For all of you new drivers............

[Overpaid Union Thug]

big_arrow_up, you sound like a very conscientious driver. Yes, it is tough being a cover driver, because customers like to take advantage of cover drivers and, yes, bid drivers, such as myself, do things that may or may not follow the "letter of the law". If I have a heavy box for an elderly customer I will enter the home just far enough to safely set the package inside against a wall. I have one customer who I trust completely where I will leave certified fund COD's that she hasn't had the time to get the money orders for yet and will swing back in the afternoon to pick them up. I have several customers where I will indirect their personal packages to their business and others where I will sign for and secure their commercial deliveries inside their closed businesses. These are all things that I do not expect nor would I want my cover drivers to do and all things that I know could come back and bite me in the butt if something were to happen.

Dilli---it is nice to have you back----you presented a scenario which I hope all drivers, cover or not, will take to heart when dealing with an address that may not be easy to find. I truly hope that there is no correlation between the lazy cover driver and the elderly woman passing away. I couldn't imagine living with the guilt if my lack of caring led to such a tragedy.

The intent behind bending and/or breaking the rules for most drivers is probably honorable and some not so much but in the long wrong just not worth the risk. To me successfully bending or breaking the rules 1000 times isn't worth the potential risk of that one time that something goes wrong and and it comes back haunt me. All it takes is that one time to get a driver walked out the door while negating the hundreds or even thousands of successful rule breaking deliveries and costing the driver their job. But I'm not talking about what most would consider arbitrary methods. Hell it's hard not to break them when there are so many. I'm talking about the biggies. I have broken some of them in the past. Mostly during the first two or three years I was driving but after a few close calls and one very nerve racking one I decided enough is enough.

Some customers will accept the extra effort (I struggle to call it that given the nature of the topic) without even knowing that a driver is going outside of their prescribed duties but many are just taking advantage of them. They will do so with a smile on their face but once something goes wrong they won't hesitate to turn on the driver. And sometimes an incident can be triggered accidentally by one of those customers that was ignorant to the fact that the driver was breaking the rules or one that didn't. Like when someone like me doesn't sign for (or forge the customer's signature) the VA meds for a customer that physically can't get to the door or who's work schedule doesn't allow them to be home to receive them. They call in a concern to complain that the driver usually "just signs for them......" but didn't today and didn't even know that it was the cover driver just following the methods. Or maybe a customer calls and thinks they are ratting on "that backup guy" for something they think he did wrong but in the process, and ignorantly, are spilling the beans on their "normal driver."

So, you see there are just too many risks in my opinion. And some infractions won't get you fired but not having them on your record could go a long way in helping a driver if he were later confronted with another issue. If a manager or district manager is looking at the driver's record, or simply knows the driver has had issues with breaking what seems like arbitrary rules, they might see that as a bad sign.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Do you really think any of my local mgt team has the time or desire to come here?

We are talking about a Mom and Pop t-shirt shop. He had a stroke and she is trying to run the shop and take care of him at the same time. She leaves the back door unlocked--I put the pkgs inside and lock the door behind me. I sign her last name---been doing it for years. She gets her stuff and everyone is happy.


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[HomeDelivery]

Do you really think any of my local mgt team has the time or desire to come here?

We are talking about a Mom and Pop t-shirt shop. He had a stroke and she is trying to run the shop and take care of him at the same time. She leaves the back door unlocked--I put the pkgs inside and lock the door behind me. I sign her last name---been doing it for years. She gets her stuff and everyone is happy.


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i don't sign for customers; they fired someone here recently for falsifying a sig


but but but... don't they have driver-release forms for this company to allow you to do so?

i know my branch has it; and i DR to two of them, even this Saturday while they're closed... (covered rear porch area w/ cameras)

& a note on the door for FedEx saying it's OK to do so without a signature (it's on file at the hubs w/ the file # to CYA when DRing them)

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Probably---I'm not that worried about it.


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[wayfair]

Signed Delivery Notice-- I type in SOF(signature on file)

I have several deliveries that when packages are scanned, the diad prompts these messages to driver

 

[joeboodog]

Do you really think any of my local mgt team has the time or desire to come here?

