King cover, or bottom bid driver?

kingOFchester

Well-Known Member
Am I the only one that thinks it is probably better to be the king floater vs the lowest bid driver with the worst trip and crappiest truck? I drive in a center that runs 75+ routes a day. Everything from country routes to city routes. Trips that max out at 100 stops to trips that max out at 200+ stops. Trips in an 800 with half a million miles, to a brand new automatic 700.

Cover drivers do not bid coverage for the week. Covers come in, look at trips that are open and pick the best trip that is left. Being a high cover driver you can pick and choose the best looking trip of the day (as long as all trips have coverage by a driver who knows the trip). Just wondering if anyone else sees the appeal to passing on a bid trip at the beginning of the year.
 
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kingOFchester

Well-Known Member
Upstate, in my center there is always someone willing to go home. In fact, a lot of covers drivers that want the day off will go to great lengths to give the illusion that they are working. Walking with a extra DIAD among other things. So that is a plus to know the work is always there. I get bored real quick and the days seem to be getting longer and longer. Just think I may not bid next year.
 
Be the king of swing. However,at least here,vacation weeks are bid the week before. Daily coverage is by seniority. As far as "someone needing to know a route to cover" tell them to grab a map and start learning.
 

Jackburton

Gone Fish'n
I like to know what/where I'm going everyday. Even if you are screwed by having to stay out late, you make more money. Being king swing driver is more trouble than it's worth in my book. Our center likes to put some of the slower drivers on easy vacation routes while the more senior drivers get stuck with the "trash routes" since management can use the "we give you days off, help us out" card on them. Piss on all that, I just run my dirt roads and 160 stop route.
 

barnyard

KTM rider
I am a the senior cover guy in my center. We do not have annual bids. Bid on a route and keep it till you retire, if you want. I have passed on 2 routes so far. I covered one route for 4 years while the route holder was on comp. When that route was bid, I signed it, but I never would have got it. 5 people with more seniority signed for that route.

Currently, I am covering a route till a guy gets back from shoulder surgery, been on it for a month and could be on it for another month or 2. 2 more people are retiring in the next year, so other routes will be available, but I know most of the routes in my center and kind of like the position I am in. I have been spending the last couple of weeks convincing myself that there is nothing wrong with not having a bid route. I probably will not be with UPS for that many more years, so why not enjoy the routes that I can never bid.
 

Cementups

Box Monkey
Are you a full time unassigned or part time? If you were a part timer bidding then I would say go for the FT bid but otherwise if you are already FT then you may as well stay with running various trips till you get some time and other drivers die or retire and you can have a better option at runs.

Also, benefits of being a regular driver to the same customers are pretty good, including Christmas presents from certain customers. If you treat them good, they will treat you good. As a cover guy, a lot of people won't bother since they know one day you will just be dust in the wind. Customers on my old route (7 years) would bend over backwards for me cause they knew I would do the same for them.
 

barnyard

KTM rider
Our center likes to put some of the slower drivers on easy vacation routes while the more senior drivers get stuck with the "trash routes" since management can use the "we give you days off, help us out" card on them. Piss on all that, I just run my dirt roads and 160 stop route.

In my center, the slowest cover drivers are stuck with city routes with tiny coverage areas. I love rural routes and do them well, so that is what I usually take. There is rarely a discussion as all our rural routes are also the farthest from the center, really bad place to have someone stuck that needs help.

The route that I am on now has 95-110 stops and 150ish miles. There is 1 small town and the rest is rural, vacation cabin stops. NDA makes and breaks my day, but that is the case with most any route. Thursday was really, really bulky. Ran the route a little different and got all the bulk off by 10:30. The rest of the day was still kind of a grind, but I was done by 19:00, so it could have been worse.

I have grieved over 9.5 and they have let that follow to the routes that I have covered. That is actually kind of funny. Other covers look at my numbers and say, "What the heck, how come I never get days like that???" Me, "Do you ever file an over 9.5 grievance???"

The more I type, the more I am liking King Cover.
 

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
Be the king of swing. However,at least here,vacation weeks are bid the week before. Daily coverage is by seniority. As far as "someone needing to know a route to cover" tell them to grab a map and start learning.

Thats how it's supposed to be done. I wish it was actually enforced here. Being able to chose daily is pretty cool sometimes but I think the correct way would be better.
 

barnyard

KTM rider
Customers on my old route (7 years) would bend over backwards for me cause they knew I would do the same for them.

People know me by name on at least 6 other routes. Before I covered a route for 4 years, I was the only cover on several other routes held by 25+ year drivers. I covered 4 routes one summer, as all my faves had summer vacations and none of them overlapped. On those routes, everyone that knew the regular guy's name, also knew mine.

I also cover feeders in my center, but am the middle guy for that. I never cover single days or the run that delivers to the local mall. Only the over-night runs for a full week of vacation.
 

barnyard

KTM rider
Thats how it's supposed to be done. I wish it was actually enforced here. Being able to chose daily is pretty cool sometimes but I think the correct way would be better.

We pick ours by the week also. There have been times when I thought about giving a heavy day to someone else, but take the good with the bad.
 

728ups

All Trash No Trailer
In our center a great many of the Swing Drivers are runner gunner bombers who burn the routes up. They get screwed when some of the bottom cover drivers whinge they 'dont know a route' so the higher seniority swing drivers often get shafted . They wont file on it,but they WILL leave the building mad ,stomp around in the parking lot and just to show management how mad they are: they will burn the route up( methods,we dont meed no stinking METHODS!) coming in around 1730................and then cant figure out why they get shafted again the next day!
 

Brownslave688

You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
In our center a great many of the Swing Drivers are runner gunner bombers who burn the routes up. They get screwed when some of the bottom cover drivers whinge they 'dont know a route' so the higher seniority swing drivers often get shafted . They wont file on it,but they WILL leave the building mad ,stomp around in the parking lot and just to show management how mad they are: they will burn the route up( methods,we dont meed no stinking METHODS!) coming in around 1730................and then cant figure out why they get shafted again the next day!


Yep our top cover driver seems to be mad everyday he either wants the day off or is loaded up and needs off early. Pretty much the madder they send him out the faster he is gonna run and the better he is gonna make them look on paper. This same driver takes off 2-3 days a week and is about to lose his home to foreclosure some people will just never get it!!!
 

Jackburton

Gone Fish'n
In our center a great many of the Swing Drivers are runner gunner bombers who burn the routes up. They get screwed when some of the bottom cover drivers whinge they 'dont know a route' so the higher seniority swing drivers often get shafted . They wont file on it,but they WILL leave the building mad ,stomp around in the parking lot and just to show management how mad they are: they will burn the route up( methods,we dont meed no stinking METHODS!) coming in around 1730................and then cant figure out why they get shafted again the next day!
Even though I know we don't work in the same hub I know we are in the same state, it's a Georgia thing.
 
I was a cover driver for over nine years. I ran all the sweet routes and everybody knew me by name. I thought I wanted to do it for ever. Then I bid a route and I'd never want to go back. Now the only thing I want to do is retire. This in my opinion it the best position/route you can get too.
 

Buck Fifty

Well-Known Member
I was a cover driver for over nine years. I ran all the sweet routes and everybody knew me by name. I thought I wanted to do it for ever. Then I bid a route and I'd never want to go back. Now the only thing I want to do is retire. This in my opinion it the best position/route you can get too.

I 2nd that ! All in favor say I. Except for Integrity, he already does.
 
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