Fixing trace problems in EDD

[AKCoverMan]

I would still speak with the driver before talking to management. When you get your own route, you will understand. Some drivers are just so jaded by management that they won't do anything to help operations go any smoother. Some have tried to make necessary changes but have hit a brick wall. It's his/her call to make. Going behind their back will only hurt your relationship with someone you will be working with for years.

Again, I sooo hear you. We are not a large center, only about 35 bid routes, 5 air routes and about 10 cover drivers. Any change I am talking about has been fully discussed with the drivers involved... this is a frequent topic during shop talk sessions before PCM.

I guess I should have stated such in my OP, it never would cross my mind to change how a bid driver runs his route. I just want access to that information by having the trace show up in EDD that way. Even so I would not want even that change made with out the bid driver in the loop.

In our center the dispatch sup also is the ft sup for the preload. We used to have a separate ft sup for the preload but then she went to IE and the dispatch sup does both.

Fixes do happen but slowly and some bid drivers don't bother to bring the dispatch sup these problems anymore because they don't think anything will happen. They work around it everyday by looking thru EDD and then working in the order that makes sense. Some drivers are remote-starters and almost are never in the building to talk to the dispatch supe.

 

[browniehound]

What aggravates me is that it can be fixed very easily with a little work. I don't know who wants to do it, the driver or managemnet, but someone is being lazy.

I just got on my bid route this year and the EDD was traced STOP for STOP! All you need is a map and you can almost scratch it blind. Every street is ordered perfectly and all the number breaks are split perfectly.

For example, the trace takes you to the end of a street that makes a "T". The high numbers are to the right that is a dead end and the low are to the left. The trace sends you to the right to start at the high and work your way to the lows.

This is how it should be for every route!! Isn't this what the system was designed for?? Why are we not more adamant at getting it right? It would give us a leg up on the competition in efficency if the driver and management could just take the initial time to get it right!

I've been on many routes and none are as good as this one. I still think the system needs tweaking too. Right now we have to "trick" the system to get certain addresses pal'd correctly.


For example, the driver prior to me was very clever. There was a large bulk stop that he wanted loaded in RDL Next Days included. This address was part of an office park so packages were addressed in different ways. The postal address was "75 Clarkesville ave." but in the office park it had an address 3 corporate park. Well there was no corporate park in the system so the packages were palled to 3 "park st"

Park st, happened to be far off route and he kept getting misloads shuttled to him at 4pm to go back and deliver this business that closed at 5. He was making pick-ups so it became difficult and a nuisance to say the least.

Come to fined out there was no address at 3 park st. The address didn't exist. So the driver (brilliant if you asked me; these are the things mangement should be thinking of) suggested that packages palled for "3 Park st." be palled to RDL on his route. I get 1-4 packages a day pal'd to 3 park loaded in RDL.

Guess what, problem solved! No more misloads and such a clever "fix" by our driver that it should have been recognized in a PCM so maybe other similar issues could get fixed.

Hasn't happened to my knowledge.

Think about the cost off those misloads? I'm sure there are many problems like this thoughout our district that don't get the attention that our driver had and its costing the comany $$$$ in misloads and shuttling (might as well be missed if it needs to be shuttled, fuel and labor take a $5 ground and turn it into $25 cost. Do when need this?)

Brownie

 

[brownmonster]

I have the same situation and both are paled to the same sequence number. Things can be done to make this system better but half the people don't know how and the other half doesn't care.

 

[stevetheupsguy]

I have the same situation and both are paled to the same sequence number. Things can be done to make this system better but half the people don't know how and the other half doesn't care.

Very true, why do so many stops have the same pal number. I have whole strip malls with the same pal number.

 

[brownmonster]

Strip malls with the same address can be seperated in PAS by consignee. Just takes someone to set it up. Doesn't work 100% but helps and gives you more stop credit for dispatch purpose.

 

[AKCoverMan]

Very true, why do so many stops have the same pal number. I have whole strip malls with the same pal number.

If the address is one that has a drop down menu on your diad, then PAS will usually sort the stops. Like Tuesday I had a mall at 800 E Dimond Blvd, but that address was in my EDD 30 odd times, one for each "stop" plus one for all the packages that didn't fit any of the consignee names stored in they system. So Best Buy will be RDC but Footlocker will be on shelf 7, etc.

Problem is if the data is not in the system then PAS treats as one big bulk stop.

 

[tourists24]

Problem is if the data is not in the system then PAS treats as one big bulk stop.

We have a fix to this problem in my area. But as usual fix one problem, here's another. Our system is set up to where if something is not in the system, you cant simply Pal it to one big catch all. A pkg not in the system is sent to a clerk area who then has to manually put in a consignee. This has completely eliminated the one bulk stop problem. Only problem we do have is when this clerk cant figure out exactly what to put. They either guess or put Mall Office. Even so, out of every 500 pkgs, maybe 3 or 4 get messed up.

 

[stevetheupsguy]

If the address is one that has a drop down menu on your diad, then PAS will usually sort the stops. Like Tuesday I had a mall at 800 E Dimond Blvd, but that address was in my EDD 30 odd times, one for each "stop" plus one for all the packages that didn't fit any of the consignee names stored in they system. So Best Buy will be RDC but Footlocker will be on shelf 7, etc.

