O r i o n ????$$$$

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
Allow me to give you a quick synopsis of ORION brother. You got 12 stops in a subdivision. Good ole' mileage reducin' Orion will have you go into tha neighborhood, run a couple stops, leave to run another subdivision, only to come back to the previous subdivision to runs stops on streets you were already on.

When you arrive in the morning, you can look at your Orion solution in detail complete with every stop plotted on a map and an estimated mileage solution. Having said that, looking at the map detail, I have seen where Orion would send you ACROSS a large body of fresh water or through impassable forests.

Once, I cornered one of the Orion monkeys and showed him the fruits of his labor. This run shot a guy clear across a lake. "This would be pretty good if we had pontoons and an outboard on the car, huh?" His response? "Huh huh, yeah." I reply, "So, taking the paved route would increase my mileage hence, putting me over the solution?" His response? "Yes." He did however console me by telling me that I could always come to him with such lunacy and he could fix it.

Wait a second, I'm being paid to drop em off and pick em up. You're being paid to "fix it". Business Development is being paid to develop the business. Preload is paid to ensure the right packages land on the right cars. Somehow, I'm (and thousands of others like me) are responsible for tieing all this tomfoolery together to turn chicken **** into chicken salad. And I'm the overpaid prick that's the problem?

Orion is a rudimentary tool to help scabs do our jobs. The foundation has been laid. Is it outlandish to think they're ready to take us on? Do they want a strike? Are they counting on the fact that the most people will not support us? Will they use the loss of customers and employees to seek some sort if government bailout? Would they use such an opportunity to restructure and copy Fred's model? Am I crazy?


I dunno, they show me crazy everyday. Why would I put anything past these fuggers?

If ORION, telematics, EDD, and whatever technology the can dish out is preparation for scabs doing our work then you'd think they'd want the crap to work right.
 

Harry Manback

Robot Extraordinaire
Allow me to give you a quick synopsis of ORION brother. You got 12 stops in a subdivision. Good ole' mileage reducin' Orion will have you go into tha neighborhood, run a couple stops, leave to run another subdivision, only to come back to the previous subdivision to runs stops on streets you were already on.

When you arrive in the morning, you can look at your Orion solution in detail complete with every stop plotted on a map and an estimated mileage solution. Having said that, looking at the map detail, I have seen where Orion would send you ACROSS a large body of fresh water or through impassable forests.

Once, I cornered one of the Orion monkeys and showed him the fruits of his labor. This run shot a guy clear across a lake. "This would be pretty good if we had pontoons and an outboard on the car, huh?" His response? "Huh huh, yeah." I reply, "So, taking the paved route would increase my mileage hence, putting me over the solution?" His response? "Yes." He did however console me by telling me that I could always come to him with such lunacy and he could fix it.

Wait a second, I'm being paid to drop em off and pick em up. You're being paid to "fix it". Business Development is being paid to develop the business. Preload is paid to ensure the right packages land on the right cars. Somehow, I'm (and thousands of others like me) are responsible for tieing all this tomfoolery together to turn chicken **** into chicken salad. And I'm the overpaid prick that's the problem?

Orion is a rudimentary tool to help scabs do our jobs. The foundation has been laid. Is it outlandish to think they're ready to take us on? Do they want a strike? Are they counting on the fact that the most people will not support us? Will they use the loss of customers and employees to seek some sort if government bailout? Would they use such an opportunity to restructure and copy Fred's model? Am I crazy?


I dunno, they show me crazy everyday. Why would I put anything past these fuggers?

If ORION, telematics, EDD, and whatever technology the can dish out is preparation for scabs doing our work then you'd think they'd want the crap to work right.

That would make sense to you and I, but try and remember the last time they did anything that made sense.
 

brownmonster

Man of Great Wisdom
If ORION, telematics, EDD, and whatever technology the can dish out is preparation for scabs doing our work then you'd think they'd want the crap to work right.

The sad part is they do think it works because the operations teams in the Centers are to weak too tell the truth to those above them.
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
Whats really frustrating about all of this is that if the company took (a) a few simple steps to reduce misloads and (b) made a few basic adjustments and improvements to PAS/EDD, they could easily achieve the results that they are hoping to realize through ORION at a mere fraction of the cost.
 
Wearing headphones while driving is illegal in my state.

