DR Audit

[ol'browneye]

A few years ago, my center manager had a few of us lined up outside his office. When I got called in he showed me a picture of a NDA pkg sitting behind a pkg car on the dock. On the picture was written my truck #. He told me this pkg had been found in my car last night during unload. I looked at it. It was a box with a very old type NDA sticker on it, the kind where you peeled out the center barcode, and you couldn't read the label, it was too small! None of my shippers used this kind of NDA label and since I couldn't read the label to see what shipper it was from, I just said "That's just a picture of a box with my truck # on it. How do you or I know it even came out of my truck?" He just got a dumb look on his face, pointed at the door and said "Get out!" That's the last I heard of it!

 

[feeder53]

LEDDYSS, You have done the job at hand to the best of your ability, with the tools at hand. I feel if you fire back, it may only cause more issues. As far as others kidding you, they do not have the power to make it hurt you if you do not let it. I just take it as it comes and move on...If they get a kick out of making fun of me, I joke right along with them....kinda takes away the ammo. If it comes to them firing you or sending you home...you have the experts (union) to fight that fight.....I would just move on and try to do better evry day....

 

[New Englander]

A few years ago, my center manager had a few of us lined up outside his office. When I got called in he showed me a picture of a NDA pkg sitting behind a pkg car on the dock. On the picture was written my truck #. He told me this pkg had been found in my car last night during unload. I looked at it. It was a box with a very old type NDA sticker on it, the kind where you peeled out the center barcode, and you couldn't read the label, it was too small! None of my shippers used this kind of NDA label and since I couldn't read the label to see what shipper it was from, I just said "That's just a picture of a box with my truck # on it. How do you or I know it even came out of my truck?" He just got a dumb look on his face, pointed at the door and said "Get out!" That's the last I heard of it!

3 of us were called up into an old center manager's office with our steward. He was pissed said we were going to ruin UPS and all we had at the end of our day was our integrity

1 driver was taking call tags RS's etc and just completely not doing them. Leaving them behind the dash and infront of hte window. Not sheeting or anything.

1 driver was sheeting commercial stops at 16:55 as CL1 so not to get hit with a missed after 17:00 commercial delivery.

Mine? He handed me a photo copy of a package with a service cross on it. It was a NSN left on car and not brought to ECS. Wasn't even mine. I told him to look at the initials and look at the staffing to see if I was even on the route.

I sat through the entire bitch session and it didn't even involve me. Some on-roads came up to me later saying he felt pretty silly about the situation.

 

[IWorkAsDirected]

The best way to end this sort of harrassment is to stop doing any DR's at all, and just get a signiature for every stop. Then file grievances for being over 9.5, as you most certainly will be. A veteran driver once told me when I was a newbie; "When the heat is on...turn it UP." Never show weakness or fear.

Not a good idea, we had a driver do this and he was almost terminated for "stealing time"

 

[beentheredonethat]

I had one DR audit done when I was a SP. This was a while ago and my on road took my carbons and did the audit. I knew all my dr's were OK, except there was one, that wasn't one out of site. I could have DR'ed it to another location. But it was a pkg about 20 lbs, and I didn't want to have teh person move it far. She was an elderly lady, who was almost always home and always wanted to talk etc. I was always pleasant with her. I took about 1 afternoon break a month talking with her. Well the 10th audit was her pkg that wasn't DR'ed out of site. Turns out by the time the supv came to her house, she already got home. Then she told the supv what a nice person I was. So instead of 9 out of 10. I got the 100. What goes around, comes around. But interviewing people is normal, esp if the supv is looking for a pkg, they come out since they see the truck. Usually they just ask about the DR. Most people tell them how courteous the driver is.

 

[Channahon]

Behavior is the key word at UPS for both management and hourly employees. Ideally, everyone comes to work, does their respective jobs, and has a good day.

When attitudes and egos get in the way of providing service to the customers, that's when concerns and problems need to be identified and a solution to be implemented to resolve service, safety and cost issues.

Sometimes the solutions are to do audits, and with all the training videos, methods, rides, and experience of the drivers, most results are favorable. Now if a driver or an area is identified as high risk, such as a high number of driver follow ups, then of course, UPS management will go out and do audits. In some cases, areas can be taken off driver release, based on the demographics or changes in the area.

If an employee is constantly getting injured or in accidents, then UPS management will go and do on area observations, to assess the concern, is it the driver, or the area. This type of observation is to correct behavior to ensure all safety and driving methods are used properly. Believe me if the methods are used properly, then everyone should have a safe day on the road. It only takes a few minutes of observation either on the car or from a distance, to know if the driver is using the methods effectively.

I have done rides with drivers who were almost robotic in their routines, they were so smooth. And I've done rides with drivers, who were nervous wrecks, because they knew they were taking shortcuts throughout the day. That is where management has the responsibility to get the driver back on track.

Life is full of challenges both at work and personally, and conflict and resolution are the most satisfying skills anyone can posess in my opinion.

 

[feeder53]

Good Post Channahon

 

[Covemastah]

been there///// i remember sweating out a few stops back in the day when they took my ""carbons'' lol for all you kids that was the good old days before diads and on calls and stupid messages to call asap !!! biggest problem of the day was making your reds {next days] by noontime!!! but yes the job and pressure was still tough !!!!!

 

[filthpig]

I wouldn't it will just escalate everything. I've seen it happen.

Best thing is to ask yourself some seriously tough questions as to why they are hounding you.

I agree.. Don't start throwing rocks at the people who can fire you. And like he said, if you're getting a lot of DFU's, then clean that up. They don't pick on people for no reason.

