Bidding on a full-time route

[Operational needs]

I always got a kick out of couriers who would bid on a route, win it, and then start bellyaching about how "They're supposed to take [insert whatever stops he doesn't want] off this route and that's the only reason I bid on it." Either that or the slow pokes who said that the previous courier only worked 8 hours a day and they shouldn't have to work any more than that even though the stop count didn't increase.

Or the couriers like me who get a route and have their manager ride with them and adjust the numbers to a realistic SPH?

 

[MAKAVELI]

Or the couriers like me who get a route and have their manager ride with them and adjust the numbers to a realistic SPH?

Yeah well when you bust down Thotiana, that's what happens.

 

[Operational needs]

Yeah well when you bust down Thotiana, that's what happens.

Not even close. More like doing the route the way it’s supposed to be done and following all the methods.

 

[vantexan]

I always got a kick out of couriers who would bid on a route, win it, and then start bellyaching about how "They're supposed to take [insert whatever stops he doesn't want] off this route and that's the only reason I bid on it." Either that or the slow pokes who said that the previous courier only worked 8 hours a day and they shouldn't have to work any more than that even though the stop count didn't increase.

Had a route in Texas that I loved. Manager added a Wal-Mart distribution center pickup to it that made it more difficult but doable. Then decided he could eliminate a route on our loop and spread it's stops amongst the rest of us. I got a bunch of rural deliveries spread way out in the next county. The route went insane. I ran like crazy to get a half hour lunch in by 1730 then drove back an hour to make truck. Truck pulled at 1910, often didn't get back with a full 700 until 1850, even later sometimes. I didn't like having to run all day to start lunch at 1630 or later and didn't like getting a half hour. You'll probably say if you start lunch at 1630, take a half hour, then you're back by 1800, what's the problem? To make service I often had to bypass P-2 and do them after lunch. So some days 1630, some days as late as 1730 starting lunch.

I complained to director when he visited. POed senior who scheduled an engineer to ride with me to fix route so that I would run it properly and get my lunch in. Engineer said my area was too big and disjointed as was with no flow to it. Couldn't be fixed. Did they take stops off me? No. Too bad for me. So I transferred. And they broke up the route after I did.

I posted this because once again you're making snarky remarks in typical manager fashion as if it's the courier's problem. I've known some highly competent managers over the years. But most of them will never know a route as well as the courier running it. And most of them assume if there's a problem it's the courier running it that's causing it. And most managers I've known couldn't run a route properly to save their lives. What bothered me most about working for FedEx besides the pay and pension issues was having to constantly put up with this garbage in light of what they also did to us with the pay and pension. Would have been much easier to take if we'd been paid better and had a better retirement plan.

 

[Cactus]

Had a route in Texas that I loved. Manager added a Wal-Mart distribution center pickup to it that made it more difficult but doable. Then decided he could eliminate a route on our loop and spread it's stops amongst the rest of us. I got a bunch of rural deliveries spread way out in the next county. The route went insane. I ran like crazy to get a half hour lunch in by 1730 then drove back an hour to make truck. Truck pulled at 1910, often didn't get back with a full 700 until 1850, even later sometimes. I didn't like having to run all day to start lunch at 1630 or later and didn't like getting a half hour. You'll probably say if you start lunch at 1630, take a half hour, then you're back by 1800, what's the problem? To make service I often had to bypass P-2 and do them after lunch. So some days 1630, some days as late as 1730 starting lunch.

I complained to director when he visited. POed senior who scheduled an engineer to ride with me to fix route so that I would run it properly and get my lunch in. Engineer said my area was too big and disjointed as was with no flow to it. Couldn't be fixed. Did they take stops off me? No. Too bad for me. So I transferred. And they broke up the route after I did.

I posted this because once again you're making snarky remarks in typical manager fashion as if it's the courier's problem. I've known some highly competent managers over the years. But most of them will never know a route as well as the courier running it. And most of them assume if there's a problem it's the courier running it that's causing it. And most managers I've known couldn't run a route properly to save their lives. What bothered me most about working for FedEx besides the pay and pension issues was having to constantly put up with this garbage in light of what they also did to us with the pay and pension. Would have been much easier to take if we'd been paid better and had a better retirement plan.

What the manager did was make himself look good on paper and at your expense. You should have taken your break mud-day and let him or her explain the lates. To hell with them. They’re too cheap and that is the root of the whole problem.

 

[dezguy]

I will never understand why people make route issues their problem. Run the route at your pace. So long as you're not messing around, there should be no issue getting the route fixed, once the dex 01 start piling up.

