First Day, New Route....

Re-Raise

Well-Known Member
I wouldn't worry too much about the time at first, I would be more worried about making a good first impression on your new customers.

I have found if they like you anything you do is okay, ( look Re Raise just threw our package out the door as he drove through the bushes .. he is such a kidder)

but if you start out on the wrong foot it is hard to change their opinion later.
 

Jackburton

Gone Fish'n
I wouldn't worry too much about the time at first, I would be more worried about making a good first impression on your new customers.

I have found if they like you anything you do is okay, ( look Re Raise just threw our package out the door as he drove through the bushes .. he is such a kidder)

but if you start out on the wrong foot it is hard to change their opinion later.

Personable, not personal is something I've actually taken to heart. There's a balance between getting in good with customers and spending to much time chatting it up. Then again, I also don't use my phone with customers, nor UPS, both tend yo get people in more trouble then the time saved.
 

Re-Raise

Well-Known Member
Personable, not personal is something I've actually taken to heart. There's a balance between getting in good with customers and spending to much time chatting it up. Then again, I also don't use my phone with customers, nor UPS, both tend yo get people in more trouble then the time saved.
 
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stevetheupsguy

sʇǝʌǝʇɥǝndsƃnʎ
Perhaps it will get better over time. When I was an air driver we were assigned routes, and when I was placed on a new one I always ran a little longer the first day if I was unfamiliar with the area.

It might be heavy due to the fact that whoever had it on Friday knew he wouldn't have it again; this may have caused him to lack a certain diligence in his deliveries. You will also get a much better handle on it after a couple weeks when it becomes more routine. Every new route seems like trouble at first.
There are 4 or 5 companies on this route that have pickup times before 5 and are asking me to come back at 5:30-6pm. I'm not one to offend, and understand their need, but this isn't what I signed onto this route for. The last pickup was supposed to be a LBX at 17:30. Am I stuck, or do I have a way out?

im sorry but i am going on 28 yrs,, at no point in the past was it considered "part of the job" to work 12 hrs a day
Some days 12 hrs is fine, but not everyday!

I wouldn't worry too much about the time at first, I would be more worried about making a good first impression on your new customers.

I have found if they like you anything you do is okay, ( look Re Raise just threw our package out the door as he drove through the bushes .. he is such a kidder)

but if you start out on the wrong foot it is hard to change their opinion later.
I agree, so I'm not saying anything right now, but I don't want them walking all over me, either, thinking that I'm the "new" guy.
 

Cementups

Box Monkey
I don't feel sorry for anybody who thinks this is an eight hours a day job. I've watched as countless teamsters have tried and failed. Some break all the rules and some are no longer with the firm because of it. I remember sitting ant lunch with a bunch of 25 to 35 year drivers one day when I had about three months on the job. Me I'm the kind of person if you tell me something of significance it will stick in my brain forever. This driver Goltz told me to marry a understanding woman and get some thick skin with this job. You are going to miss ballgames recitals and something else. Time

Ups offers you a good life so its a trade off if you want to cut corners and you don't want to tow the line you will get caught and if you end up at panel and out of a job for good. You will dream of those ten and eleven hour days. Because when it's over it's final and binding

I completely agree. Fortunately for me, my wife has been with me pretty much since the beginning of my UPS career. She knew my stupid hours of preload when we staarted dating and she knows the long hours of me being a service provider. The difference between 8 hour days and the OT is several thousand dollars. I certainly don't mind as UPS has provided me a life that I may not have afforded had I worked somewhere else. I also enjoy not being stuck to a chair staring at a cubicle wall. The view from my office window changes every second. Overall it's not really a bad gig. All this being said, I still stick by my original statement that all the money in the world can't replace time spent with the kids. It's just a fact. Hopefully they understand the sacrifice(s) I made for them to have a better life. One which they deserve. I've chosen UPS and I've also chosen to have a family given the (UPS) circumstances. I accept my fate.