Problem is if the data is not in the system then PAS treats as one big bulk stop.

We have a fix to this problem in my area. But as usual fix one problem, here's another. Our system is set up to where if something is not in the system, you cant simply Pal it to one big catch all. A pkg not in the system is sent to a clerk area who then has to manually put in a consignee. This has completely eliminated the one bulk stop problem. Only problem we do have is when this clerk cant figure out exactly what to put. They either guess or put Mall Office. Even so, out of every 500 pkgs, maybe 3 or 4 get messed up.

I'm talking about all seperate addresses. I know what you guys mean. Our mall is 3174 NW federal Hwy. Bunches of packages come addressed to that same address, but that's the actual mall office address, LOL. My dilemma has to do with different addresses that are close, so EDD puts the same sequence number on like 5 different stops. They come up as seperate stops in my diad, but with all the same sequence numbers, my loader lumps them all together. This will really become a problem at peak. Any suggestions???

 

[trplnkl]

I'm talking about all seperate addresses. I know what you guys mean. Our mall is 3174 NW federal Hwy. Bunches of packages come addressed to that same address, but that's the actual mall office address, LOL. My dilemma has to do with different addresses that are close, so EDD puts the same sequence number on like 5 different stops. They come up as seperate stops in my diad, but with all the same sequence numbers, my loader lumps them all together. This will really become a problem at peak. Any suggestions???

I don't know of a way to remedy that problem. All I can see is that you have to make sure you get all packages for a multi-package stop by.....looking for them. With most of our loaders if they get it in the right sequence he/she is a genius.

 

[toonertoo]

I have the same situation and both are paled to the same sequence number. Things can be done to make this system better but half the people don't know how and the other half doesn't care.

We just went on this system and from I have read for years on here, it can be good or bad. I just think if we had a small meeting explaining to us what a pal label, for starters, etc , we could be more helpful in changing mistakes. I had one address palled with a 4000, and one palled with a 1000. I called it in but with no experience I dont know what the label had on it that made it do that. Also the stamper needs ink, the loaders cant see to load them quickly, and the drivers cant read them. The stamper guy told us the cartridges are too expensive and UPS doent want to spend the $$??

 

[Cementups]

As a cover driver I see trace problems on most of the routes I cover. The regular drivers are used to these hickups in the route and just deliver the stops in the order that makes sense rather than the route in EDD.

What process do you use in your center to get problems in EDD cleaned up?

Ok, I tried to ignore this thread but I can't. As a cover driver you should not be fixing the regular drivers route. I know you're concerns but don't go pissing off the regular driver by making changes he is unaware of. Maybe you should go to him and mention changing some things and inform him that it would help him in the long run by eliminating any any problems with cover drivers in the future.

i used to have a guy that would cover my route that would change things in my EDD all the time. It really started to piss me off so I said something to him. He kept telling me how the route used to be run and that I was doing it wrong. Funny cause when i relooped it i actually cut time and miles off the route and have 90% of my commercial done before noon where as he would be running circles 3-4 times and passing the smae landmarks several times throughout the day. I gained more stops , but at the sme time I can get more stops done more effeciently when you aren't on the same street 4 seperate times in 30 minutes.

Moral: don't mess with a route that's not yours. when you have your own route you can me Mr. Perfect.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I wouldn't worry about correcting problems on a route whether it's a bid route or not. The route doesn't belong to the bid driver. It belongs to all of because eventually others will have to run the route too. It's not like FedEx Ground where they have actually bought the routes and they really do belong to them. But again the problems I'd try to fix would be obvious and would probably be how the bid driver runs the route anyway. Such as dead end streets that are sequenced backwards in EDD. I wouldn't change something that doesn't need to be changed. And I'm definitely not going to shy away from correcting problems in EDD just because the bid driver has a chip on his/her shoulder and doesn't want things at UPS to work right. LOL! Nice attitude huh?

I fixed an entire neighborhood's trace on a bid route a while back and the bid driver sure was happy about it. I run that route at least three times each month and got sick of having to dig packages out of the loads to run that neighborhood logically so I fixed the problem. It was the first time I've been able to get our dispatch sup to fix a problem of that magnitude. All of my other past attempts were blown off. That is a problem we have here as well. I agree that when all else fails just run the routes at 100% trace and when it screws up management's "numbers" we'll see them act quickly. If each and every driver in a center would do this then management would have to fix trace issues.

 

[wornoutupser]

I don't know of a way to remedy that problem. All I can see is that you have to make sure you get all packages for a multi-package stop by.....looking for them. With most of our loaders if they get it in the right sequence he/she is a genius.

This can be fixed by having that particular numerical address in EDD changed to NIS.
This will force all packages to this address to go for a lookup. This will be a major pain to your lookup clerks but it will fix the problem.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

We just went on this system and from I have read for years on here, it can be good or bad. I just think if we had a small meeting explaining to us what a pal label, for starters, etc , we could be more helpful in changing mistakes. I had one address palled with a 4000, and one palled with a 1000. I called it in but with no experience I dont know what the label had on it that made it do that. Also the stamper needs ink, the loaders cant see to load them quickly, and the drivers cant read them. The stamper guy told us the cartridges are too expensive and UPS doent want to spend the $$??

