Cover Drivers: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!

stevetheupsguy

sʇǝʌǝʇɥǝndsƃnʎ
What's your experience with the drivers that cover your route? What's your experience as a cover driver? Feeder cover drivers, feel free to jump in, as this applies to you, as well. Are your cover drivers Gunner/Runner types? Are they slobs, leaving all sorts of junk in your vehicle? Are they obnoxious with your customers or do they talk smack about you? Are they really good drivers that are also pleasing to the customer? We've all had experience in this area, so let's hear your thoughts.
 
S

speeddemon

Guest
The biggest gripe I have is that they leave trash all in my truck. I keep a clean truck, and thats how it should be kept.
 

McLeod

Well-Known Member
The cover driver that does my route has been a friend of mine for years, so he takes care of the car and customers well. He takes full breaks just like I do and runs #'s pretty close to mine.
 

wrecker

Well-Known Member
As a cover driver in package, I covered about 20 of the 30 routes in my center. Most of the customers knew me by name. A few thought it was my route, since the regular driver took so much time off.

Cleanliness - If I covered a sick or option day, I would try to clean house before I left. Vacation weeks, the trash would pile up. Friday was trash day. One week, covering a vacation, I left a "pit stop" bottle on the shelf. Shop pulled the truck for body work (different facility) before the week was over. Week or so later, it was back, and bottle had leaked all over the place. Boy was he mad!!:anxious: Not that I blame him. We're ok now.

Vacation cover in feeders - Had difficulty losing the "package mentality". Always seem to do the routes faster then the regular driver. I gained quite a bit of weight, and that slowed me down significantly. Tough place to be. Have to be good enough to stay off management radar, But slow enough to not mess up somebody's job. It would be better if i could just do my thing and be left alone.
 

DS

Fenderbender
Vacation cover in feeders - Had difficulty losing the "package mentality". Always seem to do the routes faster then the regular driver. I gained quite a bit of weight, and that slowed me down significantly. Tough place to be. Have to be good enough to stay off management radar, But slow enough to not mess up somebody's job. It would be better if i could just do my thing and be left alone.
If we left you alone, there would be burger king wrappings and bottles of pee everywhere(except Fridays)...maybe thats why they're called feeders:wink2:all in jest wrecker
 
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wrecker

Well-Known Member
Same driver as the "bottle" incident...

Another cover driver told all his customers he had to travel out of state to marry his life partner. Had everyone pretty convinced. Took him awhile to set them all straight.
 

dilligaf

IN VINO VERITAS
The biggest gripe I have is that they leave trash all in my truck. I keep a clean truck, and thats how it should be kept.
Not me! I pick up my trash.
Cover drivers are still on the road at this point? Lucky them.
Yep, myself and a few others.
Most of the guys that cover my route either quit or seek counseling shortly thereafter.
Ah, can't be that bad.


We have one bidded driver that's a fricking pig. I hate getting into his truck. At least I don't have to do it very often.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
I have 2 primary cover drivers, one who does a really good job and the other who should be serving fries at Mickey D's. The former knows that I am slightly OCD so he takes the time to pick up after himself but, more importantly, takes care of the customers and, in turn, I tell him most (but not all) of my tips. The latter is on his cell phone the minute he pulls from the bldg, chain smokes and does not know the meaning of "indirect delivery". I am off today and former is covering my area so I will probably meet him at Dunkin Donuts and buy him a coffee.

I have a pickup stop that the girls there really look forward to when I take days off so that former can cover my area. I didn't tell them about today as I wanted to surprise them when he walks in.
 
As a cover driver, I do not add to the trash level of the PC, if it's clean when I get, I return it clean. If not, they get their own trash back. I had one slob actually bitch at the sup about trash left in his truck. I informed him and the sup (along with 5 other drivers) that his truck was a pig sty when I got, so I figured he liked it that way.
When covering a rte, I go out, do my job to best of my abilities with the tools provided. I do not give one thought as to how that may or may not reflect on the bid driver. It isn't my job to cover his backside if he is doing things he shouldn't. I am as pleasant to his customers as they are to me. If they are nice, I am nice. If they are asses, I am outta there ASAP. I never look for trouble (anywhere). I finish when I finish, clock out and go home.
 

some1else

Well-Known Member
Same driver as the "bottle" incident...

Another cover driver told all his customers he had to travel out of state to marry his life partner. Had everyone pretty convinced. Took him awhile to set them all straight.
. after you hear the the 50th customer say "wheres jimmy <3 he is our favorite :) " you get tired of it so i usually make up stuff about why the driver isnt there that day and i just say something like;
"he had to go down to texas to bail his kid out of jail for GTA" or something like that lol they almost always believe you the first time
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
One of our cover drivers always answered, 'He's marching in the Gay Rights parade".




Not that there's anything wrong with that......
 
I have used many different lines. "What? He hasn't already been here today? I'd better check on him.", "his wife shot him last night", "His bail bondsman cut him off", others I can't think of right now. I even tried "He has the day off" once, but it was way too boring.
Oh, yeah...my fav has always been, " They fired him".
 
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