High Planned Day in The UK - Brown Cafe

jetset · 07-18-2006, 02:44 PM

:confused1 Yesterday I looked at my load and was convinced I was not getting round, after consultation with my sup I was greeted with the words "you should be alright." Given the additional candy he earns I was in all honesty looking for something a little bit firmer or at least a lie. needless to say my actual day of 10 hours plus with a plan of 10.5 hours and several Missed deliveries left me feeling that I had let everybody down. The question I ask is whats the best "in the trenches" line ever received and did it work.
You know the "I Know its 150 stops but its an easy 150 stops" or "whilst I would be concerned if I was sending this out with a driver of lesser ability". You know the lines I mean but which one really works. Our sup was back from SLS in Germany and he hit me with "I learnt so much whilst in Germany but the bottom line is you will do it because I said so" Some would consider that as ten wasted days I was just impressed that he had managed to string a sentence together.

UPSmeoff · 07-18-2006, 04:39 PM

After strongly disagreeing with the amount of work on my car i always get the same....."Just give us a call around 3 and let us know how your doing."
Mgmt always waits until the last minute to send you help. I think they are hoping that you will skip your lunch and get it done.
Jet, i agree with your feelings of not performing. I cant stand having to ask for help, but when you have 120 business stops that have to be delivered by 5, aint no way im gonna do it.

over9five · 07-18-2006, 05:39 PM

"whilst I would be concerned if I was sending this out with a driver of lesser ability".

Never heard that one. (But I like it!)

rod · 07-18-2006, 08:30 PM

I was once told that having more stops added to an already overly loaded route would make it easier because the stops would be closer together. No it didn't make any sense to me either.

toonertoo · 07-18-2006, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rod

I was once told that having more stops added to an already overly loaded route would make it easier because the stops would be closer together. No it didn't make any sense to me either.

While this is true, after about 9 1/2 hrs, you have delivered quite enough.

upsdude · 07-19-2006, 02:48 AM

Hey Boss, How about I just leave 30 stops under the belt? I'll call you around 3:00 if I need them.

30andout · 07-19-2006, 04:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upsdude

Hey Boss, How about I just leave 30 stops under the belt? I'll call you around 3:00 if I need them.

Good idea, maybe 3 0r 4 of us could do that and they could use one of the layed off guys to do them.

speeddemon · 07-19-2006, 04:27 AM

"But you can walk straight through that truck..."

sendagain · 07-19-2006, 06:54 AM

"I know you've never seen the area, but you'll know it after today."

over9five · 07-19-2006, 05:58 PM

"It practically FALLS off the truck!"

scratch · 07-19-2006, 06:11 PM

How about "its on your way", or "jump right in and jump right out"?

toonertoo · 07-19-2006, 08:27 PM

Its all main roads and side streets...............

jetset · 07-19-2006, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sendagain

"I know you've never seen the area, but you'll know it after today."

Some real motivational patter you guys get, after 97 years I expected some real gems, these are very similar to those used in the UK, is there perhaps a book with quotes for particular difficult situations handed out to new sups.
"consider this development"
"Its a lovely place, you might see somewhere you can take the wife this weekend"
"this was originally part of this route, we only took it off whilst you learnt the rest"
All used to convince me to add an area to my route.
The last one was by far the best given I had been apparently learning the rest of my route for 9 months.

07-20-2006, 09:04 PM

"Its only 10 stops..." of course you have to drive
25 minutes to the delivery spot, 25 more to deliever,
and another 25 minutes back to the center..

I say, "what about the other 8 drivers that drove
past this spot twice today"... "give each two stops
and it'll be done without a second thought"

laborer · 07-21-2006, 02:14 PM

"It's just another address...."

DS · 07-21-2006, 06:28 PM

[quote=jetset]:confused1 150 "whilst I would be concerned if I was sending this out with a driver of lesser ability".