We are talking about a Mom and Pop t-shirt shop. He had a stroke and she is trying to run the shop and take care of him at the same time. She leaves the back door unlocked--I put the pkgs inside and lock the door behind me. I sign her last name---been doing it for years. She gets her stuff and everyone is happy.


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Just have them sign a stack of info notices. You get their signature and they get their packages.

 

[9.5er]

Signed Delivery Notice-- I type in SOF(signature on file)

Sheer genius. I have been typing in customers name all this time. SOF is so much simpler. Thank you!!

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

It's amazing how some can justify their wrong doings. And even more amazing how innocent they attempt to make it sound. Or maybe I just don't have the balls to take such risks. I guess that's why I'll never hit it big in Vegas. Actually....I don't gamble period. Silly me.

 

[HomeDelivery]

Signed Delivery Notice-- I type in SOF(signature on file)

I have several deliveries that when packages are scanned, the diad prompts these messages to driver

ah, that's the term i was looking for...

yea, get those pre-printed forms from your dispatcher & have those little businesses sign them... that way cover drivers will know where to DR 'em if they come across those stops

o wait, you guys are hourly save those send-again for the bid driver

 

[FilingBluesFL]

Do you really think any of my local mgt team has the time or desire to come here?

We are talking about a Mom and Pop t-shirt shop. He had a stroke and she is trying to run the shop and take care of him at the same time. She leaves the back door unlocked--I put the pkgs inside and lock the door behind me. I sign her last name---been doing it for years. She gets her stuff and everyone is happy.


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Ohhhhhhh I see.

So it's ok for YOU do DR packages, and falsify delivery records, but it's not ok for me to DR some a-holes packages at his t-shirt shop.

Nice double-standards, Dave.

Hypocrite much?

 

[Johney]

Ohhhhhhh I see.

So it's ok for YOU do DR packages, and falsify delivery records, but it's not ok for me to DR some a-holes packages at his t-shirt shop.

Nice double-standards, Dave.

Hypocrite much?

Truly amazing isn't he?

 

[joeboodog]

Ohhhhhhh I see.

So it's ok for YOU do DR packages, and falsify delivery records, but it's not ok for me to DR some a-holes packages at his t-shirt shop.

Nice double-standards, Dave.

Hypocrite much?

Do as I say not as I do.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Only an idiot would DR 4 large boxes of T-shirts outside of a closed business without set operating hours.

 

[ZQXC]

Do you really think any of my local mgt team has the time or desire to come here?

We are talking about a Mom and Pop t-shirt shop. He had a stroke and she is trying to run the shop and take care of him at the same time. She leaves the back door unlocked--I put the pkgs inside and lock the door behind me. I sign her last name---been doing it for years. She gets her stuff and everyone is happy.


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The length of time something has been done (improperly) does not justify or validate the method.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

The length of time something has been done (improperly) does not justify or validate the method.

The term "customer service" goes beyond the limitations of our 340 Methods.

 

[ZQXC]

The term "customer service" goes beyond the limitations of our 340 Methods.

The method is improper.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

The method is improper.

The customer is happy.

 

[Johney]

Dave I can understand why you do this, what I don't get is leaving COD's without collecting at the POD. You say you trust her and she pays when you come back. What would happen if you couldn't make it back? Say you got hurt, hit by a car(I'm serious),or an accident?

 

[ZQXC]

The customer is happy.

I could make many of my customers happy by breaking all the rules and using improper methods. The customers don't sign my check; at least not here.

 

[cino321]

Sometimes when my customers don't shovel their stoop I grab a shovel and throw some salt out so I can have access to their door bells.

I recently went and installed screen doors over the weekend so I can have a out of sight/out of weather DR location on all my residential stops.

During my scheduled break last week, I interviewed several candidates for a receptionist position at a mom and pop shop on my route because the owner does not have time to do so, and I need someone to answer the phone when I call to see if the customer has any ARS printer cartridges that need to ship ASAP.

I have a joint checking account with a woman on my route who runs a business that receives COD packages often so I can literally pull out my check book and write a check out when she gets packages.

A print shop on my route recently had 10,000 business cards printed with my name and phone number on it so I can leave at every address on my route.

Then, I woke up, and realized I'm not Upstate