 

[Channahon]

Feeder 53 - Thank you very much and I appreciate your feedback

 

[soberups]

Life is full of challenges both at work and personally, and conflict and resolution are the most satisfying skills anyone can posess in my opinion.

I wholeheartedly agree...but I also believe in negotiating from a position of strength.
I come to work with a desire to cooperate and be reasonable. Most of the time, my management feels the same way. Sometimes, however, they dont. I can be reasonable. I can also be an obnoxious pain in the ass. It is the actions of management that determine which choice I will make.

 

[soberups]

I agree.. Don't start throwing rocks at the people who can fire you. And like he said, if you're getting a lot of DFU's, then clean that up. They don't pick on people for no reason.

I never "start" throwing rocks at the people who can fire me...they are the ones who throw first, I just pick up the rocks they threw and missed with, and throw them right back. And I have a much better aim and I can throw a lot harder.

 

[soberups]

The problem with DR audits is that, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight and from behind the safety of a desk, any manager can invent a reason why any particular DR should or should not have been made.
Its a little more complicated for those of us who actually have to deliver the packages in the real world. We dont have the luxury of playing make-believe like I.E. does. If we dont get rid of that Pottery Barn order, we wont contain our pickups. If we dont maintain a certain SPORH, we have service failures. Help isnt available. That is the reality of UPS.
UPS made a business decision to allow Driver Release knowing full well that a certain % of those packages would become claims. The increase in productivity more than pays for the increase in paid claims. It is simply an issue of mathematics.
If UPS wants to micromanage how I do my route, then I will simply stop doing DR's altogether. The same policies that can hold me accountable for an improper DR can be turned around 180 degrees to justify a signiature at every stop. UPS cant have it both ways.

 

[Channahon]

If UPS wants to micromanage how I do my route, then I will simply stop doing DR's altogether. The same policies that can hold me accountable for an improper DR can be turned around 180 degrees to justify a signiature at every stop. UPS cant have it both ways.

Just my thoughts....

I don't think UPS management is looking to micro manage your route, or any other route for that matter. Their concern is to get every route covered for the day by a union employee, have minimal service failures and no missed pick ups, injuries or accidents. Now multiply that by 30 or 40 routes, makes for a full day for everyone.

You may want to let your union steward know in advance, if you will stop doing DR's and secure a signature at every residential stop. That way when you are called into the office to explain your decision, your steward will not be blindsided. Somehow I don't think you would do this to your steward, but I have seen others make decisions regarding their routes that did not sit well with UPS management or the Union.

But then again, you get paid to make decisions all day long regarding your route, but I must say, I've seen drivers get disciplined and even terminated for making the same or similar decisions. Just felt I should let you know.

 

[brown67]

Ask on car for a 3 day ride along. I know its out of sorts, but it works. Have him show you what a good and bad DR look like. How to indirect etc. Make a note of how much time it takes to do your route the correct way. You're making them do an unofficial time study on you. Make a note on how much over you are ever day with your sup, and make sure he knows you know how long it takes. Then do it by the book. If called into to the office for time just show center manager the ride along numbers with your sup.

I've been harassed for time many times by management and I just ask for a ride along, so supervisor can show me how to make up time. So far I've never had a supervisor take me up on it and the harassment always stops. Why? They know I'm not scared of them, because I don't care if they come with me or not. I'm not doing anything wrong. Ask for a ride along.

 

[myback]

dude you are the man

 

[myback]

i bet u got brown in you ears to match your brown suit.

 

[myback]

before dr days we had to get sigs for all pkgs. but mgmt would say its ok to dr until something came up missing then you were all alone. after this happened a couple of times i put the brakes on all dr. no sig equals no del period. mgmt would ask me to dr pkgs and i wouldn't do it. i would ask them what part of signature required do you not understand. then on day it became offical, corp would permit dr of pkgs. i didn't believe it and i still wouldn't dr pkgs and refused to sign their paperwork saying its now ok to dr pkgs. then one day the center manager called me into his office and said i dont care what u think about dr pkgs. if corp says do it then u do it copy? so i said ok fine. corp doesn't care about these pkgs, my center manager doesn't care about these pkgs, just get rid of them. i am now the dr king and if something goes wrong then the cust should call the 1800 number and ask to speak with someone who might actually care about their pkgs. sucks to be you.

 

[trplnkl]

I've had "package not found" claims on perfect DR stops. One the customer had a brick wall lining the porch, large overhang, you could have hidden a volkswagen on that porch, PNF. Another DR was IN the garage next to the door going into the house, people at home, cars in the garage blocking view from the street, knocke on the door,PKF. Both times I was "talked with" on DR procedures and asked to sign the TW. The first time I signed before thinking about it, the second time I didn't sign but wrote " I followed established methods for safely DRing packages and did nothing wrong, I consider this TW to be harassment."
The sad but honest truth is, sometimes a supervisor or manager simply doesn't like an individual for whatever reason and look for excuses to hound them into some sort of uncontrolled behavior. I have seen Sups and managers that pride themselves on the accomplishment of firing people.
If all sups and managers were like Channahon and Lifer, all drivers would be like UPState and Satelitedriver.


Everything is beuuuuutifuuuuul in it;s own wayyyyyayyyyy.

 

[bigbrownman]

when I first started driving, I was running 3 hrs. under everyday and they did a DR audit on me. The other drivers told me it was because I drew attention to myself by working too fast. When I told my sup about it, he had a heated conversation with the loss prevention rep.
They actually went out and took video of a couple of stops that they thought I DR'd. The funny thing about it was that they pulled a split off my route that day and someone else had delivered those stops, that someone else was my sup. HAHA, no problems since!

I hope you filed for the supervisor working!! Thats easy money.