How to improve my loading speed?

[wcarpen2]

Hi everyone,

I recently got hired at the hub near me for the Package Handler position. This week was my first week on the floor (after the week of training videos) and for the past two days, my supervisor has mentioned I've been doing sub-par for what new hires should be doing.

I'm averaging about 175 packages scanned an hour and I'm really hoping to ramp that up to 325. I understand I'm new, but shouldn't I be scanning and packing faster than 175?

My supervisor mentioned most of the technique comes with time and the rest is a personal desire to improve, but I don't want to start improving later and ride a line between getting laid off for incompetency when I really do want to hit my quota for average packages scanned an hour!

So any techniques veterans can give a newbie to help my load speed improve and consistently keep it that way?

 

[TearsInRain]

everyone here is union scum that is going to tell you to slow down, be safe, and follow the methods, whatever any of that means

just listen to your supervisor, he's the most experienced which is why he went into management

 

[Shifting Contents]

everyone here is union scum that is going to tell you to slow down, be safe, and follow the methods, whatever any of that means

just dont listen to your supervisor, he was a sub par loader which is why he went into management

Fixed that for you. PS - your original post was HILARIOUS!

 

[menotyou]

everyone here is union scum that is going to tell you to slow down, be safe, and follow the methods, whatever any of that means

just listen to your supervisor, he's the most experienced which is why he went into management

That's why they target the fresh meat preloaders. They can;t get anyone else to do it. Fresh meat knows all, right?

As far as techniques, it will come with time. If you have a huge package taking up shelf space, drop it down. I mean place it on the floor just below the place it would be on the shelf. Save shelf space for smaller items. Don't put long thin items behind all the packages on the shelf. Again, drop it down. Do not get stuck in a truck looking for shelf space. Don't get overwhelmed. Safely stack out, if you have to. Always stack behind the truck it will go in. Don't go to slow, but, don't run. Stay ahead of the belt. Don't get stuck at the end of your sort area, as you will get behind quickly. Always work up the belt. If you have a few seconds, start loading your stacks. Don't get stuck in there, unless you have some one watching your packages. Use your co-workers. If the guy next to you is standing there, have him pull for you will you load. Team work is key.

Good luck.

 

[menotyou]

I miss having fresh meat sups for lunch.

 

[Brownslave688]

everyone here is union scum that is going to tell you to slow down, be safe, and follow the methods, whatever any of that means

just listen to your supervisor, he's the most experienced which is why he went into management

Scum seriously? Wow. He can scan 400 an hour for all I care. What's most important though is having a good clean load with minimal misloads. Very few experienced loaders could meet these numbers while being safe and still having a good load. That's the facts scum or not.

 

[HubBub]

First try to get into the mindset that numbers are meaningless, they're just throwing them at you to condition you like a good working dog. Just worry about showing up every day and working hard.

As for loading fast, it involves a lot of the same things as loading efficiently so you can go home without being half dead (I assume you're talking about trailers):

Learn to spin boxes to find the label. Two points of contact, either opposite corners of the box on your palms or your middle fingers on opposite sides and give it a flick. If you do opposite corners and spin you can see all sides of the box in a split second. Opposite sides, spin to check 4 sides then check the remaining 2.

If a box is heavy, learn to find the label and scan it before you pick it up. Only bear its full weight for as short a time as you need to.

No wasted motion. If there are irregs on the floor, move them as little as possible and learn to load around/on top of them. Keep your load stand as close as possible without getting in the way so you can slide it in place.

No double handling! Set a box and leave it there even if you notice a better spot. Load quality might suffer short term until you get more experience, but you'll save a ton of energy by the end of the shift. Make it a point to never double handle ever.

Try to gauge how many bags are coming and leave enough room at the top of each tier to (lightly) toss them up. That way when you're building a new tier you can toss the bags to the top of the previous tier (again be gentle and don't let the sups see this). Otherwise load bags immediately as they come (some people set them on the floor and load them on top; double handling = wasted energy.)

Get as much help as you can. If you need jams broken or have egress issues, ask for help whenever possible.

Use "back fill". Build tiers wide enough that you can set small or skinny packages behind without any thought.

Load quality! Wedge and level shelves as much as possible. It's hard to load towards the top of a crappy tier. The tighter the tier, the less thought and effort required.

 

[Indecisi0n]

If UPS started firing for incompetency we wouldn't have any sups.

 

[htown0721]

If UPS started firing for incompetency we wouldn't have any sups.

Or anyone else that works for UPS, everyone has ridiculous numbers they are expected to make thought up by someone who has no experience performing any of the functions: loading, unloading, driving etc. By UPS standards almost everyone is incompetent and rarely hit their numbers union and non-union.

 

[Anonymous 10]

everyone here is union scum that is going to tell you to slow down, be safe, and follow the methods, whatever any of that means

just listen to your supervisor, he's the most experienced which is why he went into management

I'm willing to bet you have about two years tops at ups. You also have to be between the ages of twenty to twenty two. This would explains a lot of your posts. If I'm wrong I'm willing to bet you are just an idiot. Some of the stuff you post on here proves it dailey.

