Driver helper question

user777

New Member
Hello all. After a few hours of searching i figured i would just ask. obviously it is not peak season yet, but my center is using a few driver helpers. my question is as follows. As far as senority goes, i have more than any of the employees being used to driver help. Does senority even matter in driver helping? I have never been a driver helper and was wondering if i have to wait until they do orientation in i think october to be trained, or is that something i could get trained at any time? I would love to get out there and help our hard working drivers as soon as i can. If any stewards or BAs could point me in the right direction I would be very thankful. To clear up a few details. All employees being used are current employees and not outsidehires. Also i have no training in driver helping or in using the diad, although i have expressed my desire to learn to one of our full time sups. Thanks in advance for all the help.
 

Justaname

Well-Known Member
Training? All you do is take the package to the front door, knock, then leave. Usually your sup will walk around and ask if you want to participate for extra hours. Drivers will usually do the training when you're on car with them. Most drivers will teach you how to use the diad. If you plan to stay with ups it's a good experience for a small taste of what drivers do. If you preload then it also teaches you how important a good load can affect a drivers day. I've never heard of training though.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Helpers in my center do get minimal training before going on road.

Helpers, especially if they are current employees, should be used in seniority order when possible.
 

Pawn

New Member
In our hub they usually put up a bid list for part timers. You may not even have to learn to use the diad, unless your driver is dropping you at a high rise, or making you walk resi's.
 

DiligentUPSer

Well-Known Member
Usually they will post a sign up sheet on the big board. All you will need to do is sign up on that sheet and attend the orientation, which I believe takes 90 minutes or so and you will be paid for it. From there just wait for the phone call to begin. The thing I did not like about doing driver helper a few years back was that you do not get a set schedule, but rather they call you early each morning to ask if you would be interested in helping that day. You may or may not be assigned to the same driver/route location each day. I've also heard that if you decline to work on one of the days they call that they might not call you anymore after that. At my hub seniority makes no difference with regard to being accepted as a helper, as in most cases, every hub employee who attends one of the many orientations gets accepted. The earlier you sign up the better. Just wait until they post the first sign up sheet.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
In our hub they usually put up a bid list for part timers. You may not even have to learn to use the diad, unless your driver is dropping you at a high rise, or making you walk resi's.

Any driver worth his salt will have their helper trained on the DIAD after the first couple of days.
 

grgrcr88

No It's not green grocer!
First, the company should not be using helpers until November, but that's another thread!! You need to talk to the full time driver Steward. Find out how the company decided who gets to work. Usually there would be a posted sign up sheet and they should start with the top seniority person off that list. If there was a sign up sheet and you missed it, ask management to be added to the list(with a Steward present). They should then start using you before the others if you indeed have the seniority. If there was no posting and they are just randomly picking who they want, you should make sure they know you want to do it(again with a Steward present) and file a grievance for all time that the lower seniority person worked that you could have worked.
 
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