Can I drive without direction?

brownmex

New Member
I'm not making enough money right now and am finally old enough to become a driver. There has been people with less seniority getting the driver jobs so I know I can get one but I'm not sure if I should.
I have a bad sense of direction. I get lost all the time if I leave my neighborhood and always use mapquest to find any place I go. So I was wondering, would still be possible to become a driver? I feel like I'll keep getting lost and I know you have to be fast so I have to stay on track. I used to do newspaper home delivery but they gave us a route sheet with all the houses and at each block it would tell you where to go next. If UPS has something similar I might be able to become a driver. If not I don't know what I can do. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
 

Upslady20

Well-Known Member
You can give it a try.. if you fail they will allow you go back to being whatever it is your doing now... at least that is the way it is at my center. Does your center have pas?? Most routes run off of a main line using the so called right turn method so if you keep turning right you will be on track..lol I think you should give yourself the opportunity to see if you can do it and go into with the attitude that you can.. don't think that drivers when they are learning an area don't pick up a map we all have at some point..
 

looper804

Is it time to go home yet
Of course you can do it.Most drivers start their careers in an area they are not familiar with.Buy a road atlas,look at your 1st stop,get in the drivers seat and go.
 

stringerman85

Well-Known Member
Yeah don't let that keep you from trying...It's always tough for anyone the first few days when learning a new route...Once it's in your memory it's pretty simple to remember because usually you will follow the same foot steps at nearly the exact same time everyday, becomes such a routine
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
I started in a town I had never, ever been in, but I had a boss who knew I was geographically challenged. You can do it, if you dont know North from South, just remember where you came from and where you are going to, it has actually helped me, after a few yrs, I learned where I was. Actually now can maneuver with a map. I never even knew North was at the top of the map:whiteflag:or the odd even numbers were on the same side of the road:sick:usually...........
Go for it you will be fine.
 

Mike Hawk

Well-Known Member
We have a shuttle driver who has tried to make it like 3 times, he just cant make the numbers. I saw him sneak one of those Garmin gps computer things into the training route the other day, that’s pretty good thinking. If I didn’t load the training route and driver help on it I'd probably get one of those if I try to go friend/t because I am terrible at finding places in unfamiliar areas.
 

looper804

Is it time to go home yet
We have a shuttle driver who has tried to make it like 3 times, he just cant make the numbers. I saw him sneak one of those Garmin gps computer things into the training route the other day, that’s pretty good thinking. If I didn’t load the training route and driver help on it I'd probably get one of those if I try to go friend/t because I am terrible at finding places in unfamiliar areas.
You've got to be kidding.100 years of drivers have found their way.This young generation is really spoiled.Hope their hands don't get dirty.
 

Mike Hawk

Well-Known Member
Don't be so judgmental, everyone cant be good at everything. I can go months without a misload but finding my way around in a big city can be hard for coming from a small town.
 

looper804

Is it time to go home yet
Don't be so judgmental, everyone cant be good at everything. I can go months without a misload but finding my way around in a big city can be hard for coming from a small town.
I also grew up in a small town and went to work in a big city.I had 2 days of classroom training.Then you were handed a map and the keys to the truck and sent on your way.Judgemental,I've earned the right.
 

1989

Well-Known Member
I also grew up in a small town and went to work in a big city.I had 2 days of classroom training.Then you were handed a map and the keys to the truck and sent on your way.Judgemental,I've earned the right.

The bigger the city the smaller the route area.
 

helenofcalifornia

Well-Known Member
You will be just fine. They will train you for three days, then cut you loose. Get the cell phone numbers of the drivers delivering around you so that you can call them for help if needed. And by all means, get a Garmin or Tom Tom (GPS) for navigating in your private life. (And get the $400 one, not the $200 one, it's that much better!) If you have one of these, you CANNOT get lost again. It's easy for us to say don't worry, you will be fine. But I know you will be sweating bullets the first few weeks and be a nervous Nelly. You will get over this. Good luck and definitely go driving. And since you are 21, I hope you are putting money in your 401K. (This is your UPS mom talking!)
 

