A.M. Time Allowance

[local804]

We were asked to not go over 10 minutes or we would e a threat to have our start times moved back. you know, cause 8:30 isn't late enough.

id kill for that start time

 

[cino321]

9:15 everyday. And the preload is rarely wrapped by then, lucky to deliver my first stop by 10.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

We start at 8:30 and most of us pull away from the dock between 8:35-8:45. If the night shift people park the trucks correctly then that is the average. Sometimes they don't park the trucks well and some of us will have to wait on others to pull out first. If the drivers that are being waited on are having to deal with packages stacked outside their trucks then it usually causes the others to have to leave later. I was questioned about "excessive a.m. time" recently. I was laughing before the sup could even get the words out of his mouth.

 

[atatbl]

How much time is allowed for a driver for A.M. time? My understanding is only 8 minutes, and this includes the so called 3 minutes pcm. At least this is what our center manager is saying. Can any driver out there really attend a pcm, walk to pkg car, wrap up, verify all airs, perform a true pretrip, and leave the property within alloted time? Our center sups are now requiring us to have ANY excessive time approved. Any other drivers experience this?

Obviously, we don't know all the specifics. However, I think most sups and managers on here would guess the same as to what this is about. This is because AM time is hurting the pre-load too much (maybe). Or, the pre-load is hurting itself, or the unload is hurting the pre-load. At any rate, AM time is a quick fix that will not solve the problem, but will solve the pre-load PPH numbers.

The only other way I can see this coming about would be if the center team thought driver's were neglecting the importance of starting quickly.

What will answer this definitively? Are at least 98% of the cars wrapped on your belt a few minutes before your start times (on average)? I believe the reason for the crack-down lies in the answer to the aforementioned question.

 

[DS]

8:55 start time here,sometimes,I get 35 air stops
I dont cheat,and have to save that last bulk air stop till 11:55
to do it.Im in a heavy industrial/commercial/residential area and they usually ask me if I think I need to pull off a split.
Its weird, but dannyboy pointed out one thing in a former post,the numbers are much better when nobody is allowed in thier car till start time.I can see why.You learn to utilize every spare second when you are waiting for them to open the door,or sorting ,climbing,whatever it takes.
And like tooner said a quick phone call makes your problem thiers.
Preload accuracy has always been the worst problem at ups,and it may be due to the low pay,or the abuse they take,but the only way they will ever get anywhere is if they hold them accountable for thier mistakes instead of putting all the pressure on the driver.I'll shut up now.

 

[browniehound]

Honestly, I believe that is more for your sup's then for your drivers. AM Time is one part of the daily numbers, it also includes the loaders time as well. AM time continues to drag until the last PC leaves the building.

The sups (should be) monitoring loader time, driver time and volume (PPH) as part of their daily operating schedule. They have an alotted number of hours based on the VOL on that specific belt.

You can look at it like this...


If you are running your own business...

• you have "x" amount of dollars to spend
• you have "x" amount of work
• If you run over the "x" amount of dollars = no profit
• If you run under "x" amount = you make a profit
• If you have too many people on per the amount of work = no profit
• If you have the right amount of people for the work = profit

Excessive AM time (loaders & drivers) = NO PROFIT

These numbers at UPS are monitored (by what ever higher power) everyday to the 10th of a second (NOT MINUTE) down to every single PC.

If your loader is there for 3.5 hours and has a volume of 200:
(TOTAL VOLUME / HOURS = PPH)

200p / 3.5hrs = 57.14 PPH

The loader should load at a rate of 57 PPH in order to stay on track.

Storm, thanks for breaking that down. I think 10 minutes AM time is possible IF and its a big IF the preload is wrapped and the trucks were not jammed in like sardines( this can't be fixed) .

Management is supposed to keep their PCM's to 2 minutes, which never happens. So I have 8 minutes to walk to my truck, verify my airs, close the door and drive out. That should take about 3 minutes, but it never does because I can never just drive off. Only the drivers without a package car next to them can just drive away. Most of us have to wait for othesr to pull out in order to drive out of the building.

I do my pretrip and sign the DVIR. This is when I put my 'leave buiding' time into the DIAD. On a good day, I can get out in 15 minutes and this happens about 2 times a week but never 10 minutes. Its more like 20-25.

In the morning I just want do get out of the building. I don't waste any time by talking to other drivers, my preloader, or supervisors, ect. It still takes 15 minimum of AM time.

If the problem is the volume and air getting there on time then we can't fix the problem from our end. But if the volume is there and not processed on time because of poor staff planning then its our problem.

I think they should overstaff the preload. Don't send anyone home unless you know you will wrap 5 minutes before the first driver start time (this way the preload can start pulling cars out to the yard saving a TON of AM time for the drivers). I think UPS is penny-wise and pound foolish when it comes to the preload. Just think of the numbers!

If you keep 4 preloaders over plan at 10 bucks an hour in a 4.5 hour shift it will cost you an extra 180. But if you could get all 50 drivers out of the building 10 minutes earlier would save you about $7 (1/6 of 42 per hour hour) per driver and multiply this by 50 drivers will save you 350-180= $170 per day. This doesn't include potential savings in less late air, the driver being safer from not being rushed and the savings in fuel and labor because the driver can do more grounds and reds at the same time.

I may have made some mistakes with my math and logic so I hope someone can correct me if I did. But If I didn't, I would like somebody to tell me why UPS doesn't operate with this plan? Why does it pinch pennies on the preload to lose pounds in driver compensation?

