While I dont support the "brown out", I co understand the reason behind it.
I, like so many drivers have "reached back" and pulled out days that I was slamed. It at times was part of the job, and two or four times a month could be expected.
Nowdays it is every day. Each day we are dispatched with stops that are over what should be placed on the truck. While I kow there are some drivers that are slackers, like some posters here would have us believe we all are, they are not in the majority.
I can and do respond do emergency conditions with my utmost best and give 120% or more.
But the saying goes true today just like it was years ago
LACK of proper planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
So even though those boys with the calculators and slide rules say we should be able to deliver 60% more now than 5 years ago in the same time, sorry. What can be done under controled situations for one day is much more difficult to reproduce day after day out in the field.
Kinda like news blurbs. With enough editing, I could produce a blurb that has W saying he was lying about every one of the reasons we went to war in Iraq. While far from reality, it would seem that it had been said and done.
It is so funny how something as simple as time studies have evolved the way they have. And with a few strokes of the computer keyboard, time allowances can be cut at will to render the studies worthless.
So tell me why would UPS, who has allways bragged about having one of the hardest working people, want to show on the computer and on all the internal reports that we are too slow, lazy, under productive etc. Thoughts that too many management here on this board seem to want to echo.
I like so many here take personal pride each day to do the best we can. First for the customer to surpass any service that any one else can give. Then to the company to run the routes in the most economical way possible. And on some days that means deviating from the planned delivery loop. Then also, personal pride in working with the others in your loop and delivery group. When one driver needs to get in early, he takes the air in for the others, and they stay out making the deliveries. And pride in not having to be told what the job is. I dont have to be told what to do, heck Ive done it for 30 years. Just remove barriers from my route and turn me loose. If you supported us in this mannor, the stops would increase as would the pieces per stop. IF you allowed that pride to build FDX ground and DHL would be a distant memory like so many others.
It seems a sorry lot for those of us that fit that mold, for the company to attempt through all these means to take that pride away from us. To turn us into some non-thinking bots that are totally controled by those with computers.
d