Even if it weren't...there is no way in hell I would wear an ear bud and listen to directions on how to do my job.
Come on ! put the brown headphones on! Do you think UPS would try to brainwash you?! YOU WILL SKIP YOUR LUNCH..YOU WILL RUN FASTER! LOL
 

browned_out

Well-Known Member
I'm not sure you can ever get rid of the misload problem, unless there was a way to scan the pkg as it enters the truck(pkg spa matchs trk #). Can you expand upon your statement about improvements to pas/edd? I know that when first installed at our center it was a joke, routes being relooped, edd not set up correctly etc, however once a driver sets up his edd properly that part of the equation should be done. The main problem I see is the lack of training for the people they have running pas in our centers (former preload sups, on road sups etc), their certainly are people out there that understand the program and know how to implement it for the best results.

The thing thats gets me is the constant mistakes that are made when add/cuts are made, known business stops that are in a residential area (schools, churchs, small businesses that are at the corners of those sections etc). These are loaded onto a 7000/8000 shelve and are not delivered on time.
 

barnyard

KTM rider
The thing thats gets me is the constant mistakes that are made when add/cuts are made, known business stops that are in a residential area (schools, churchs, small businesses that are at the corners of those sections etc). These are loaded onto a 7000/8000 shelve and are not delivered on time.

We just had a PCM on that very thing Tuesday. We were told that it is our responsibility to go through undelivered sections before 1700 to make sure that businesses were delivered on time. Evidently, we had a dozen misses on Monday.

I said, "Wouldn't that be a major dispatch error????" and added, "If our dispatches were not so heavy on Mondays and Fridays, we would probably have fewer misses."

When the economy crashed in 2008, we cut 3 permanent routes, all the missed businesses were from 1 of those routes. Maybe it is getting to be time that those routes are put back in.
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
I'm not sure you can ever get rid of the misload problem, unless there was a way to scan the pkg as it enters the truck(pkg spa matchs trk #). Can you expand upon your statement about improvements to pas/edd? I know that when first installed at our center it was a joke, routes being relooped, edd not set up correctly etc, however once a driver sets up his edd properly that part of the equation should be done. The main problem I see is the lack of training for the people they have running pas in our centers (former preload sups, on road sups etc), their certainly are people out there that understand the program and know how to implement it for the best results.

The thing thats gets me is the constant mistakes that are made when add/cuts are made, known business stops that are in a residential area (schools, churchs, small businesses that are at the corners of those sections etc). These are loaded onto a 7000/8000 shelve and are not delivered on time.

We could solve the misload problem by "color coding" the PAL labels. If the label printers had the ability to squirt a blot of colored ink onto each label, then prelaod assignments could be "color coded" with each car having a different color. The human eye distinguishes color a lot easier than it distinguishes a different HIN number on a label in the back of a dimly lit car at 4:00 AM.

They could improve upon PAS/EDD by having different or more accurate area traces depending upon the number of cars dispatched. A loop detail that works well for a 5 car loop can be essentially worthless when only 4 cars are dispatched and the work must be divided among the remaining cars. As you stated, the add/cuts on the 7000/8000 shelves are what kills us. PAS/EDD is an utter failure when it comes to dealing with volume fluctuations, and if they are unable or unwilling to correct these underlying problems with a system that has been in place for over 6 years now, I am n ot seeing how a new gimmick like ORION will be any sort of an improvement. Garbage in, garbage out.
 

728ups

All Trash No Trailer
We just had a PCM on that very thing Tuesday. We were told that it is our responsibility to go through undelivered sections before 1700 to make sure that businesses were delivered on time. Evidently, we had a dozen misses on Monday.

I said, "Wouldn't that be a major dispatch error????" and added, "If our dispatches were not so heavy on Mondays and Fridays, we would probably have fewer misses."

When the economy crashed in 2008, we cut 3 permanent routes, all the missed businesses were from 1 of those routes. Maybe it is getting to be time that those routes are put back in.
I make a great deal of OT every day breaking off to make service on business stops in the 7-8000 sections, then coming back and resuming trace.
 

Bubblehead

My Senior Picture
We just had a PCM on that very thing Tuesday. We were told that it is our responsibility to go through undelivered sections before 1700 to make sure that businesses were delivered on time. Evidently, we had a dozen misses on Monday.