 

[brownrodster]

All the preload sup cares about his looking awesome (Or not looking like a bafoon) in the next conference call. If that means drivers have to wrap their own trucks to make their preload numbers look better then so be it!

 

[hseofpayne]

All the preload sup cares about his looking awesome (Or not looking like a bafoon) in the next conference call. If that means drivers have to wrap their own trucks to make their preload numbers look better then so be it!

When I had to load my car because they sent the preloader home early, I use to go in under "Other Work" and charge the time back to the preload. I can't remember exactly what the charge was made to, maybe AM sort. Its been 2 years since I drove so I can't remember the exact terminology in the DIAD.

 

[Mike Hawk]

DS and Brownie hit it right on the head, unfortunately people smart enough to figure out this problem are also smart enough to stay away from management.

 

[browndevil]

When I had to load my car because they sent the preloader home early, I use to go in under "Other Work" and charge the time back to the preload. I can't remember exactly what the charge was made to, maybe AM sort. Its been 2 years since I drove so I can't remember the exact terminology in the DIAD.

I do the same thing. Go to other work and put my time as "LS skilled"Mt truck is usually wrapped up the next day.

 

[IWorkAsDirected]

Our start time is 9:30 a real drag it's already 95 degrees by then. Leave building time at 9:40, any more than that has to be on road time whether we are on road or not. I really don't care, I get paid the same no matter what they want to credit it to.

 

[dilligaf]

When I had to load my car because they sent the preloader home early, I use to go in under "Other Work" and charge the time back to the preload. I can't remember exactly what the charge was made to, maybe AM sort. Its been 2 years since I drove so I can't remember the exact terminology in the DIAD.

You can do this on the screen with your left building time. If I have to finish loading my truck it goes on preload time. If I have to unload at nite it goes on local sort time.

 

[New Englander]

You can do this on the screen with your left building time. If I have to finish loading my truck it goes on preload time. If I have to unload at nite it goes on local sort time.

You don't have to do anything. AM time directly effects the preload. Thats why the push is to get you out as fast as possible.

 

[hseofpayne]

You don't have to do anything. AM time directly effects the preload. Thats why the push is to get you out as fast as possible.

But if the preload isn't finishing their job and I am loading, I prefer to put it in my board that way so MY AM time doesn't become a topic of discussion down the road. I guess I am just a stickler for not falsifying my "time card". If your manager is telling you to put a certain "left bldg" time in your board whether you have left or not, that is falsifying your records. With all the time stamps we now have on deliveries, UPS knows how long it takes to get to your first stop every day. Putting in the REAL time you leave the bldg. covers you in case down the road someone wants to know why it took so long to get to your first stop. Honesty is the best protection, or is that supposed to be policy?

 

[New Englander]

But if the preload isn't finishing their job and I am loading, I prefer to put it in my board that way so MY AM time doesn't become a topic of discussion down the road. I guess I am just a stickler for not falsifying my "time card". If your manager is telling you to put a certain "left bldg" time in your board whether you have left or not, that is falsifying your records. With all the time stamps we now have on deliveries, UPS knows how long it takes to get to your first stop every day. Putting in the REAL time you leave the bldg. covers you in case down the road someone wants to know why it took so long to get to your first stop. Honesty is the best protection, or is that supposed to be policy?

I'm not saying nor advocating that you put anything other then your actual leave building time down when you leave the building.

All I'm saying is that you don't need to worry about how your coding the AM time to charge the preload. It will anyways regardless.

 

[hseofpayne]

I'm not saying nor advocating that you put anything other then your actual leave building time down when you leave the building.

All I'm saying is that you don't need to worry about how your coding the AM time to charge the preload. It will anyways regardless.

I wasn't suggesting you gave that advice. An earlier poster had stated he didn't care, he would put whatever time management wanted, he got paid the same. If my start time is 8:30 and I have to sort&load for 30 minutes, I put that time under sort and load and then my usual AM time afterwards followed by my left bldg time. I know the time gets charged to the preload ,but this way, my AM time remains a constant amount of time. Only my sort and load time increases and this is charged back to the preload, not my usual AM time. I think!

 

[New Englander]

I wasn't suggesting you gave that advice. An earlier poster had stated he didn't care, he would put whatever time management wanted, he got paid the same. If my start time is 8:30 and I have to sort&load for 30 minutes, I put that time under sort and load and then my usual AM time afterwards followed by my left bldg time. I know the time gets charged to the preload ,but this way, my AM time remains a constant amount of time. Only my sort and load time increases and this is charged back to the preload, not my usual AM time. I think!

I understand what your saying and I agree. Some may not know that our AM time is charged to the preload regardless.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I understand what your saying and I agree. Some may not know that our AM time is charged to the preload regardless.

Then I guess anyone entering the time under "other work" is really just covering their rear. Our sups haven't really pushed this issue much. Maybe once a year but I think if everyone entered the time as "other work" then at least our butts are covered.

 

[toonertoo]

When they throw a split in my truck with a shovel, and I have 300 pcs plus, I go get my coffee, after I clear a place and I sort the section and if its 1330, I put in 1330 to 1340 or however long it takes to load it in a manner I can deliver it, like the preload should have, and when the preload sups asks me why I tell him. I had a rider yesterday and he agreed, If they want to take it out cool, thats what I did and why. If the preload wasnt allowed to do it someone has to. Pay them 8.5 or pay me 28, their choice.

 

[rocket man]

BE safe . get ready go/