A small nugget of what is sure to be many changes in the coming weeks
- Thread starter northeast swing driver
- Start date
I'm PT and have booked 45+hrs the past two weeks, and I'm heading for another 45hrs this week.I'll take what I can get, sure beats the welfare(food stamps)
Mitchell, I once chewed out a Ground driver for taking an Express package. It was a POS box, falling apart. He tried to give it to me. I told him it might be ok for a Ground Package to look like that, but at Express we would never have accepted it. Seriously imagine the worst looking box you've ever seen, it was twice as bad.
i would have still taken it, then do a stat 37 with comment. in the customers mind the package was already accepted by a driver. but yeah, what i mentioned above is just a few routes where i know the ground and express drivers know each other.
STFXG
Well-Known Member
Me and the express guy in my area help each other and the customer out. Can't blame the customer for our confusing business model.
He will call me if a scheduled express pickup was actually for me and I will do the same for him. We take each others boxes if not scheduled or if we get stopped by someone with a box.
We run into each other a dozen times a day. Why not help out the customer?
He will call me if a scheduled express pickup was actually for me and I will do the same for him. We take each others boxes if not scheduled or if we get stopped by someone with a box.
We run into each other a dozen times a day. Why not help out the customer?
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
According to northeast swing driver you have to earn a certain hourly wage before you can do the right thing.
Nope, nada, no way. You can't use my line of thought. Might hurt yourself.
59 Dano
I just want to make friends!
I can't use it and no one else wants to.
Express Courier
Well-Known Member
At our station the Ground driver comes by at like 5pm every day and picks up his mountain of crap we have pup'd at various locations throughout the day. we have a Ground table/area for the stuff. Is it like that at all stations?
HomeDelivery
Well-Known Member
at the 2 different locations i goto; yes
other express couriers will also goto a local FedEx Office store to drop 'em off there as well
other express couriers will also goto a local FedEx Office store to drop 'em off there as well
SmithBarney
Well-Known Member
The ground driver is the same driver that picks up at our Station.. he ended up dropping it off there, where our CSA's repackaged the whole thing, and he got another ear-full for taking it. A few years ago we were reprimanded for taking Ground packages because Ground "contractors" were suing FedEx because the Express Division was taking revenue. Therefore we were given a directive, and I follow it.
Ricochet1a
Well-Known Member
I knew about what I'm going to write here earlier in the week. I had to get confirmation and "permission" from the source that gave it to me to get it up here. So here goes.
A number of stations nationwide will run their Saturday routes tomorrow using Dynamic ROADS start to finish. The Couriers have been instructed to come in early (at the locations which will do this) to get a 20-30 minute orientation on the Dynamic ROADS software and methods for followng the manifest and loading the truck. There is conflicting word on whether the Couriers will be permitted to deviate from the indicated stop ordering, or will be required to stick to the presented stop order no matter what.
They want to test out the capability of the system on Saturday to make sure there isn't a flood of problems during a regular business day.
I'll try to get results of the test up middle of next week.
A number of stations nationwide will run their Saturday routes tomorrow using Dynamic ROADS start to finish. The Couriers have been instructed to come in early (at the locations which will do this) to get a 20-30 minute orientation on the Dynamic ROADS software and methods for followng the manifest and loading the truck. There is conflicting word on whether the Couriers will be permitted to deviate from the indicated stop ordering, or will be required to stick to the presented stop order no matter what.
They want to test out the capability of the system on Saturday to make sure there isn't a flood of problems during a regular business day.
I'll try to get results of the test up middle of next week.
SmithBarney
Well-Known Member
Not us.. no roads, but I'll let you know if I'm wrong tomorrow.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
The software/program is only as good as the information it is given. Our PAS/EDD has to be updated (tweaked) after the initial installation but cannot account for business hours. We are directed not to sheet any packages as closed between noon and 1.
PAS/EDD uses the density bar code (bullseye) on our shipping label to generate a PAL label which tells the loader which car and where on the car to load the package. Your shelves and floor areas will be assigned numbers which the computer will use to configure the load. Data from PAS/EDD is downloaded to our DIADs and generates a recommended route, called trace, that we must follow at least 80% of the time. Trace is developed from the DOL (delivery order listing) that is preinstalled and lists all of the streets on the route and the most efficient order to deliver those streets. For the most part we follow trace but there may be times when it is more efficient to break trace (construction/emergency/schools/bulk stops).
