How to sum up Orion

[JL 0513]

What bothers me is thinking about Abney and the COO continuing this push when they have to see that everyone hates it, including all the local management across the country. Every driver, every on car sup, and center manager alike will tell you it doesn't work well enough for such a thing to be forced.

As a cover deiver, I've experienced every which way it works on about 25 routes. I've been able to beat Orion miles on every one when I run it my way. The idea they are seeing nation wide results that satisfy them is almost impossible to believe when we've all experienced the added miles and added time.

I think drivers have done too much Orion fixing. If you're running it 85%, you're fixing many of the problems and it appears to "work". Do we all think if we've all been doing 98-100% since launch, we'd still be stuck with it? I think that would've exposed it for what it is.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

What bothers me is thinking about Abney and the COO continuing this push when they have to see that everyone hates it, including all the local management across the country. Every driver, every on car sup, and center manager alike will tell you it doesn't work well enough for such a thing to be forced.

As a cover deiver, I've experienced every which way it works on about 25 routes. I've been able to beat Orion miles on every one when I run it my way. The idea they are seeing nation wide results that satisfy them is almost impossible to believe when we've all experienced the added miles and added time.

I think drivers have done too much Orion fixing. If you're running it 85%, you're fixing many of the problems and it appears to "work". Do we all think if we've all been doing 98-100% since launch, we'd still be stuck with it? I think that would've exposed it for what it is.

But very few of those drivers and management personal will dare speak up about it to anyone above the district level. If that high. And too many drivers either don't have the guts to run it 100% or are too selfish to have the patience to do so.

Those two groups of people are the reason why we still have ORION.

 

[vvv]

The stupidity of forcing ORION without the ability to load the car (PAL / SPA labels) in ORION order, and the inability of UPS to fix this in short order is just a prime example of the piss poor management at UPS.

Removal of RDO in November Peak season of 2018 is another jackass move made by moronic management.

What's ORION?

 

[vvv]

Orion is the perfect example of managment trying to control via technology, without fully understanding the ramifications, the results of which is stressful to all, particularly the route driver.

Successful route drivers are at certain locations during the day for specific reasons, usually these reasons have to do with being at another key location later in the day. ODO, set up correctly, serves this function well. Orion, with its "one note" matrix of cutting miles, completely fails to grasp this reality.

The company would have done far better fine tuning ODO. You could cut some miles without the headaches. Don't reinvent the wheel, just make it roll a bit easier.

What's ODO?

 

[vvv]

As drivers, we are supposed to follow the 340 methods.
These methods are the very foundation of our job and are grilled into us from day one.
Failure to follow these methods is grounds for discipline, up to and including termination.
I downloaded a copy of the 340 methods and hghlighted the ones that are completely incompatible with ORION.
The company has literally created a no-win scenario where we have been given conflicting instructions and we are wrong no matter which instruction we follow.
Conflicting instructions under threat of discipline is harrassment and over-supervision, which are prohibited under article 37 of the contract.
These are the methods that are incompatible with ORION:

Section 1 paragraph 2—have a set routine
Section 3 paragraph 4- minimize miles, choose travel path to avoid unneccesary delays
Section 3 paragraph 5- use knowledge of delivery area
Section 3 paragraph 6- follow planned pickup order and choose best path to minimize miles
Section 3 paragraph 8-park appropriately for stops close together, park closest to stop with most difficult package handling situation
Section 4- paragraph 1- planning ahead, negate the need for constant rechecking and rehandling of packages, make fine adjustments to delivery sequence to optimize walk path, visualize travel path for next few stops
Section 4 paragraph 2–know your delivery area, deliver to addresses on the corner from cross streets, use preferred alternate delivery points for time sensitive deliveries
Section 4 paragraph 3–remember 5 stops in advance.
Section5 paragraph 3- face labels for selection and move stops forward to the selection area.
Section 5 paragraph 5- visualize upcoming stops
Section 5 paragraph 6- minimize package handling
Section 5 paragraph 9- utilize 30-60” selection area, deliver sections in the same sequenceas numbered, deliver shelf 1 first, deliver rear door stops to clear floor space, utilize 60” floor selection area.
Section 8 paragraph 2- plan ahead while walking to use optimum path to next stop, optimum storage for carry aid.
Section 15 paragraph 2 section the car to contain pickup volume, keep pickup package seperate from remaining deliveries.

If you follow the methods, you cant follow ORION.
If you follow ORION, you cant follow the methods.

The company needs to make a choice...

I just choose to drop 10 and punt on a daily basis......simply because IDGAF.

 

[vvv]

But very few of those drivers and management personal will dare speak up about it to anyone above the district level. If that high. And too many drivers either don't have the guts to run it 100% or are too selfish to have the patience to do so.

Those two groups of people are the reason why we still have ORION.

I ran it a few times 100% - It's now removed - It shows up again.....enjoy the headache.

 

[1989]

If you ask me, I run Orion about 6%. But on the report they use it’s probably 80%.

 

[trickpony1]

If you ask me, I run Orion about 6%. But on the report they use it’s probably 80%.

Falsification is the cornerstone of our organization so...

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I ran it a few times 100% - It's now removed - It shows up again.....enjoy the headache.

A few? LOL. Man you really showed them! LOL

 

[Zowert]

I always run my air (10-12 stops every morning) in reverse order. For some reason it always works out perfectly. If I ran it in order I’d have late air.

