"non-bid" or cover drivers

mittam

Well-Known Member
How do your centers out there do it? I am a cover or "non-bid" driver in my center there have been routes come up that I have no interest biiding on so I still cover. Don't get me wrong I usually like doing different routes each week helps with not getting bored on same route.But it always seems when a bid driver goes on vacation the cover driver gets more stops. We have actually documented this for the past 6 months. One route imparticular gets 150-159 stops everyday,all residential.When regular driver is off it goes anywhere from 160-200, no this is not exaggeration,this is fact. I ran the route 162 on Monday ,166 Tuesday, 169 Wednesday and Friday and the big day Thursday of 196. They will never do this to the regular driver,why pour it on to the cover man? We have about 10 routes we watched and counted by previous weeks numbers compared to what the cover driver had, without exception the cover driver had at least 10 -15 stops and up to 50 miles more everyday. We know the routes just as well and the extra miles is due to extra stops not a cover driver not knowing route as well. Well this has been a long question just wondering how it is everywhere else.
 

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
Same here. I'm just a lowly part-time cover driver but I watch what goes on with the full-time drivers and listen to them complain. It happens just the way you described your center. The source of the problem really goes deeper than you think. At least here it does. The real problem is that some of those bid drivers are used to getting what ever they want. You know...the same people that will actually call in sick if they know their truck is red tagged and they don't want to have to drive a truck other than "their truck." So what happens is that the sups first get mad that they called in then they realize that they can pour on the extra work, or in some cases the work that is really supposed to be on those routes anyway. Allot of those drivers rarely get extra stops put on them on a heavy day. We have guys that will stay out as late as possible out of spite when they get extra work. So usually they just get loaded for a 8-9 hour day and the rest of the drivers get slammed. The sups don't want to risk putting more on them out of fear that they'll stay out so late. It's a sick game if you ask me.
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
"..why pour it on to the cover man?"

Because (generally), the cover driver is a low seniority guy who won't complain! Happens here every day too.

A higher seniority driver would never let the management team take advantage of him like that.
 

Gman24

Well-Known Member
Because you guys are doing it!!!! Simply put. The regular driver is probably working "BY THE METHODS" and not running everything off and not taking "short cuts".

If you are having to "RUN" to get your stops off and you are not taking your "FULL 1 hour BREAK" by the end of the 8th hour, then you have too many stops. I have been taking my FULL 1 hour LUNCH break for years right in the middle of the day for several years. You would be amazed at how many businesses or residential stops you can't make on your lunch break. I also guaruntee you the supervisors KNOW the ones who don;t take their lunch during the 1st 8 hours of work.

I'm not saying goof off or anything like that, it's called PACE. You guys have to do this for MANY more years. You should give UPS an HONEST days work for an HONEST days pay. Work by the METHODS and this will take care of itself.

If you are complaining about running more stops than the regular driver, THEN STOP RUNNING THAT MANY STOPS.

Sorry, but if you keep doing it, you have no one to blame but yourself!!!!!!


Big arrowup,, I also understand where you are coming from on your response. At my center we have a handful of drivers who are that way. To me that is just as bad as the supervisors taking advantage of cover drivers. It really burns me up to see these drivers that you are refering to "protected", and they take advantage of it. I'm not trying to start another debate, but you know exactly what I am getting at.
 
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Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
I agree but the problem with that is if the cover guy trys to take action management just says "work as directed" or "that is the nature of the business" or something like that. In my center it's not just the lower seniority guys that get crapped on. The bid drivers that never get the additional work (or the work they are supposed to be getting anyway) are all over the place as far as the seniority list is concerned. We have bid drivers that are hanging around the middle of the page on the seniority list yet you'd think they were on the top because they always get what they want. Or maybe I should say not getting what they don't want. They always get roughly the same amount of stops everyday and people like "Mittam" will fill in for them when they lay out, or vacation, and get 40 more stops each day. And maybe more air stops. I think that is what Mittam was hinting at.
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
It happens every day. They give the extra work to those who let themselves be intimidated.

You have to learn to play the game. If they give you 20 more stops when you cover a route, then stay out till 9:00. If they give you 6 more air stops, then deliver 3 late.

