As a driver, what would you have done?

[laffter]

I do a little bit of "custom loading" for the two routes that I load regularly. One of them in particular, there are four stops that get NDA almost on a daily basis. I noticed that when the driver would show up and sort through his air, he'd put the air pieces with the Ground pieces. So, eventually, I started doing that myself. One of these stops is a bank. This route gets something like 10-20 savers and probably another 20-30 NDA envelopes for this place every day. It's one of the first places the regular driver goes to, and he delivers everything to this building at the same time (Ground and air). All air smalls go in a tote, and I put all Air/Ground packages for this address at the front of the 4000 shelf, no matter where the Ground pieces get PAL'd to (usually the middle of the 3000's or 4000's, or FL2 on Mondays). So the driver knows this, and it saves him the trouble of moving stuff around every morning.

He was on vacation this week. The same coverage driver had this route Tues, Wed and Thur. I pointed out to him where I put certain stops, as they aren't quite where he might have expected them to be.

On Thursday, my full time sup comes to me with some document that says this driver claims that his preloader put a next day air in the wrong place and he couldn't find it. So, I guess he either missed the time commit for it or didn't deliver it at all.

The bank is a major stop on this route. It's one of the first stops and it's a daily routine. He knew where I put the bank pieces. If he couldn't find it with his air, wouldn't the next logical choice be to look with the Ground? Afterall, I've been doing the exact same thing with these other few stops.

As drivers, what would all of you have done? Would you have taken responsibility for the screwup, or pinned it on the preloader who tries to make the driver's day a little easier?

 

[over9five]

I think if I were the regular driver, and I moved those airs every day to wherever the grounds are loaded, I would have had my sup change the PAL so they go there anyhow.

​No more customizing when the regular guy's on vacation!

 

[cachsux]

Don't assume the cover driver is as good as the regular driver.

 

[UPS_Broken_Dreams]

Stupid question, I would have bitched up and blamed it on the hard working preloader. Bahaha, don't we all?

 

[cachsux]

Stupid question, I would have bitched up and blamed it on the hard working preloader. Bahaha, don't we all?

Well since you're many years away from driving, a job you say you don't want anyway, then the preload should be fairly safe.

 

[UPS_Broken_Dreams]

Stupid question, I would have bitched up and blamed it on the hard working preloader. Bahaha, don't we all?

Well since you're many years away from driving, a job you say you don't want anyway, then the preload should be fairly safe.

Sarcasm always goes on def ears online...

 

[cachsux]

Sarcasm always goes on def ears online...

I'm sorry, did you say something?

 

[ORLY!?!]

Thats the problem with a custom load, its meant for the driver that does it everyday, week by week and yearly.

It wouldve been better to know that he was going on vacation next week and loaded it as the slap dictates. Preload is a sensitive type of job. You have to be aware of everything thats happening the entire time your loading. Recall what you've done, and move things around as needed. Believe it or not, most loads can be called custom. Such as keeping 40+ in a slap of 5000, where the FL3 spot would be, of course if there is no FL3 that is.

Such as keeping certain boxes of air, which are also full of ice and fish, that also leak often, in the back along side the last air stop and first ground stop.

Also, a driver will blame you for late air in the drop of a hat. The reason, well they could fire a driver for just one late NDA, I've seen it happen. So they rather blame you, call it found in load ( fill ) to save their own asses, its nothing against you.

Also, if you load it as you've done and told the cover about it each day and forget yesterday to tell him. Hes probably not going to recall and thusly blame you for just not knowing. So telling him your doing so each day, this will refresh his / her memory so you dont have that little talk with a FT nobody. Even if you clock out and havnt seen the driver yet, stick around just to point it out to them, they will be greatful that they wont be getting yelled at or fired for something out of their power to control. Or write them a love note, place it on their seat if you have to leave in a hurry.

 

[cachsux]

I always appreciated a good loader that worked with me to get the car loaded right but it was my responsibility to let my swing driver know how we adjusted the load before I went on vacation.

