Not getting trained...

[LeddySS98]

I hit my 2 year mark as a full time driver today... in my center we have 18 to 20 routes depending on volume that gets ran daily... Problem is I only know 3 of them, and they are all base line routes.

The dispatch tomorrow has me running the same old base route I run pretty much every day, the full time driver under me us running an extended route. A utility driver who is 3 spots under me is also running an extended route which he got 4 days of full training on WITH the driver that bid the route...

But the kicker is the very bottom utility driver who is 5 spots down from me who they use maybe twice a month if that... he's being trained tomorrow on a extended route. Obviously they are'nt gonna really train him, it's just gonna be him running the packages and the on road driving.

So what... if anything can I do? I'm told according to the contract there is nothing that I can use with the seniority case, and management can train whoever/how they want.

Any suggesions?

 

[dilligaf]

This smacks of mgt blowing smoke up your ...... well, you know where.
Then on the other hand, you are lucky you know three rtes. I only got training on 1 rte because the bidded driver broke his wrist and couldn't drive. Sure did sit in that jump seat alot, though. Then went back to mgt. LOL

 

[LeddySS98]

well I KNOW 3 routes... but I was only actually trained on one of them, the other two were just kinda go out and figure them out... but the those two are mostly resi areas you figure out in time anyways.

 

[helenofcalifornia]

What has management said when you have talked to them about this? I don't know why they wouldn't train you (or send you out with a map and a pickup log) instead of the newer drivers. Ask, and then ask again, and then ask again so they know you are serious. Management should respect your seniority in this instance, I believe.

 

[dilligaf]

BTDT. Out of 17 full routes, I have done 16. I know them to varying degrees, from barely to very well. 1-trained on, 15-heres the map, keys, don't bring anything back. All in about 2 years.

 

[Mike Hawk]

In my center the cover drivers pick route to cover based on seniority. Often the lowest seniority guy ends up doing routes blind.

 

[dilligaf]

Yep, this is how it goes. I am so glad that I now have several drivers under me, and only one over me. At least I get to pick the rtes I know.

 

[LeddySS98]

I have asked quite a few times, and I always get told the same answer that they are going to train me... "soon" My plan for tomorrow when i get the run arround again, is to ask them to put it down in writing that they will train me on SOMETHING, date it and have them put a ETA for when i'll get trained. I'm hoping that it will work as a scare tactic to actually make something happen sooner rather than later.

When the guy 3 spots down from me was getting trained by the driver of the bid route I begged them to let me go learn the route... Being trained by the actual bid driver that does the route would have to be worth it's weight in gold I have no doubt of that... but i was told no for two reasons. The first being that I ran the base route I was on better than anyone else, and the second reason was that if I was getting trained on the bid route, they they'd have to train the utility driver on the base route. And they had 'conference calls' so they could'nt do that....

 

[BoogaBooga]

I think the first 5 years of being a driver is the toughest. I went from route to route with absolutely no training. Lazy supervisor and center manager were to blame, and they were fired for fudging the numbers. I survived by talking to other drivers about the route, and made my own maps using 5" by 7" notecards. Maps on the front, notes on the back-and they fit in the driver pouch for a quick look. Now I share them with newer drivers. The newbies think they are awesome. We even did a 1/2 hour safety training with the 4 year or less drivers on how to read a regular map, and we gave them copies of the maps I made. Hoping it translates into less stressful days, safer driving days, and injury free days. Hang in there, and be safe-There's lots of goofy drivers out there.

 

[DS]

In my center the cover drivers pick route to cover based on seniority. Often the lowest seniority guy ends up doing routes blind.

Sounds cruel to me,but its nice to know ups is an equal opportunity company.

 

[sealbasher]

I pretty much can deliver anywhere,but the new guys wont last a week,i mean summer cover drivers,took a new guy out yesterday he had to run to keep up,plus they want to give him my run for the summer ,lol 2 days max.