Jetsets sup wins the award the the most original way of assuring a driver that even though he`s way over dispatched,with his experience,the stops will almost fall of the truck.Nonsense of course,but it sounds really good.`

swinging · 07-21-2006, 06:37 PM

"Take one for the team." or "Atleast you'll make some overtime today." Bottom line: Whenever the sup gives you a pep talk, you know you're in for a long day. I just take it one stop at a time, and when I'm done I come back to the building.

rocket man · 05-03-2008, 07:24 PM

Your doing good . do the best you can follow the methods and not the queen and you will be ok.

soberups · 05-04-2008, 01:23 AM

"You need to manage the buk, dont let the bulk manage you"
"Its all built in to your time allowance."
"They go off quick"
"Preload has them all lined up stop for stop"

soberups · 05-04-2008, 01:24 AM

I can say this, in 21 yrs I have yet to hear a supervisor say the word "whilst" to me.

satellitedriver · 05-10-2008, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sendagain

"I know you've never seen the area, but you'll know it after today."

I had to laugh at this.
It reminded me when I was a troubleshooter at a coal mine.
A $80 million drag line was malfunctioning. I had a general idea of where to start the diagnosis and requested the blueprints.
None could be found for that section.
The head engineer over the entire mine (West Point grad) pulled me aside and said, " By the time you take it apart and find the problem you will know how to put it back together."
I (with a ten man crew) took it apart and found the problem and put everything back to working order.
The man hour cost I was dealing with was $1,000.00 a minute.
Two days later the machine was running.
If I would have had a blueprint, I could have had it up and running in one 12hr shift.
So, when I came to UPS and was sent out blind, with no maps, as a rookie swing driver, I always thought about Capt. West's advice on problem solving.

CBUK · 05-17-2008, 11:11 AM

Jetset

Sounds like the UK management are all in cahoots. That sounds like the sort of thing my management say to me all the time.

I can recall a few years ago having a massive row with my sup and at one point told him, "F@@k this I'm going home. I've had enough of this".

His reply to me was.

"Well, if you're going that way can you take these 5 stops instead you'll really be helping us out" and he handed me 5 deliveries in the village where I lived at the time.

It lightened the mood slightly and I got on with my day and made it round. Its often hard to explain to them how things can go wrong every now and again. I reckon they think there is some sort of parting of the waves when we go out on road.

jetset · 05-19-2008, 12:51 PM

cbuk,
Great to see other people from the uk jumping on the board.
how about a thread about the uk.
hows intagration gone in your centre.
I hear rumours your centre is overmanned.
any truth in them rumours.

CBUK · 05-20-2008, 06:17 AM

Integration started in September o7 and I was unlucky enough to be one of the test routes for the integration team.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived on the first day to find a pallet truck on my van. It wasn't for me. It was a package for me to deliver!!!!!

When I started at UPS in 98 we were trying to lose customers that shipped crap freight. We now seem to be welcoming them all back with open arms(or should that be ass cheeks).

We are now fully integrated and that has resulted in losing large delivery areas. I am not high enough up the pecking order to reel off stats and facts to anyone but I beleive we were running nearly 60 routes before integration and are now only running 30. We do seem to have an awful lot of spare drivers and I have been told that we are now officially over staffed and our current manager has been told that he cannot replace any drivers that leave.

This was backed up for me by a friend who left last year to work for Parcelnet (a rival firm). He was told that he would be welcome back if things didn't work out. He has now been told there are no jobs available.

Presumably our Ctr Manager will have targets set by his management. I have in the past been sent out with 100 delivery stops daily but at the moment I am delivering 60-80 and not really struggling.

My personal opinion is that the centre has been relooped to increase plan days on paper when the reality is that I could do another 10-15 stops if I wasn't covering such a large area. I am not the only driver that thinks our current loops are verging on the ridiculous.

We have had a few time study teams at our centre in the past but I would be embaressed to go out with one at the moment.

I dont relish the old struggle when we were obviously undermanned but I bet my old manager is pretty well pissed that he didnt get any help form upper management when we were all crying out for it.

What centre are you based at Jetset?

Is integration good or bad for you?

I think this is whats known as a period of transition. I am an old boy at my centre and the new starters probably dont realise how good they have it. That could have serious repercussions in the future.

jetset · 05-21-2008, 11:28 AM

CBUK

We are also fully intragrated and like you are overstaffed.
I think management got such a kicking and were so under staffed in the past they are all making sure they have to many staff.
Whats union activity like at your place at ours its really quite.
Notice John Boddle is amember of brown cafe i think hes a jimmy hoffa and is selling us up the river.

Jetset