages back & forth through the diad i'd rather just make 1 quick phone call. or if i'm not getting the answers i like from 1 manager i'll call another & get what i want. also theres been times when i dont get the messages they send at all(most likely the OMS forgot to send it). When they start getting out of hand, last week they called me while i was in the doctors office to see what time i would be in even though i told them at least 4 times the prior day when i would be in, then i tell them dont call me until they start paying my bill.

under the radar · 08-13-2007, 05:02 AM

One of my cohorts received a disciplinary letter for using his phone while driving. That's enough for me to know they are getting serious about it, as well they should.

raceanoncr · 08-13-2007, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishbulb

just because its so much easier VT. rather than send 10 messages back & forth through the diad i'd rather just make 1 quick phone call. or if i'm not getting the answers i like from 1 manager i'll call another & get what i want. also theres been times when i dont get the messages they send at all(most likely the OMS forgot to send it). When they start getting out of hand, last week they called me while i was in the doctors office to see what time i would be in even though i told them at least 4 times the prior day when i would be in, then i tell them dont call me until they start paying my bill.

Fish, you kinda contradicted yourself here. On one hand you say it's easier for them to have your number and call you on duty and for you to call them about duty-related issues.

On the other hand, you admit it gets out of hand! Them calling you at DR office! I can't imagine this scenario...calling me on my off time...ON MY CELL PHONE!

OK, it may be easier to make one or two calls, BUT, are you getting paid by the hour? Are THEY the ones initiating the calls? If it's THEIR problem, then THEY gotta take the heat! In other words, they gotta wait til you get thru on that DIAD if that is procedure or they gotta wait til you can get to pay phone!

You say some messages don't even go thru on DIAD? Is that YOUR problem?

As a feeder driver, I use a hands-free, which has been approved, for my PERSONAL use. They have asked many times for my # but I merely tell them there are other ways of getting ahold of me and maybe they should have dispatched correctly in the first place.

Hi-tech, yeah, right!

brownrodster · 08-13-2007, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTBrown

I have yet to figure out WHY you guys give the center your cell numbers????

Diad 4 is cellular, then can reach you if need be.

I don't see what the problem with management call you is. I may get a few calls per week asking if I need help or if I can help someone else or whatever. Get messages all the time too on the DIAD. Anytime I help or get help I talk to the other driver on the cell phone.

I don't have a home phone so the cell is all I have and I'm pretty sure UPS requires that they have some way to contact you.

hondo · 08-13-2007, 09:30 AM

[quote=Dirty Savage;230576]We actually had to sign a waiver indicating that we promised not to talk on the phone AT ALL, period. No cell phone calls during work hours . . . yet we get paged all the time to call the centre or dispatch or whatever, so I guess it's ok to drive around for ten minutes looking for a pay phone . . .[/quote]
Ever get reimbursed for the pay phone?:confused1Take it out of your COD's?

Quote:

Originally Posted by brownrodster

I don't have a home phone so the cell is all I have and I'm pretty sure UPS requires that they have some way to contact you.

If it's important, they'll send you a registered letter.

VTBrown · 08-13-2007, 11:41 AM

They have no need to be calling my personal cell. If it's that big of a deal. They can provide them for us.

Other then that the Diad works great as does leaving messages for you to call at your pick ups.

Fish.....you didn't make much sense there. Do you or don't you like them calling you on it?

08-13-2007, 02:21 PM

remember back in the day when they did provide us with the text pagers and the air drivers even got the cells...
They had us sign this form saying we will contact our sup by such a time if we were to 9-5 them...I always call collect [=

our center theyll call your cell no problem...And youre only pulled in the office if caught when they dont care for you...

fredly00 · 08-13-2007, 02:27 PM

I told my sups once, unless someone is dead or dying don't call me.
If I need something bad enough, I'll call, otherwise its the DIAD for all my messages..

We had one on-car saying "oh it doesn't cost you anything cause we are both on verizon"
BS I said "it costs me $60 a month for "free" phone calls.. you wanna pay it?"

