New full time driver

To start off I have been with UPS for 9 years. I have done everything from loading trailers, clerking, bulk, preload, you name it I have done it. Seven months ago I decided I wanted to give air driving a stab. Turns out I really liked it. PM air not EAM. I enjoyed being out on the road on my own with no one looking over my shoulder. Long story short I'm now 2 weeks into full time package car driving and I'm struggling bad. 70 stops is taking me 10-11 hrs a day. I have zero road knowledge because I never really thought I needed it. Always used a gps or like map quest. My business stops are somewhat easy cause they are all close to each other. when I get to my resis stops is when I start to struggle. I never know witch way to go. I follow trace by the way. Whats going to happen when I swing drive and I don't know the area at all? I mean my training route i didn't know either but i have been out there for going on 3 weeks now. I thought about just giving up and disqualifying myself but why be a quitter? IDK its just so hard and I have no idea what I'm doing. Having zero road knowledge scares me to. I did not go into this thinking it was going to be a cake walk. I knew it was going to be hard. I knew I was going to want to quit. I suck with the DIAD to.

What exactly does ORION do? I hear it tells you where to go? if so how? I also keep reading its a complete disaster. So was EDD when it first launched. I hear anyone can be thrown out in the blind with ORION and know exactly where to go? Is this true? My center is still about a year out from getting ORION. I'm in INDPLS IN if it matters.
 

Orion Syndicate

90% or lose a limb. (limb is user choice!)
The main thing I've learned with this job is just keep calm and deliver packages. You're being tested in your packet, being forced to learn everything at once. We've all been through it. You can too. It will click and you'll be glad you didn't quit. Every route has nuances that you'll only learn by doing it so when you make your packet and they send you out blind don't worry about their numbers, one stop at a time take your lunch and enjoy the overtime on your check! Good Luck!

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Here's the thing if its taking me 10-11 hrs to shell 70 stops plus my 15 pick ups they're not going to pass me. This route they have me on is a 100-115 stop route. So they have it dialed down quite a bit. I'm using my gps for say 5-8 stops a day. I think it's much faster then looking on the map. If I could just get my own route, man that be titties.
 

Orion Syndicate

90% or lose a limb. (limb is user choice!)
Don't DQ yourself, make them do it. They told me I wouldn't make if I didn't run scratch and guess what in the Texas summer I never ran scratch and I still made it. They'll jump down your throat just take it with a grain of salt and do the best you can.

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Pooter

Well-Known Member
Turn that Gps off. Area knowledge is key.

You need to remember street names and numbers. It takes longer to remember this if the gps is doing the job for you. Only use it for something really hard to find.

Remembering number breaks helps tremendously in knowing which way to turn at crossroads.

As for swing driving. It gets easier over time so don't worry about it now. Focus on the 1 route you are on.
 

joeboodog

good people drink good beer
Use a map not GPS. With a map you can see the whole area and can set up several stops at a time. Also you have probably noticed that some residential stops get something just about every day. Make a mental note of that. Soon this will all be routine.
 

ManInBrown

Well-Known Member
You're overwhelmed. Take a deep breath. They come off one at a time. It'll get easier. Every day you are on qualifying RT it will get easier.
 
Yes, I'm overwhelmed to say the least. I'm not going to DQ myself just saying I want to. I have only been on my own for 5 days so quitting at this point would be like not even trying. Everyone keeps telling me it'll get easier. I sure hope so. I'm be honest with you guys. I'm not the best at reading a map. Not saying I cant it just takes me a long time to find the road I need then guesstimate where I am then turn the map (N,s,e,w) the direction my truck is pointed. Just seems like a lot of wasted time. How many of you struggled as bad as I am when you first started driving?
 

ArcherUTR

Well-Known Member
Use a map not GPS. With a map you can see the whole area and can set up several stops at a time. Also you have probably noticed that some residential stops get something just about every day. Make a mental note of that. Soon this will all be routine.

But ORION disagrees...
 

Indecisi0n

Well-Known Member
Only thing that will cure you being overwhelmed is time. Not until after you learn the area will the stress go away. Just take you time and don't get into a accident or injured.
 