 

[59 Dano]

I posted this because

It's your answer to everything?

once again you're making snarky remarks in typical manager fashion as if it's the courier's problem.

Tell me, van: when a courier starts his new route and drops stops simply because he doesn't want to take them... who is the problem?

 

[vantexan]

I will never understand why people make route issues their problem. Run the route at your pace. So long as you're not messing around, there should be no issue getting the route fixed, once the dex 01 start piling up.

In my case the courier who was doing that one route got moved to an open route in another loop. The four remaining routes all got slammed, and there was no one else to pick up the slack. Wasn't just my problem. And they did apply pressure. One of the other couriers about blew a gasket. Would be great to just say nope, not going to, but these weren't managers you messed with. I already had pissed off our previous director by pointing out how the company was screwing us on pay in a meeting. Wasn't going to push my luck. It may be a cultural thing, because Texas is one of those states where the boss is king.

 

[vantexan]

It's your answer to everything?



Tell me, van: when a courier starts his new route and drops stops simply because he doesn't want to take them... who is the problem?

Definitely the courier. The snark comes in when you assume that's the reason why. And you've given us plenty of snark over the years.

 

[59 Dano]

Definitely the courier. The snark comes in when you assume that's the reason why.

I didn't assume anything. I told you what happened.

 

[vantexan]

I didn't assume anything. I told you what happened.

Mea culpa. You assume so much about couriers that I, well, assumed you assumed. See I made an ass out of myself. You already were.

 

[dex 84]

I will never understand why people make route issues their problem. Run the route at your pace. So long as you're not messing around, there should be no issue getting the route fixed, once the dex 01 start piling up.

I go out of my way to avoid dex 01s if possible. There are routes where you have to work harder to make this happen but it's better to work your ass off all day long than to have undelivered packages...

 

[Cactus]

I go out of my way to avoid dex 01s if possible. There are routes where you have to work harder to make this happen but it's better to work your ass off all day long than to have undelivered packages...

The downside of this being it gives a manager ammo to dump more stops on you, then you’ll be bringing back dex 01’s for sure.

 

[dezguy]

I go out of my way to avoid dex 01s if possible. There are routes where you have to work harder to make this happen but it's better to work your ass off all day long than to have undelivered packages...

I used to think this way. Got screwed over too many times for being a nice guy and saving my managers ass.

Now, give me a manageable work load and I'll get my work done every day. Screw me over because the guy or gal down the belt doesn't want to do "x" stops, well... you're going to end up with dex01.

 

[59 Dano]

I go out of my way to avoid dex 01s if possible. There are routes where you have to work harder to make this happen but it's better to work your ass off all day long than to have undelivered packages...

You mean some routes require more effort than others? BLASPHEMY!

 

[Fred's Myth]

I go out of my way to avoid dex 01s if possible. There are routes where you have to work harder to make this happen but it's better to work your ass off all day long than to have undelivered packages...

And the bonuses for not having undelivereds, or lates, are life-enhancing.

 

[Cactus]

I never liked bringing back packages, but when the managers knowing dump too much work on me, that’s where I drew the line.

 

[SmithBarney]

I always got a kick out of couriers who would bid on a route, win it, and then start bellyaching about how "They're supposed to take [insert whatever stops he doesn't want] off this route and that's the only reason I bid on it." Either that or the slow pokes who said that the previous courier only worked 8 hours a day and they shouldn't have to work any more than that even though the stop count didn't increase.

My favorite, is a retiree leaves a route, and it's run by a swing for a couple weeks who ends up finishing on average 1-2hrs sooner than the retiree ever did. Then when the new bid driver gets on, there are 20+ more stops on them... they wonder what happened.

 

[59 Dano]

My favorite, is a retiree leaves a route, and it's run by a swing for a couple weeks who ends up finishing on average 1-2hrs sooner than the retiree ever did. Then when the new bid driver gets on, there are 20+ more stops on them... they wonder what happened.

When I was a swing and would finish certain routes an hour or so sooner than the normal courier, I'd always take stops from an adjacent route and make a big deal about how "you can add another 10 (20, whatever it was, depending on the route) stops to this route and still hit the RTB time!"

It made me soooooo popular!!!

 

[MAKAVELI]

When I was a swing and would finish certain routes an hour or so sooner than the normal courier, I'd always take stops from an adjacent route and make a big deal about how "you can add another 10 (20, whatever it was, depending on the route) stops to this route and still hit the RTB time!"

It made me soooooo popular!!!

Cool story bro.