Area knowledge is still important but not nearly as much with PAS/EDD. We are allowed to add notes to our DOL through CPAD which alerts cover drivers to special circumstances with particular stops.
There is a learning curve with PAS/EDD but a solid DOL is the key and the combination of the two has made me a more efficient driver and makes it easier for casuals to cover my area.
I think you guys will like ROADS. The ironic part is that ROADS, while making you more efficient, will mean you will have fewer couriers on road.
SmithBarney
Well-Known Member
Upstate, UPS has a much more solid DOL, than FedEx. When I ran at UPS I probably could count on one hand the number of streets I didn't have deliveries for on any particular day. At Express it's a different ball game, but all in all the idea is the same, the big challenge is for the multiple commit levels. Some Managers will say get off what you can and don't have lates(essentially mixing in later commits with the earliers) others will say only do them in the order they are due. This is where Roads can fail.
For Example I was in a 1200 commit route a few weeks ago, I only had 15 deliveries due by 1200, but I mixed my deliveries in and was able to deliver 60stops by 1200(and the 1200 commits were all done by 1100) who knows how Roads will behave. If I didn't mix stops It would have pushed my deliveries into my Pickup cycle which wouldn't have worked.. EDD and ROADS can be good tools, but like you said they are only as good as the people programming them.
For Example I was in a 1200 commit route a few weeks ago, I only had 15 deliveries due by 1200, but I mixed my deliveries in and was able to deliver 60stops by 1200(and the 1200 commits were all done by 1100) who knows how Roads will behave. If I didn't mix stops It would have pushed my deliveries into my Pickup cycle which wouldn't have worked.. EDD and ROADS can be good tools, but like you said they are only as good as the people programming them.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
We only have two commit times in my center (10:30 for NDA and 2DA AM and 3:00 for NDA SVR commercial only). PAS/EDD identifies those commit times and alerts us 20 minutes before each commit time if we have undelivered packages with those commit times and will reshuffle our DOL by putting those stops at the top of the list. This can be a pain if the 3:00 commit packages are residential, which are end of day commit, rather than commercial. We can identify those stops as residential or commercial in the DIAD to avoid this reshuffling. I would think ROADS would do the same. PAS/EDD will add any commit time packages to those stops with the same address but will break them out separately in the package count. For example, let's say Walmart is my first stop and they have 75 pkgs of which 3 are NDA. EDD will list the stop as 25 Consumer Square 3+72. The package count updates with each scanned package. Walmart has several different stops which are listed in the consignee field.
You should still be able to combine packages with different commit times and deliver them all at the same time; however, a newer courier may not know to do this and may not be prompted by ROADS to do this, which could lead to customer dissatisfaction.
You should still be able to combine packages with different commit times and deliver them all at the same time; however, a newer courier may not know to do this and may not be prompted by ROADS to do this, which could lead to customer dissatisfaction.
LTFedExer
Well-Known Member
We've been using DRA since mid-April, with mixed results. While I haven't worked with it yet, here's what I've heard.
1. The program gives you a list of all packages for your route processed in the system. It does not delete Saturday packages that come in and get delivered on Friday.
2. In some areas it makes you double back.
3. Yes, you can jump out of the order given. But, if you have lates, watch out. Hasn't happened yet, that I know of.
4. I saw a printout and the stem time to the 1st stop on 1 particular route and it was off by a LOT. It said 14 minutes. I happened to be going that way one day running missorts and in 14 minutes I was only 1/2 way there. I was told by the Saturday manager this can be adjusted.
It doesn't....
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
I forgot to add that with PAS/EDD once you deliver all of the 1030 commit packages if those same stops have 1500 commit packages that you were unable to deliver at the same time those stops will be updated with the 1500 commit time. Going back to the Walmart example---3+72---once I deliver all of the NDA the total will be updated to show how many NDA SVR packages left. So if I deliver 3 NDA and 52 packages to receiving and have 5 NDA SVR for the inside stops it would show 5+15 packages remaining.
Our Saturday air drivers do not use PAS/EDD--they go to the airport and start delivering from there. We call that "old school".
Our Saturday air drivers do not use PAS/EDD--they go to the airport and start delivering from there. We call that "old school".
thedownhillEXPRESS
Well-Known Member
We've been using ROADS on saturdays for a few weeks now.
The results have been horrible, add to that a demoralized workforce and I see alot of grey hair for management this summer.
The results have been horrible, add to that a demoralized workforce and I see alot of grey hair for management this summer.
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
What kind of problems have you guys been running in to?