Orion is basically turn right at all cost. So if you’re on an even grid route it will have you looping over and over to nail the single deliveries on odd cross streets all damn day. Once you take a left and hit something out of order you’ll need to make three right turns to get yourself back in tune with how Orion wants you to run the route.

 

[1989]

Quite often Orion wants you to start with the air furthest from the building and work your way back.

 

[UPSjedi41]

i was covering a new route a few weeks ago. Orion had me deliver to this strip mall. 5 stops. One of them was a doctors office had one ground piece. 30 stops later or so and it had me deliver the Saver for the same office right around 3:00. I understand it will have me deliver airs/savers first and grounds later, but never the grounds first.

 

[gman042]

But very few of those drivers and management personal will dare speak up about it to anyone above the district level. If that high. And too many drivers either don't have the guts to run it 100% or are too selfish to have the patience to do so.

Those two groups of people are the reason why we still have ORION.

Too selfish to have the patience? You just said that?
Sheesh....

 

[davidix]

I dont follow Orion at all but like others have said in their report it's probably 70-80 %. They are basically lying to their shareholders this is saving the company money.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Yep.

Too selfish to have the patience? You just said that?
Sheesh....

Yep. Too worried about getting done early (or worried about their numbers) to do the right thing.

 

[gman042]

Yep.

Yep. Too worried about getting done early (or worried about their numbers) to do the right thing.

The right thing?
The right thing is delivering the route as it should be..... businesses first....residential is secondary. Not this BS of delivering 60 resi stops so businesses are missed just to save a couple of miles
Happens all the time

 

[wilberforce15]

I got a $20k a year raise to drive around more and deliver less. How exactly is this a bad thing?

That's a very common perspective from people who don't have anything going on in their lives.

Other people don't want the hours that create the $20k.

It's not a raise. It's just more hours.

 

[soberups]

Yep.

Yep. Too worried about getting done early (or worried about their numbers) to do the right thing.

I dont ignore ORION because I want to get done early or because I care about my numbers.
I ignore ORION because article 37 of the contract requires me to follow the methods and do my job in a manner that best represents the interest of the company.
Forced stupidity and intentional failure for the sole purpose of satisfying an ORION compliance metric is incompatible with my obligations under article 37.
If the company wants to renegotiate the contract and remove that requirement from the language then I will be more than happy to shut my brain off and be as intentionally stupid as they want me to be.
Until then, I will continue doing the job the way I was trained and in accordance with the contract.

 

[Bob11B]

Serious question, they are pushing Orion to be at 95%...can me file a grievance for oversupervision?

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

The right thing?
The right thing is delivering the route as it should be..... businesses first....residential is secondary. Not this BS of delivering 60 resi stops so businesses are missed just to save a couple of miles
Happens all the time

Your route will continue to be dispatched accordingly until you give them incentive to fix the problem or eliminate it. It being ORION.

I dont ignore ORION because I want to get done early or because I care about my numbers.
I ignore ORION because article 37 of the contract requires me to follow the methods and do my job in a manner that best represents the interest of the company.
Forced stupidity and intentional failure for the sole purpose of satisfying an ORION compliance metric is incompatible with my obligations under article 37.
If the company wants to renegotiate the contract and remove that requirement from the language then I will be more than happy to shut my brain off and be as intentionally stupid as they want me to be.
Until then, I will continue doing the job the way I was trained and in accordance with the contract.

I used to agree with that until a business agent pointed out a few things to me. If they, meaning someone in upper management with a wild hair up their ass, wants to make an example of you they could by using the very language you cite against you. If running ORION is what they consider to be in their best interest and you are instructed to follow it and don’t then they can, and have, initiate progressive discipline. And it won’t matter much that ORION conflicts with methods or not.

Suggested that if someone is willing to risk that then more power to them but it would be more wise to use their metrics against them to get rid of the problem. He said that short of being instructed to genuinely put your life in danger you should always follow follow instructions whether they are contrary to the methods or not.

Was also told that Atlanta thinks that, as drivers, the customers are not ours but are UPS’s and if they are willing to risk pissing off those customers by forcing us to run ORION then we should. In the short term it is hard for many people to except that because some of us actually care about our customers but in the long term it is actually better for both of us.

If every driver in every center that’s on ORION would simply follow it to the best of their ability then corporate would have to shut it off and re-evaluate just how valuable it is. That doesn’t necessarily mean run it at 100% knowing that you are missing businesses but breaking off to make service on those businesses and then returning to trace. The miles would skyrocket to the point where corporate would definitely notice.

Hey said that drivers taking it upon them selves to do it their own way, whether or not it’s right or wrong, only hides the problem from those in Atlanta that thinks it works. With that happening, along with middle-management at the center level letting a few drivers do their own thing, corporate sees satisfying compliance percentages because many of the rest of the drivers in those centers are getting 85% or better despite doing it their own way. If everyone would just follow it for a few days we could actually use their compliance metrics in our favor for once to get something fixed. It’s your call obviously but I’ve been taking that advice for a while now and at the very least it has reduced my stop count and keeps me below 9 1/2 hours and if I want overtime it’s easy to get but with a much lighter workload. That’s why I always tell people that ORION is a win-win.

But blocking RDO as an option is something we should all be fighting against and the advice I just described, in my opinion, is the better way to get it back.