New helper

[J6R]

So i finished two days of being a helper. Overall, i liked it. It is a physical job (no joke to new people and they werent lying it is going to make you sore but the good news is it isn't always continuous and you get to catch your breath on rides, so it is not bad.)

I've gotten brick stacked trucks both times with the same driver. We work near downtown. Im following a lot like staying off my phone, not bitching, walking fast, talking but not being a mute, and being a second pair of eyes. I had a question, though....

I've gotten the hang of address patterns, do I tell the driver I can find it or is that rude? The hub we work gives one diad for now, so is it rude to ask a driver to use that if he hasn't offered? He asks me to tell him the addresses sometimes, but he hasn't offered to teach me yet with sigs, etc.

 

[watdaflock?]

Ask the driver. If it's his normal route, most likely he knows the addresses. If it's a seasonal fill-in driver on a new route, good luck with the brick loaded PC.
If you only have one diad and you're working downtown (as in businesses) just take the diad. The driver knows you need a signature. Just make sure ya know your buttons and code everything right...

Three weeks left. Very well possible you end up jumping with somebody new and everything changes.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Why just the one DIAD? You each should have one and, yes, he should teach you the basics so that you can deliver on your own.

You can certainly offer to help w/addresses.

 

[GillEagan]

The driver probably won't mind you with helping finding the addresses. Especially at night if the addresses are not illuminated. Keep an eye on the addresses anyway so you know where you're going and can catch stopping at the wrong house. It happens sometimes. As for the DIAD, you can ask. It doesn't mean he will let you use it though. Each driver is going to be slightly different on that. The driver I am currently with lets me do everything with the DIAD when we are at large apartment complexes. Elsewhere, he does everything. He does let me get the signatures and close out those stops though. When I work with a new driver, I observe how he does things. That will tell me a lot on how things are going to be.

I am not as sore this year as I was last year. Last year I was sore for two days. My second year I didn't get sore at all as I was getting in and out of the truck half as much due to being on a mostly business route. My first year, was the worst. I was very sore for three weeks.

 

[Chnandler Bong]

I know 90% of my addresses without having to look, but I always ask my helper to provide a 2nd set of eyes if I'm driving to one I'm not familiar with. I even have 2 flashlights so we can each be looking at the same time after dark. We only use 1 diad, but it's mostly residential in a small rural town.

 

[Wally]

Helper training for Drivers: