Hello fellow UPSers.
I work in a small center that does not have fuel on-site. We are required to fuel the package cars during the day using fleet cards. I am a swing driver, recently out of qualification, one of 6 new drivers in the building. None of us, nor many of the other drivers who have been here for a while have been issued fuel cards. Instead, we are told to "make it work".
I brought this issue up with my on road sup a few days ago, and long story short, he told me to get lost. I asked around some more and found out that the cards are issued to the package cars, and not to the drivers. Since we have more drivers than cars, there are not enough cards to go around. Originally, the cards were supposed to stay in the cars, but every driver with their own route keeps their card on them, and the ones out of the spare cars were pocketed years ago.
I've been driving since October as seasonal, and have managed to memorize a card number, which the clerk at the station nearby will manually enter and allow me to get fuel. This trick works, but there are several problems with it. First of all, it restricts me to getting fuel at only one station. I can't get my air off, for example, and then get fuel before I start my route. This basically requires me to start every day with a lengthy fuel stop- during the time I am supposed to be running off air. (I say lengthy because I have to talk to the clerk to activate the pump as opposed to paying outside.)
In addition to that, since the card number I use "belongs" to another driver, I can only ever get fuel once per day- otherwise he will not be able to fuel his own car. This means that I will always bring my car back to the building with less than a full tank- something that irritates me because I know how annoying it is to start the day with an empty tank.
Long story short, one of these days I am going to have late air because I had to stop and get fuel. Is it worth talking to my center manager to see if he can do something about it, or should I just shut my mouth and keep doing what I'm doing? In my mind I am only asking for the tools to do my job efficiently. Is this worth the fight?
I work in a small center that does not have fuel on-site. We are required to fuel the package cars during the day using fleet cards. I am a swing driver, recently out of qualification, one of 6 new drivers in the building. None of us, nor many of the other drivers who have been here for a while have been issued fuel cards. Instead, we are told to "make it work".
I brought this issue up with my on road sup a few days ago, and long story short, he told me to get lost. I asked around some more and found out that the cards are issued to the package cars, and not to the drivers. Since we have more drivers than cars, there are not enough cards to go around. Originally, the cards were supposed to stay in the cars, but every driver with their own route keeps their card on them, and the ones out of the spare cars were pocketed years ago.
I've been driving since October as seasonal, and have managed to memorize a card number, which the clerk at the station nearby will manually enter and allow me to get fuel. This trick works, but there are several problems with it. First of all, it restricts me to getting fuel at only one station. I can't get my air off, for example, and then get fuel before I start my route. This basically requires me to start every day with a lengthy fuel stop- during the time I am supposed to be running off air. (I say lengthy because I have to talk to the clerk to activate the pump as opposed to paying outside.)
In addition to that, since the card number I use "belongs" to another driver, I can only ever get fuel once per day- otherwise he will not be able to fuel his own car. This means that I will always bring my car back to the building with less than a full tank- something that irritates me because I know how annoying it is to start the day with an empty tank.
Long story short, one of these days I am going to have late air because I had to stop and get fuel. Is it worth talking to my center manager to see if he can do something about it, or should I just shut my mouth and keep doing what I'm doing? In my mind I am only asking for the tools to do my job efficiently. Is this worth the fight?
