Future
Victory Ride
They did away w that ... a while ago
Just started my 30 days. Need advice on navigation (on topic)
- Thread starter CardboardWrangler
- Start date
Whither
Scofflaw
One week after qualifying, I've been shipped to cover in a different center (same building). Dense city route. I've spent the past 12 years walking, jogging, driving, riding my bicycle on these streets -- lots of one-ways and busy intersections, most wo a left-turn signal. Funny how driving a P-12 choked w irregs, poor dispatching,
ty parking options, and dozens of secure access apartments can make you feel like a tourist. Sup drove and 'taught' me the route first day. Yesterday, first day alone, avoided 3 missed businesses by the skin of my teeth. I'll remember them now ha. To the OP: all you can do while qualifying is pay close attention on route, print maps, study them, drive the route on your own time. Probably the tallest hurdle is finding a way to calm down so you can absorb all the details you're learning: remember, they're just packages.
Wally
BrownCafe Innovator & King of Puns
A casual driver in our parts is a temp driving. A Split driver is a union member without their own route.
Staydryitsraining
Well-Known Member
If you werent allowed to ride for 3 days with the regular driver, use Google until you qualify. After you qualify ditch Google and get lost, it will help you remember better.
Zowert
Well-Known Member
Drive the area during your off time and study google maps of the area. Remember the odds and even rule for addresses (even east/odd west, odd south/even north). I found if I always know which direction I’m heading (north, west, etc) I seem to do better when covering a route in the blind. That’s just me though. Everyone approaches navigation differently, find what works for you and stick with it.
Utility81
Well-Known Member
Must be a south thing.
KoennenTiger
Well-Known Member
One week after qualifying, I've been shipped to cover in a different center (same building). Dense city route. I've spent the past 12 years walking, jogging, driving, riding my bicycle on these streets -- lots of one-ways and busy intersections, most wo a left-turn signal. Funny how driving a P-12 choked w irregs, poor dispatching,
To the OP: all you can do while qualifying is pay close attention on route, print maps, study them, drive the route on your own time. Probably the tallest hurdle is finding a way to calm down so you can absorb all the details you're learning: remember, they're just packages.
Their is a route next to me that's a trainer. So I end up going to bail these new guys out. I've learned for sure one of the keys to not lose as a new driver is do not let the packages beat you. When you're new sure it feels like an hour to stop and take five or ten minutes to sort your truck and calm down. Breath. Stop thinking you need to go fast.
I had a great ORS back when I was new. He would say slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. Don't rush you may feel like it's getting you ahead but it isn't.
I take five or ten minutes every single day around noon to sort my truck perfectly and move every package forward. Call in every misload and plan how I'm getting them off. I remember being new and forcing myself to do this. It felt like an hour. It's five or ten minutes.
burrheadd
KING Of GIFS
None of that nonsense here
If you’re driving a pkg car you are either trying to qualify or a teamster
KoennenTiger
Well-Known Member
Or peak seasonal
Whither
Scofflaw
Good advice, thanks. So far I've been sorting one shelf at a time, maybe should just sort the whole car soon as I get the bulk off.
Route I'm covering is a beast. Trace is so busted I'm already learning to laugh and just do the best I can. Lots of blocks with businesses tucked in the midst of resis. Area is smack in the middle of the city, every other door is locked (businesses too) and often it's hard to tell if anyone's there. Usually I'll buzz a couple times, pound on the door. Then do my service crosses. Several times I've stop-completed NI1/CL1 only for the customer to burst out the door once I'm heading back to the pkg car. Yesterday a guy even ran down the street and met me half a block away to fetch his irreg haha.
Have 3 secured apartment 'complexes', if that's even the right word. 2 of them have 20-plus unique street addresses, buildings are dispersed over a sizable area. All packages have to go to central office/'package center' ... and of course for the same complex the sequence numbers are random (so far they'll be anywhere between the 1-4000 shelves), so you have to trawl through the board to make sure you find em all. Gotta love sheeting 60 packages LA, ha.