BLACKBOX

Life is a Highway...
Just remember don't panic! It's hard enough to learn the Diad and the procedures of package delivery. Its like walking in a fog, sooner or later you will understand how the address run and the fog will lift and things will be clearer. Why not take a Sunday drive and get a feel for your area??
 

rod

Retired 22 years
The 1st route I won a bid on was mostly in town but the last 2 or 3 hours was delivering in the country. As luck would have it I took over this route in late fall so all the rural delivery was done in the dark after 4:30 or 5. The driver I took the route over from wouldn't help me at all with directions--said I would learn it faster doing it on my own. I didn't know what the area looked like in the daylight for all winter and spent many a hour wandering around in the dark--- lost. I remember late one night I stopped at an intersection knowing that if I turned left it would take me back to town. I came real close to saying the hell with the remaining dozen stops and driving back to the center and quitting but I stuck with it. I still remember the 1st evening in the spring that it was still light out and how neat the rural area looked in the daylight. Brownmex-give it your best shot:peaceful:
 

JustTired

free at last.......
The GPS in the diad knows where you should be. Just grab the package and take it to the house. If the diad beeps.....you're at the wrong house. Go to the next one. If it beeps again....you're at the wrong house. Keep doing this until it doesn't beep. Then leave the pkg there.

Just kidding.................

Give it a try. Odds are you'll do better than the sup that they send out with you. Remember.....with EDD, anybody can do this job. At least that was the selling point the inventor of this system sold to the company. Good Luck!!
 

dillweed

Well-Known Member
Go for it! You have gotten so many positive and ecouraging comments here, people are behind you! And it's so good to hear these seasoned drivers admit how lost they once were. Good folks.

Your young age should give you lots of confidence and years of room for experimentation. As one poster said, if you don't like it you can still go back to your inside position, no shame there, I've seen many do it.

Make friends of your fellow drivers because they will become a great asset to you. They know the routes, shortcuts, tricky stops and so forth. Most are more than glad to help.

Use the methods and call in when you have an unusual situation or feel you're not going to get everything off. Work as directed and don't be afraid to telll management that you did everything you could.

We have lots of inside workers now who really don't seem to have what it will take to drive in the future. Hopefully they will mature as time goes on and turn into great drivers.

Do I have the right to advise? Mabye, maybe not. I tried air driving at 50, lacked every single skill it required and gave up. But at 50 I've had some hard knocks and failures that put the fear in me. At this time in life not going to take those types of chances. But you are young, strong and invincible. Go for it I say, Go for it and best of luck!!
 

jds4lunch

What the hell is YOUPS??
I used to do newspaper home delivery but they gave us a route sheet with all the houses and at each block it would tell you where to go next. If UPS has something similar I might be able to become a driver.

First of all, if you don't know how to read a map, have someone teach you. When I started my training our driver trainer would grab 10-20 air stops, showed me how to read a map properly, then had me map each stop out in pencil before we went on-road. Now obviously this used up alot of time, but it really helped me. There were also days where I would be delivering in an area full of bays and crescents and after a few of those I'd be so turned around I would lose all sense of direction. But after a while, it became so routine that in most areas of the city now I don't even look at a map. Whoever posted the analogy of walking around in the fog, well thats how I felt for the first while. Just don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't know something. Take a driving position, you'll do fine.
 
I'm not making enough money right now and am finally old enough to become a driver. There has been people with less seniority getting the driver jobs so I know I can get one but I'm not sure if I should.
I have a bad sense of direction. I get lost all the time if I leave my neighborhood and always use mapquest to find any place I go. So I was wondering, would still be possible to become a driver? I feel like I'll keep getting lost and I know you have to be fast so I have to stay on track. I used to do newspaper home delivery but they gave us a route sheet with all the houses and at each block it would tell you where to go next. If UPS has something similar I might be able to become a driver. If not I don't know what I can do. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

No directional ability? Forget the driving position. You are on the fasttrack to a career in I.E. telling other people how to drive.
 
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