I would be willing to bet that the pkg PALed to the 4000 section was ground and the pkg PALed to the 1000 section was an air pkg.

 

[toonertoo]

I would be willing to bet that the pkg PALed to the 4000 section was ground and the pkg PALed to the 1000 section was an air pkg.

No It was not, it said UPs ground and when I del it it did not show up late, which is what the guy said when I asked him about the problem. Then they told me about the ink problem which I was already told and it was without a doubt 1000.

 

[AKCoverMan]

Ok, I tried to ignore this thread but I can't. As a cover driver you should not be fixing the regular drivers route. I know you're concerns but don't go pissing off the regular driver by making changes he is unaware of. Maybe you should go to him and mention changing some things and inform him that it would help him in the long run by eliminating any any problems with cover drivers in the future.

i used to have a guy that would cover my route that would change things in my EDD all the time. It really started to piss me off so I said something to him. He kept telling me how the route used to be run and that I was doing it wrong. Funny cause when i relooped it i actually cut time and miles off the route and have 90% of my commercial done before noon where as he would be running circles 3-4 times and passing the smae landmarks several times throughout the day. I gained more stops , but at the sme time I can get more stops done more effeciently when you aren't on the same street 4 seperate times in 30 minutes.

Moral: don't mess with a route that's not yours. when you have your own route you can me Mr. Perfect.

Again. I get that. I am NOT trying to change anyones route. I am trying to make EDD match the way the regular driver runs the route. We are not a large center, any of the things I want to change the regular route driver wants to change also. I would never suggest anything be changed without talking to the regular route driver first.

But I am talking about stops that show up in sequence but can't be run that way becuase a street does not go thru etc. New streets that are not even in the DOL yet. (These stops come down the belt after PCM with PAL labels that say "NIS" Not in System and we scramble to figure out which car should take them, then have to remeber them during the day since they are not in EDD. Also I am talking about collecting data and setting up consignee records for multiple stop addresses. Some are built well, some have not been updated for years, and some have not been built at all. So when I cover the 01D route and get to the strip mall at 549 W International Airport Road I have to stop and dig all the packages out of FL4 and sort them out by stop. I am guessing there is zero allowed time for this, and I know that it means inaccurate stop counts in the morning.

Some people have gotten to the stage that they just wont even bother to tell the center to fix these things; I would rather try to solve these issues than just sit around before PCM and bitch about it with other drivers.

The problem is the regular drivers after a few months have learned where the problems are on the trace and simply skip around and do it in the order that makes sense. Then cover drivers come along and totally fall down on the route becuase they are trying to follow "trace". On a route I covered last week I literally drove be the same place five times following "trace" thru a couple of neighborhoods. I know thru conversations with the bid driver that he does not follow trace on this section, so I am not going to screw him up by trying to work with the center to fix EDD. BTW the bid driver is a remote start who only sees the inside of the center a few times a year.

I just don't buy the idea that these problems should not be addressed simply becuase I don't "own" the route. I am pretty sure the logo on my uniform is the same as the bid drivers. I am not working against him/her.

 

[AKCoverMan]

I wouldn't worry about correcting problems on a route whether it's a bid route or not. The route doesn't belong to the bid driver. It belongs to all of because eventually others will have to run the route too. It's not like FedEx Ground where they have actually bought the routes and they really do belong to them. But again the problems I'd try to fix would be obvious and would probably be how the bid driver runs the route anyway. Such as dead end streets that are sequenced backwards in EDD. I wouldn't change something that doesn't need to be changed. And I'm definitely not going to shy away from correcting problems in EDD just because the bid driver has a chip on his/her shoulder and doesn't want things at UPS to work right. LOL! Nice attitude huh?

I fixed an entire neighborhood's trace on a bid route a while back and the bid driver sure was happy about it. I run that route at least three times each month and got sick of having to dig packages out of the loads to run that neighborhood logically so I fixed the problem. It was the first time I've been able to get our dispatch sup to fix a problem of that magnitude. All of my other past attempts were blown off. That is a problem we have here as well. I agree that when all else fails just run the routes at 100% trace and when it screws up management's "numbers" we'll see them act quickly. If each and every driver in a center would do this then management would have to fix trace issues.

So how did you get it done? Just a sit down with the dispatch sup?

 

[brownmonster]

Is it possible the regular driver keeps it that way so only he can be successful on that route and the cover's won't burn it up and make him look bad?

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

So how did you get it done? Just a sit down with the dispatch sup?

Sort of. I jotted down some notes on each street in the neighborhood on a piece of paper and showed him what the route would look like on the map. He has pretty good area knowledge so it was easy to explain.

 

[1989]

Is it possible the regular driver keeps it that way so only he can be successful on that route and the cover's won't burn it up and make him look bad?

That sounds a little dishonest to me.