 

[Hangingon]

This time of year our center posts the vacations for the following week and cover drivers can bid on running them according to seniority. If you bid on something you don't know though, they won't train you and you'll have to go out in the blind.
This is part our contract, just not sure if it's the local or master. Ask your shop steward about it, or if you don't have one call the local and ask to speak to the business agent.

 

[sealbasher]

im hoping to go del in Edmonton all summer.

 

[New Englander]

I don't see the problem. In two years time you've essentially been given your own route.

Are you not working on a regular basis due to your lack of area knowledge?

 

[hseofpayne]

I hit my 2 year mark as a full time driver today... in my center we have 18 to 20 routes depending on volume that gets ran daily... Problem is I only know 3 of them, and they are all base line routes.

The dispatch tomorrow has me running the same old base route I run pretty much every day, the full time driver under me us running an extended route. A utility driver who is 3 spots under me is also running an extended route which he got 4 days of full training on WITH the driver that bid the route...

But the kicker is the very bottom utility driver who is 5 spots down from me who they use maybe twice a month if that... he's being trained tomorrow on a extended route. Obviously they are'nt gonna really train him, it's just gonna be him running the packages and the on road driving.

So what... if anything can I do? I'm told according to the contract there is nothing that I can use with the seniority case, and management can train whoever/how they want.

Any suggesions?

My guess is that the base line rte you run is a motherfornicater. If you bust your behind and scratch everyday, there is no way management is going to take you off that rte. When I was swinging(as a driver that is!), I knew about 30 or so rtes. Most were learned the old fashioned way, heres a map, keys, good luck! I constantly had drivers with less seniority running easier rtes because management knew certain drivers would just lay down on baseline(hard) rtes. Its sad, but the way it seems to work at UPS is they work the guys that are willing to try to death until they break, then they find a new sucker to ride. I was just like you one time, I thought if I kept killing myself, I would be rewarded. Turned out management could care less, just rode me til I finally got my own rte. Even then, it doesn't stop. When you get your own rte, they beg you to come off your rte to run other rtes so the swing driver can run your rte that he already knows. We have some bid drivers who do this all the time, but I have said no so many times, they no longer ask. I hope your relief comes soon!

 

[dilligaf]

Would someone please explain what is meant by 'baseline' rte. I have never herd the term except in here.

 

[hseofpayne]

Would someone please explain what is meant by 'baseline' rte. I have never herd the term except in here.

Could be wrong, but I think baseline rtes are training rtes in each loop, usually the most physically demanding, that new drivers and suckers have to run!

 

[LeddySS98]

Pretty much explains the baseline routes... They are at the bottom, or in this case... make the base of the loop they are in... And yes they are the ball buster routes and they come with the worst time studies to boot. Plus I cross over into other loops to help if they are heavy. The down side to that is driving 6 miles accross town with traffic, stop lights, ect to do 7 stops and then picking up and moving again to another area.

Dispatch got a wild hair the other day and sent me allllllll over town I came back with 72 miles under my belts where as I normally run arround 50... The real kick in the teeth though was only getting a 30 min. increase in my planned day... 22 miles in 30 min. with a top speed of 35mph through town... GOOD LUCK = )

 

[trplnkl]

Ideally, Baseline routes are what each loop area is base on. In theory if volume dropped drastically the baseline car is the only one that would be ran in that loop. All other routes in that loop feed off the baseline car. Again, this is the theory.... and has little to do with what really happens.
And yeah they are usually the toughest rtes in a given loop.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

This is ironic in that the baseline route, at least in my center, is bid as the training route, so new drivers basically get thrown right in to the fire as they get trained on one of the tougher routes in the bldg. The driver that bids this route as his own has to either cover other areas (vacations, days off, extra areas) or may be allowed to work in the hub to get his hours or stays home if there is no work during the 30 days that the new driver is on his route. That rarely happens as there is always more than enough work available.