 

[htown0721]

I'm willing to bet you have about two years tops at ups. You also have to be between the ages of twenty to twenty two. This would explains a lot of your posts. If I'm wrong I'm willing to bet you are just an idiot. Some of the stuff you post on here proves it dailey.

Why can't the Union and Management get along? haha my employees like me, however, I do tend feed them every Friday....so maybe they just tolerate me....personally, I think management assumes their employees are a bunch of idiots who tend not to care about their job/performance and the union assumes management are a bunch of pencil pushing retards who do not know what they are doing....when at the end of the day we are all trying to accomplish the same goals-providing a service to the customer (except for the few who actually do fall into the categories mentioned above)

 

[Buck Fifty]

Hi everyone,

I recently got hired at the hub near me for the Package Handler position. This week was my first week on the floor (after the week of training videos) and for the past two days, my supervisor has mentioned I've been doing sub-par for what new hires should be doing.

I'm averaging about 175 packages scanned an hour and I'm really hoping to ramp that up to 325. I understand I'm new, but shouldn't I be scanning and packing faster than 175?

My supervisor mentioned most of the technique comes with time and the rest is a personal desire to improve, but I don't want to start improving later and ride a line between getting laid off for incompetency when I really do want to hit my quota for average packages scanned an hour!

So any techniques veterans can give a newbie to help my load speed improve and consistently keep it that way?

Speed Up !

 

[YourBoss]

All my loaders go 500+. 325 is pretty slow. As long as you don't get misloads, scan everything and are not a pain in the ass there is a place for you. (At least on my sort.)

Your supervisor is correct and anyone telling you not to listen to him is giving bad advice.

 

[DiligentUPSer]

Personally, I don't give a crap about the PPH numbers because they are deceiving in most cases because: 1) some load assignments just do not have the volume or extendo to put up the 400+PPH's; 2) PPH's penalize those who keep up their load and do other things when their loads are caught up, such as missort carts, throwing up irregs, or breaking someone's else's jams.

With that said however, if you're in there just loading all night and putting up 175s that is really weak. We have a new guy in our area putting up 180 consistently every night and I'm stacking his trailers to the ceiling all night because he moves slower than molasses and is not cut out for the job in any way, shape, or form.

What I look for in a new loader is how quickly they move. Period. If you move quickly and have a hard time keeping up at first, I am not worried at all because there is an adjustment period in learning the necessary pace at UPS at first. On the other hand, if you move and walk slowly from the start, it is easy to tell that this job is not going to work out for that person. Just hustle and move with purpose and everything else will work itself out naturally as you gain more repetition, experience, and knowledge.

 

[menotyou]

They use to use that 30 days to evaluate you to so if you could do the job. I haven't seen them care about that in years. If you are breathing, you have a job.

 

[laffter]

They use to use that 30 days to evaluate you to so if you could do the job. I haven't seen them care about that in years. If you are breathing, you have a job.

I would have agreed with that statement last year. When I was still within my first 30 days, a preloader who has been here a long time told me they don't fire people unless they get caught stealing. And I never saw anyone get fired. People mostly quit on their own, due to the work load or harassment from supervisors.

Earlier this year, on my old belt, we got a bunch of new people. A lot of them quit. One guy in particular, was terrible. One of his drivers blew up on him when he arrived that morning and saw his load. They had to redo the entire car. The next day, they sent him to small sort, then to unload. He didn't do well anywhere, so he was fired. Several weeks ago I spoke to my old sup - he said eight new hires from his belt have been fired, in an attempt to fill a spot.

Doesn't seem like new hires are safe anymore, at least around here.

 

[menotyou]

I would have agreed with that statement last year. When I was still within my first 30 days, a preloader who has been here a long time told me that they don't fire people unless they get caught stealing. And I never saw anyone get fired. People mostly quit on their own, due to the work load or harassment from supervisors.

Earlier this year, on my old belt, we got a bunch of new people. A lot of them quit. One guy in particular, was terrible. One of his drivers blew up on him when he arrived that morning and saw his load. They had to redo the entire car. The next day, they sent him to small sort, then to unload. He didn't do well anywhere, so he was fired. Several weeks ago I spoke to my old sup - he said eight new hires from his belt have been fired, in an attempt to fill a spot.

Doesn't seem like new hires are safe anymore, at least around here.

Every time I stop in to chat with my center manager, he is whining about how he can't keep anyone. I have lunch with a co-worker sometimes. She transferred to Metro a while back, but subs on preload.
She shakes her head at the lack of training and attention to safety. Sad.

 

[Justaname]

everyone here is union scum that is going to tell you to slow down, be safe, and follow the methods, whatever any of that means

just listen to your supervisor, he's the most experienced which is why he went into management

Thats funny because it's usually the guys that can't cut it that get asked to become a pt sup at my center. However to the op I agree with your sup that speed comes in time.

 

[anonymous4]

Haven't you figured out TearsInRain was a legitimate poster who went awol and was replaced by a full time troll. Get with the times...

 

[Dracula]

Methamphetamine or management...that's your only hope, son...