Caller ID is great, when they call, I just push ignore. (and I don't answer calls I don't recognize)

Fishbulb · 08-13-2007, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raceanoncr

Fish, you kinda contradicted yourself here. On one hand you say it's easier for them to have your number and call you on duty and for you to call them about duty-related issues.

On the other hand, you admit it gets out of hand! Them calling you at DR office! I can't imagine this scenario...calling me on my off time...ON MY CELL PHONE!

OK, it may be easier to make one or two calls, BUT, are you getting paid by the hour? Are THEY the ones initiating the calls? If it's THEIR problem, then THEY gotta take the heat! In other words, they gotta wait til you get thru on that DIAD if that is procedure or they gotta wait til you can get to pay phone!

You say some messages don't even go thru on DIAD? Is that YOUR problem?

As a feeder driver, I use a hands-free, which has been approved, for my PERSONAL use. They have asked many times for my # but I merely tell them there are other ways of getting ahold of me and maybe they should have dispatched correctly in the first place.

Hi-tech, yeah, right!

Sorry, i didnt clarify enough. If they call me once or twice a week I have no problem with that. I also have no problem with other drivers calling me if they need help. This morning for instance, the guy who was doing the route next to me had 180 stops, he typically maxes out at 150. I had a bulk route but which only had 70 stops on it. I told him to call me or I'd call him by 2pm to give him a hand because I knew I would be done way too early. For an instance like that I find its easier & faster than sending a message to the center through the DIAD, having them set up a meet point for the two of us & by the time all that goes through it could take an hour. Sounds absurd I know 7 maybe our OMS's are slow or its just crappy DIADS. I dont know. So I could spend an hour waiting around for the meet point info or I could just call the other driver & have everything worked out in 10-15min. As much as I like getting paid to sit around because of lazy/incompetant manangers I do like to get the job done & get in at a reasonable time to eat dinner with the woman. When I complain about it getting out of hand I mean, them calling me at 4am because a buttload of preloaders called out & they need help, or them calling in the middle of the doc appt. or them calling me after I've already clocked out or (i love this one) them calling me when im covering an air route for them every 15min wanting to know when i'd be back with the truck because they need it for a last minute split route. That's when I turn my phone off.

longlunchguy · 08-13-2007, 06:04 PM

Right on Fredly! My sup would call me constantly... sowetimes while I was on my way to work. I never answered him, that's why they invented caller id. Finally he stopprd calling

jds4lunch · 08-13-2007, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brownrodster

I don't have a home phone so the cell is all I have and I'm pretty sure UPS requires that they have some way to contact you.

One guy at my centre disconnected his home phone some time ago, and refuses to give his cell number to ANYONE. UPS has no contact phone number for him on file.

As for myself, they have my home number, I call/text other drivers in my centre only for convinience, but I refuse to give management my cell number. If they need to get ahold of me when I'm off duty, they can phone me at home and leave a message on my machine.

brownrodster · 08-13-2007, 08:41 PM

It works the other way too. I've called the center and harrased whichever sup I can get ahold of. I find it quicker and easier than using diad messaging.

But I pretty much don't get or give calls unless it's pretty important or it'll save a lot of time over DIAD messaging.

diesel96 · 08-13-2007, 09:12 PM

Cell phones can be used as a useful tool when I was in packages.Only select customers had my #.Management did to as well as adddresses. (They needed it for emergencies such as Hurricanes and such)It was no big deal for me. In fact customers would call and tell me they had no pick ups or were blown out.It made the day easier to plan with instant communication.I understand if you feel other-wise,it should remain your choice.Now in feeders our cell phones is our lifeline,you can be sure most of us use cells.Plus we call our co-workers and keep each other awake and alert half the night.And also,dispatch needs constant communication with their drivers for scheduling and O/T opportunities.
Plus you can now take advantage of a corp. ups rate and save about 25% a month and claim it for tax purposes also.