 

[Jackburton]

This might sound harsh, but you are responsible for the missing air. You aren't paid to "customize" loads and make up your own system that the driver likes. If a driver was to make a "customized" pickup arrangement with a daily pickup, say a flag in the window, and one day someone else was doing shipping and didn't put the flag in the window, the driver cruises on by and misses the pickup.

Next day the shipper calls in saying no one picked them up. Even though the two guys in the back know how the foulup happened, the owner is the one with his product sitting on the dock. The driver is responsible for making customer contact and failed to do his job by the methods. He deserved to be disciplined imho. You failed to do your job by the methods and have been disciplined, rightfully so.

Moral of this story, stop thinking and do it how they(UPS) wants it if for nothing else, the consistency of future loads. If your driver wants to move air, that's on him. You load it where it says to and there is nothing UPS can do to you.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I think if I were the regular driver, and I moved those airs every day to wherever the grounds are loaded, I would have had my sup change the PAL so they go there anyhow.

​No more customizing when the regular guy's on vacation!

NDA cannot be PAL'd to the 4000 section.

It sounds like the cover guy screwed up and is passing the blame on to you.

Save the custom loads for the bid driver.

 

[Johney]

Whatever happened to verifying your air count before you leave the building? If I can't find an air we must tell a sup before we leave. So that takes the responsibility off me for missing air. They(p/t sup) usually come look for it, if we can't find it I leave. If it shows up later....preloader takes the hit. Case closed.

 

[mixyo]

I keep all NDA's out until the very end, with the exception of RDR/RDL/RDC's which are all delivered first anyways. Usually the drivers I load for will look through the airs and put them where they want them.

​My sup's always tell me that the driver's custom sorting procedures take priority over the "standard" sorting procedures. So in this case I'd tell the driver to go friend himself. I have no idea who is driving the truck that day, I just assume it's the regular guy. If it's someone else subbing for the regular driver, I would say "By the way, xxxx is over here: "

 

[Jackburton]

I keep all NDA's out until the very end, with the exception of RDR/RDL/RDC's which are all delivered first anyways. Usually the drivers I load for will look through the airs and put them where they want them.

​My sup's always tell me that the driver's custom sorting procedures take priority over the "standard" sorting procedures. So in this case I'd tell the driver to go friend himself. I have no idea who is driving the truck that day, I just assume it's the regular guy. If it's someone else subbing for the regular driver, I would say "By the way, xxxx is over here: "

And your friendly sup who said to custom load over procedure will be the same one that writes you up for misloaded air.

 

[UPSGUY72]

If an NDA or SDAM is Pal'ed to the 1000 section put it in the 1000 section. If the driver wants Air to be loaded in with the bulk stop locations he can have the dispatcher manger make adjustments so the Air get Pal'd to that section.

Problem solved...

There are a lot of routes I cover that are set up that way so be the regular or cover a cover driver they all know where the commit packages are...

 

[mixyo]

And your friendly sup who said to custom load over procedure will be the same one that writes you up for misloaded air.

never been written up for misloaded airs...and if i was, sup can go friend himself too.

 

[Harry Manback]

Stupid question, I would have bitched up and blamed it on the hard working preloader. Bahaha, don't we all?

You "bitch up"? Nahh...say it ain't so.

 

[BrownArmy]

In my center all the NDA is left outside of the truck, under the belt or on the bumper.

That's the simplest solution, IMO.

 

[ManInBrown]

Good loader makes all the difference. The regular loader for the training route I am in for the 30 days does a great job. He was off for a couple days last week and his replacement loaded the car like dog *****. 1000 Ground packages in the 4000 section. 5000s in the 8000 section. No rhyme or reason.

 

[Anonymous 10]

No air is ever loaded on my route. If I is and I can't find it it's on the preloader. I count it and place it in there myself. Then it's on me. Customizing loads is a thing of the past. Be a robot and watch your ass.