It's choice-not chance-that determines your destiny. ----Jen Nidetch
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
There are 4 or 5 companies on this route that have pickup times before 5 and are asking me to come back at 5:30-6pm. I'm not one to offend, and understand their need, but this isn't what I signed onto this route for. The last pickup was supposed to be a LBX at 17:30. Am I stuck, or do I have a way out?

This will depend upon what the previous driver did. If he stood firm on the pickup times and did not go back you should be able to do the same; however, if he chose to take care of the customer and went back you may have a hard time changing this behavior.
 

rod

Retired 22 years
Watch out for them shifty customers. They all want delivered by 9:00 a.m. and picked up 10 minutes before they close so when they see a new driver they automatically go into their "we need you to do this" routine. I always told them that if they wanted me to come back, the earliest I could make it would be the next day. After awhile they learn what schedule they need to work by.
 

menotyou

bella amicizia
My last pick up is 4:38 pm. If I can swing back by wihtout getting myself in trouble, I will accommodate. If I can't, I won't.
 

hubrat

Squeaky Wheel
There are 4 or 5 companies on this route that have pickup times before 5 and are asking me to come back at 5:30-6pm. I'm not one to offend, and understand their need, but this isn't what I signed onto this route for. The last pickup was supposed to be a LBX at 17:30. Am I stuck, or do I have a way out?"

Responsible business owners have their shipments completed well before the agreed-upon time. You should pick them up +/- 15 minutes of the scheduled time as per company policy. If they need a later time, let your on car know.
 

Dizzee

ɹǝqɯǝɯ ɹoıuǝs
Responsible business owners have their shipments completed well before the agreed-upon time. You should pick them up +/- 15 minutes of the scheduled time as per company policy. If they need a later time, let your on car know.

Well said.

As soon as you come back to accommodate them, it will be expected that you can do it all of the time.
 

Jones

fILE A GRIEVE!
Staff member
I used to have a standard line when pickups asked me if I could come back "later":
"Sure, I'll be back in 24 hours, will that be enough time?"

We can't do that anymore though, now I just come back at whatever time they want. If it's gonna put me over 9.5 I contact my sup and let him make the call.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
I used to have a standard line when pickups asked me if I could come back "later":
"Sure, I'll be back in 24 hours, will that be enough time?"

We can't do that anymore though, now I just come back at whatever time they want. If it's gonna put me over 9.5 I contact my sup and let him make the call.

I have a daily pickup that I pick up twice during the day. I was at the mall making my last dropbox pickup when my center manager sent me an ODS asking me to go back down to that pickup as they had more going. I called him to ask if he really wanted me to drive 20 minutes roundtrip to make a third pickup and he said yes. Easiest 45 minutes of OT I have ever had. (I told my on-car about this and he just shook his head--I know he would not have sent me back)

My route is fairly dense (much like the driver) so it is not a big deal if a pickup asks me to come back later.

As Jones said, if we are asked to go back we should do all that we can (within reason) to go back.
 
I have a daily pickup that I pick up twice during the day. I was at the mall making my last dropbox pickup when my center manager sent me an ODS asking me to go back down to that pickup as they had more going. I called him to ask if he really wanted me to drive 20 minutes roundtrip to make a third pickup and he said yes. Easiest 45 minutes of OT I have ever had. (I told my on-car about this and he just shook his head--I know he would not have sent me back)

My route is fairly dense (much like the driver) so it is not a big deal if a pickup asks me to come back later.

As Jones said, if we are asked to go back we should do all that we can (within reason) to go back.
At least your honest.
 

bigbrownhen

Well-Known Member
Taking care of customers is one thing, customers taking advantage of a driver is another. If you can adjust the pick up time to help them out I would, this could give you more time to finish residentials. Give the route some time to figure it out, and make adjustments as you see fit to make it work for you and your customers. No two drivers run a route the same. Good luck with the new route.
 

stevetheupsguy

sʇǝʌǝʇɥǝndsƃnʎ
I guess they'll have to braid each others hair.

Maybe not!

Emilia%20Braid.jpg
 

menotyou

bella amicizia
My old route was three big loops. That was great for me and the customers. I could stop whenever. They understood, though, my scheduled pick-up time was it for the day. That was my last loop through.
 
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