Once they know they can't intimidate you, it will stop.
 

705red

Browncafe Steward
Over9five has hit it on the head,grow some balls,when they call you and say i cant have you out there over 11 hours just tell them not to give you this much work,tell them your working safely and by the methods and when they send a sup to take work off of you file a grievance.Trust me we all ran at 1 time or another and it does not pay bad knees,bad backs being injured is not any fun,take your time be safe you owe it to your family to make it home safe everyday!!!
 

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
As a part-time cover driver I can't afford to act like that. That game backfires on pt cover drivers because as soon as we take up for ourselves we start getting less work. If I tried that in my building I'd probably only go on the road if there was a massive shortage of drivers. Especially now with the way district managers are trying to cram as much as possible on you full-timers. Cutting routes is the big thing lately and a part-time driver taking up for himself is a good way cut cars. When I'm full-time I might try your suggestions but first I'll try and run the extra stops in the amount of time it is supposed to be ran and try and reason with the sups <~~~LOL:lol: . It probably won't work but at least I tried right? Then I guess I'll have to stay out late. It's a childish way to act but sometimes one must resort to childish ways to get the sup's attention and I won't have a problem with doing that a few times if it works. Good advice Over9five.
 

DS

Fenderbender
Our swing drivers get abused too,but they can always pick up the phone and ask for help.Sometimes they get it sometimes they have lots of missed deliveries just trying to stay under 12 hours.
 

mittam

Well-Known Member
I have brought this up several times to management they flat out deny it. I don't run my self to death on the routes.I am almost 47 years old and take my breaks and lunch, this job is not worth killing myself over and I want to get home the same as the bid drivers. Also with pas now there is no loop concept for splits to base cars. So as a result we get splits that are not close and have a lot more miles to run. They do question, even though times are decent, why I take so long. I let them know I am older than the other cover guys and it takes me a little more time than a 30 year old. The country routes they really can't over load extra on but the big industrial and residential routes they blow out when bid driver is off. They almost blow themselves out of the office if a bid driver calls in because they know now they can blow out the route. Filing for 9.5s doesn't help and nothing we say does any good. I did put 4 business stops in as missed because they were closed and after 5 pm. Got called in office for that one!!! Oh well!!!
 

Gman24

Well-Known Member
If you are filing grievances and they are legit. If your "UNION" is doing it's job they should be helping.

If you were to miss businesses EVERYDAY (honestly), then I guaruntee you they WILL take stops off of you. Your supervisors boss (and center managers) do not like MISSED businesses.

If you guys tell them EVERY Morning that you can't do it and then go out and do it, I'M TELLING YOU GUYS, THEY WILL KEEP LOADING YOU DOWN. It;s how they are trained.

I don't care how old a driver is or if you are a cover driver or a bid driver. If you are topped out, you make the same as the bid driver. You shouldn't be expected to be worth more than the bid driver. That's how I've allways looked at it. I had a Center Manager tell me that I should be able to run more than an older bid driver about 5 years ago. I asked him if they would pay me more than that driver made. He was left speechless, right in front of a Union Steward. My Steward told me that was priceless and a very good question to ask.

Just be honest about it and do your job honestly, WITHOUT running and taking short cuts and it will take care of itself.
 

ups79

Well-Known Member
mittam:maybe they found out that you are on Brown Cafe spitting out propaganda about switching to APWA. Can't understand why anyone 47 years of age would want to change unions. How long have you been with the company?
 

SignatureRequired

Active Member
Find out what the bid drivers average stop count is. I cover about 10 different routes and i know where they all should be. If i dont like it...i just call in the difference and have them come and get it. If not...im gonna stay out late and bang them on the O.T.!
 

hoser

Industrial Slob
when they send a sup to take work off of you file a grievance.
although many posts were going in the right direction: "work hard, but you shouldn't be running" "follow proper methods and don't rush" "if they overload you, follow methods and show up really late to make your point", this post is just ridiculous and gives unions a bad name. it's an abuse of the grievance process. you don't like the workload and a supervisor is helping take the workload down. take one or the other.
 
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