I said, "Wouldn't that be a major dispatch error????" and added, "If our dispatches were not so heavy on Mondays and Fridays, we would probably have fewer misses."

When the economy crashed in 2008, we cut 3 permanent routes, all the missed businesses were from 1 of those routes. Maybe it is getting to be time that those routes are put back in.

So, is it now the company's position that we must not only memorize the DOK 100%, we must also have all possible commercial addresses committed to memory?
Does management feel that they have no culpability for anything?
What a joke.
 

barnyard

KTM rider
I make a great deal of OT every day breaking off to make service on business stops in the 7-8000 sections, then coming back and resuming trace.

That has been my attitude of late. I delivered to a greenhouse at 1605 Friday and had to listen to a 15 minute diatribe from the owner about what time she gets her deliveries. It is unfortunate, but she lives in an add/cut area and could be on 1 of 3 different routes, depending on the day.

This woman had actually called in a complaint on me 10 years or so ago. I got there at 16:30 on a Friday and they were all locked up for the day. They live about 100 yards from the store, so I left the delivery in their garage. I reminded her of that call and she said, "I do not remember doing that."

I replied, "I remember it and all the area drivers know about it, that is why we NEVER deliver anything to your house if the greenhouse is closed. You have given us no easy way to get packages to you. You want before 10a delivery and every driver and manager has said that it is not possible, so instead of thinking of a solution, you demand what is not possible."

I added, "I covered a route for 4 years and their was a greenhouse on that route. I left stuff there all the time. Many times, it would be 6 or 7 deliveries before I saw someone to actually sign for a delivery. Did not matter, they got their stuff and they knew where I was leaving it. You are telling us, that we cannot leave things unless you sign and that we have to deliver to a greenhouse that is not on a defined route at a specific time."

Then, "You just told me that it has been like this for 10-15 years, but has gotten worse in the last 2-3. Unless you let us leave stuff somewhere where you look and is safe, I would predict the exact same thing for the next 10-15 years."

I could see the wind go out of her sails.

"So, what would you suggest???"

She said, "I'll take this and you have a good weekend. I'm sorry I got angry with you."

Nothing solved, 20 minutes of time wasted.

She has chewed out at least 7 drivers over the last year. She gets angry about 3 attempts, but gets angrier if we leave stuff.

Bah. It is on a route that I might do 5 more weeks this year, I need to quit thinking about it.
 

sortaisle

Livin the cardboard dream
They are in the process of implementing ORION over here right now. If it's implemented the way the lead guy told me it's suppose to be implemented then it should go ok. He said that it's going to take a 5 day period from the normal driver and use that to run the trace. If you run the trace roughly the same everyday, then it'll dispatch you the same way everyday (except for add/cut areas). I don't like it because the things it's suppose to do, good drivers do already. Have ground and air together, and deliver corner or block away homes during businesses. It'll be good for cover drivers I suppose. Either way, it's only going to be as good as the people implementing it and lo and behold the people implementing it have never been drivers...go figure.
 

thedownhillEXPRESS

Well-Known Member
That has been my attitude of late. I delivered to a greenhouse at 1605 Friday and had to listen to a 15 minute diatribe from the owner about what time she gets her deliveries. It is unfortunate, but she lives in an add/cut area and could be on 1 of 3 different routes, depending on the day.

This woman had actually called in a complaint on me 10 years or so ago. I got there at 16:30 on a Friday and they were all locked up for the day. They live about 100 yards from the store, so I left the delivery in their garage. I reminded her of that call and she said, "I do not remember doing that."

Some people are just insane man, let it go........

I replied, "I remember it and all the area drivers know about it, that is why we NEVER deliver anything to your house if the greenhouse is closed. You have given us no easy way to get packages to you. You want before 10a delivery and every driver and manager has said that it is not possible, so instead of thinking of a solution, you demand what is not possible."

I added, "I covered a route for 4 years and their was a greenhouse on that route. I left stuff there all the time. Many times, it would be 6 or 7 deliveries before I saw someone to actually sign for a delivery. Did not matter, they got their stuff and they knew where I was leaving it. You are telling us, that we cannot leave things unless you sign and that we have to deliver to a greenhouse that is not on a defined route at a specific time."

Then, "You just told me that it has been like this for 10-15 years, but has gotten worse in the last 2-3. Unless you let us leave stuff somewhere where you look and is safe, I would predict the exact same thing for the next 10-15 years."