UPSGUY72

Well-Known Member
Get rid of the GPS and use a map it will be easier for you and it will give you a better and bigger picture of the surround streets. Remember one stop at a time and keep moving don't try running around with you head cut off try to get stops off you might think your saving time but you not. You need to work on being steady and smooth throughout the day and you will be surprised about how many more stop you can do an hour.

If your hunting and pecking in the back of your truck for packages once you get room in your 1000 and 2000 sections you need to stop and sort you next 10-20 or more stops and put then in your 1000 and 2000 sections. Don't worry the 5 minutes of less you spending sorting you'll make up buy not spending 30 or more seconds in the back looking for packages at each stop.

You'll make it just don't get into and accident and keep moving you'll get faster over time. Learn from your mistakes and try not to make them again. If you can get multiple stops off from one parking position than do it. (if you got two house call one house apart park in the middle and walk off both at the same time.
 
What about my second question. I know nothing about ORION and would like to know what it does, how it works in our boards, how to use it.

What exactly does ORION do? I hear it tells you where to go? if so how? I also keep reading its a complete disaster. So was EDD when it first launched. I hear anyone can be thrown out in the blind with ORION and know exactly where to go? Is this true? My center is still about a year out from getting ORION. I'm in INDPLS IN if it matters.
 

scooby0048

This page left intentionally blank
Everyone keeps telling me it'll get easier. How many of you struggled as bad as I am when you first started driving?
It will get easier and we all struggled with something. Keep plugging along and all of a sudden, one day it will just click and you will say to yourself, "Oh, that was cake. I'm starting to like this!" Good luck out there and be safe, you'll be fine.
 

JL 0513

Well-Known Member
What about my second question. I know nothing about ORION and would like to know what it does, how it works in our boards, how to use it.

What exactly does ORION do? I hear it tells you where to go? if so how? I also keep reading its a complete disaster. So was EDD when it first launched. I hear anyone can be thrown out in the blind with ORION and know exactly where to go? Is this true? My center is still about a year out from getting ORION. I'm in INDPLS IN if it matters.

Orion doesn't tell you how to get to your next stop, like navigation does. Orion lists stops just like EDD, just in a different order. The board functions the same.

What it does is arrange your stops in a mileage reducing order, at least that is the idea. Problem is it makes you change directions often in driveways. Don't want to get too deep into it here as it has been talked about to death in dozens of Orion threads.

If you are looking forward to Orion because you feel it will help you in an unfamiliar area then don't bother. You still need to know an area for it to be effective. Actually, I think you need to know an area even better because you need to know if you're suppose to change directions for the next stop.
 
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ajax25

Well-Known Member
I feel ya dude I'm 15 days in now (off the street after working peak this season) and worked 55 hrs this week. I am supposed to have no more than 140 stops but all week had 160-170 and a sup rode with me on Friday and said he was confused because the normal driver that does the route gets 10.5 hrs to do it and I've only been allowed 8...wtf? I looked before I left on thurs morning and I had the 3 rd heaviest load in my center and it was only my 14th day! Doesn't seem right but from what I hear as long as you show improvement an don't get in an accident we should be fine. Hang in there!


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JL 0513

Well-Known Member
You will get better every day. Just try to show steady improvement. You will learn the area over a couple of weeks even if it feels Greek right now. I was totally lost when I started as I was placed in a center 50 miles from home in an area I had never even been in my life. I was surprised at what I had began knowing over the course of weeks and after a month you should be smooth sailing.

Are you taking a full lunch hour? I would advise against it while you're trying to make seniority. Take 15 minutes just to eat for the next few days. Then start taking a half hour. Once you make seniority, take the full hour. In your first few weeks, you just don't have time to sit around.
 

JL 0513

Well-Known Member
Is the hr lunch a UPS country wide thing? I was told we only get 30 min


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It does depend on your local and state laws. In the northeast, 1 hour is required by law. Consider yourself luck that you only have to take a half as it get's you home earlier, or makes you more money. I don't need an hour lunch but we don't get paid for an hour a day whether we take it or not.

So have you already been stopping for a full 30 minutes?
 
I haven't been taking a lunch. While I'm doing a pick up ill throw a lunch into the board and then before I stop complete the pick up ill finish the lunch. Idk how one can fit a lunch into a day. Heck i'm already what seems like an hr behind when I first clock in.
 
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