How Peak Was A Long Time Ago

Ms.PacMan

Well-Known Member
Someone mentioned helpers leaving with you from the building. I remember having a supe walk a helper over to me and their helper training was the supe saying, "Do what she says".

Internet shipping is bad but the malls back then - horrible! Because everyone went shopping in a mall. 2 of my first years I delivered the mall out of a semi trailer dropped there! I had a load stand in the snow to get in the trailer.
 

MC4YOU2

Wherever I see Trump, it smells like he's Putin.
My first ten years were all driver sort and load, and that was far superior to the systems in place today in many respects. For one, example at peak, you could load quite a few resis with a business stop where that customer worked at and take two stops. Sometimes 3 or 4 stops if several resi customers worked at one location. You'd actually start asking secretaries or whoever signed if they lived at an address that you recognized as the same name and then start indirecting anything small enough they could get in their car at the business, so long as they wanted you to.

We started at 7/730 AM most of the year and as early as 6:30 in December. Off all peak by 9 pm or so. Christmas Eve, if we were instructed to forgo pickups to let the system catch up, we could be off pretty early. I remember once having my whole route done (fewer resis and most businesses closed that day) and being at the tavern by 12:30 pm to celebrate the official end of peak.

Old timers before me, that started in the early 70's, talked about a Center mgr that used to routinely punch them all off at midnight (while they were all still out delivering) and then promise to give them paid time off to make up for it. So, it's really gone back and forth for years. My last ten were the worst. Worse loads, area changing constantly, no consistent business deliver times, mostly due to implementing technology. But, I never worked over 60 hours a week at any time in my career, so I can't complain about hours given the way this peak has gone for drivers in many areas.

Merry Christmas to all that have survived another peak!
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Someone mentioned helpers leaving with you from the building. I remember having a supe walk a helper over to me and their helper training was the supe saying, "Do what she says".

Internet shipping is bad but the malls back then - horrible! Because everyone went shopping in a mall. 2 of my first years I delivered the mall out of a semi trailer dropped there! I had a load stand in the snow to get in the trailer.

We used to drop a TP-60 in the mall parking lot for the helper to work out of.
 

gman042

Been around the block a few times
My first ten years were all driver sort and load, and that was far superior to the systems in place today in many respects. For one, example at peak, you could load quite a few resis with a business stop where that customer worked at and take two stops. Sometimes 3 or 4 stops if several resi customers worked at one location. You'd actually start asking secretaries or whoever signed if they lived at an address that you recognized as the same name and then start indirecting anything small enough they could get in their car at the business, so long as they wanted you to.

We started at 7/730 AM most of the year and as early as 6:30 in December. Off all peak by 9 pm or so. Christmas Eve, if we were instructed to forgo pickups to let the system catch up, we could be off pretty early. I remember once having my whole route done (fewer resis and most businesses closed that day) and being at the tavern by 12:30 pm to celebrate the official end of peak.

Old timers before me, that started in the early 70's, talked about a Center mgr that used to routinely punch them all off at midnight (while they were all still out delivering) and then promise to give them paid time off to make up for it. So, it's really gone back and forth for years. My last ten were the worst. Worse loads, area changing constantly, no consistent business deliver times, mostly due to implementing technology. But, I never worked over 60 hours a week at any time in my career, so I can't complain about hours given the way this peak has gone for drivers in many areas.

Merry Christmas to all that have survived another peak!
>

We got preload, EDD amd Orion all at the same time. Previously a Driver Sort and load for the first 15 years as a driver. With all the extra personnel(management and part-timers) and all the misloads and all the chaos really saving the company any money? I think not.
 

Raw

Raw Member
20 years ago I had a resi route and for a few years when I finished the 1st pkg car the car wash guy would run me out my 2nd full pkg car around 6pm. Around 360 stops for the day total! LOL
 

Heavy Package

Well-Known Member
To all those who have done the job in the past: I respect and thank you for your service. Old timer said he got done last day of peak in years past at 1am Christmas day. Just said that's what it took to get it all delivered.

The problem is not getting it done and working hard. I think all of us respect what we do to deliver Christmas to everyone each year. It's getting told what a piece of :censored3:it you are each day of the year by UPS that makes us so frustrated.
 

Heavy Package

Well-Known Member
May sound like a cliché but I wanted to say Merry Christmas to everyone. Spend time with your friends and family today. Give thanks to God for sending His son Jesus for our salvation. Life is not about delivering or receiving cardboard boxes. I pray all of us have a safe and blessed 2018.
 

Wally

BrownCafe Innovator & King of Puns
Years back, working really late was the last 4 or 5 days. Christmas Eve was a get in by 5 day. The preload was alwys wrapped by 8:30.

Who knows what the hell there problem is now. Out every day after 10 am is bullsheetrock.
 

burrheadd

KING Of GIFS
At one time I had probably 6 or 7 Avon ladies on my route. The main gal would meet me at my first stop in town and take them all so the other gals could get their stuff early at her house.

I had one ol gal that got boxes and boxes of Avon

I used to get to her house late morning early afternoon

One day I pull up around noon. She goes off about how she HAS to have her Avon by 10:00 screaming and yelling like a nut

I had a pickup about a block from her house after that day she never got her Avon before 4:00
 

oldngray

nowhere special
I had one ol gal that got boxes and boxes of Avon

I used to get to her house late morning early afternoon

One day I pull up around noon. She goes off about how she HAS to have her Avon by 10:00 screaming and yelling like a nut

I had a pickup about a block from her house after that day she never got her Avon before 4:00

I had a customer like that. She wanted special attention and every driver hated her. Her house was out of the way but if she didn't get her stuff early she would call in a complaint. She knew a big shot at Corporate so it would always be a big deal.
 

retiredTxfeeder

cap'n crunch
I actually worked less hours during peak than the rest of the year. From January-Nov, I put in a lineup at an extended building, which usually took about an hour and a half. During peak, they let their PT shifter work FT. He used to start about the time I got thru with the lineup to do their pull and replaces. Instead of my shift time, they let me pull a partial load to another building, then head back to my hub to FW. That new leg took about an hour. We were so pressed for tractors, The guy I shared with was usually waiting at the fuel pump when I got back.
 

rod

Retired 23 years
I had a customer like that. She wanted special attention and every driver hated her. Her house was out of the way but if she didn't get her stuff early she would call in a complaint. She knew a big shot at Corporate so it would always be a big deal.
Seems like every every hard to get along with customer knew a "big shot". I'm sure most of the big shots were something like a supervisor.
 
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