I could see the wind go out of her sails.

"So, what would you suggest???"

She said, "I'll take this and you have a good weekend. I'm sorry I got angry with you."

Nothing solved, 20 minutes of time wasted.

She has chewed out at least 7 drivers over the last year. She gets angry about 3 attempts, but gets angrier if we leave stuff.

Bah. It is on a route that I might do 5 more weeks this year, I need to quit thinking about it.



Some people are just insane man, shrug it off......
 

kingOFchester

Well-Known Member
That has been my attitude of late. I delivered to a greenhouse ....................................

They way I deal with situations like this

ME "Yes I understand your frustration, can you sign here please?"

Lady "but blah blah blah"

Me "I feel your pain, can you sign here please?"

Lady "But blah blah blah"

Me "I understand your situation, can you sign here please?"

So forth and so on it goes until I can nab a signature.
 
They way I deal with situations like this

ME "Yes I understand your frustration, can you sign here please?"

Lady "but blah blah blah"

Me "I feel your pain, can you sign here please?"

Lady "But blah blah blah"

Me "I understand your situation, can you sign here please?"

So forth and so on it goes until I can nab a signature.
Isnt it amazing...You deal with 100+ customers everyday. and the 2 or 3 (thats on every route) can just ruin your whole day! I think there is a few people ..out there...not getting any!!!LOL
 

kingOFchester

Well-Known Member
Isnt it amazing...You deal with 100+ customers everyday. and the 2 or 3 (thats on every route) can just ruin your whole day! I think there is a few people ..out there...not getting any!!!LOL


So true. There is one stop on a trip I use to cover where the owner was the biggest :censored2: bag. He has a business above a 16:30 pickup. Business downstairs I would deliver in the AM. DB would get his delivery when I made the pickup downstairs.
 

Harry Manback

Robot Extraordinaire
That has been my attitude of late. I delivered to a greenhouse at 1605 Friday and had to listen to a 15 minute diatribe from the owner about what time she gets her deliveries. It is unfortunate, but she lives in an add/cut area and could be on 1 of 3 different routes, depending on the day.

This woman had actually called in a complaint on me 10 years or so ago. I got there at 16:30 on a Friday and they were all locked up for the day. They live about 100 yards from the store, so I left the delivery in their garage. I reminded her of that call and she said, "I do not remember doing that."

I replied, "I remember it and all the area drivers know about it, that is why we NEVER deliver anything to your house if the greenhouse is closed. You have given us no easy way to get packages to you. You want before 10a delivery and every driver and manager has said that it is not possible, so instead of thinking of a solution, you demand what is not possible."

I added, "I covered a route for 4 years and their was a greenhouse on that route. I left stuff there all the time. Many times, it would be 6 or 7 deliveries before I saw someone to actually sign for a delivery. Did not matter, they got their stuff and they knew where I was leaving it. You are telling us, that we cannot leave things unless you sign and that we have to deliver to a greenhouse that is not on a defined route at a specific time."

Then, "You just told me that it has been like this for 10-15 years, but has gotten worse in the last 2-3. Unless you let us leave stuff somewhere where you look and is safe, I would predict the exact same thing for the next 10-15 years."

I could see the wind go out of her sails.

"So, what would you suggest???"

She said, "I'll take this and you have a good weekend. I'm sorry I got angry with you."

Nothing solved, 20 minutes of time wasted.

She has chewed out at least 7 drivers over the last year. She gets angry about 3 attempts, but gets angrier if we leave stuff.

Bah. It is on a route that I might do 5 more weeks this year, I need to quit thinking about it.

Oh she'd be getting her attempts at 4:59 from there in out.

[video=youtube;sVzvRsl4rEM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVzvRsl4rEM&sns=em   [/video]
 

728ups

All Trash No Trailer
They way I deal with situations like this

ME "Yes I understand your frustration, can you sign here please?"

Lady "but blah blah blah"

Me "I feel your pain, can you sign here please?"

Lady "But blah blah blah"

Me "I understand your situation, can you sign here please?"

So forth and so on it goes until I can nab a signature.


In a situation such as that I give them the building number as wellas the name of an OMS who HATES taking calls from customers almost as much as the OMS hates me. I tell them I dont have any power,but this OMS is big cheese with the company and will get this stuff straightend out PDQ
 
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