Orion Forcing

[35years]

I've had Orion trace certain stops one day, I ran it the proper way and the next day it was the way I ran it. Maybe I'm conspiratorial but I think they are collecting data. The more data they collect the more accurate the system can be. Example:

Driver leaves the building at x time, he has x NDA stops and he does the route this way. The next day he leaves the building 10 minutes earlier with 1 less NDA stop and he does this.

With enough data Orion would be able to predict what is doable based off a few key elements. Now things happen on road and delays happen. So it will ever be perfect but I can see it getting better.

I would tend to agree with you since I have seen evidence of ORION "learning" from the driver's behavior and adjusting the following day.
I am not sure if it is ORION or management examining the previous day's GPS/trace breaks.
But what works one day can spell disaster for the following day. I have seen the ORION solution switch the order of stops for a certain "cluster" of stops seemingly because it made sense to do so the previous day. Only on the 2nd day the switch made no sense.

If ORION is using artificial intelligence to "learn"from driver behavior, it is using a very flawed program to do so. More likely a manager made changes in the "improved RDO" order or changed the % ORION was allowed to deviate from RDO trace for A.M. or P.M. stops. This becomes evident since the ORION solution will often "forget" the more efficient way to run a "cluster" or neighborhood from day to day.

It is important to realize that the ORION solution can be manipulated in many ways by management. Your route may be classified or re-classified as a baseline, regular, or traveling salesman route. Each will produce a very different ORION solution given the same stops. In addition management can manipulate left bldg. time, business closing times, time windows for pickups can be expanded or contracted. They can choose to use, or not use "clusters". They can set the % ODO has to mirror RDO. They can manipulate when ORION projects you taking break, and how much break. They can make, or not make, ORION have you do your first and/or last stop close to the bldg. etc. etc. etc.

All of this is to try to fix a very flawed program.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I can recall many times (pre-EDD) being told to drive around the block a few times if I knew that I was going to be under 8.

 

[Box Ox]

Ultra strict ORION compliance has become a huge issue at my center post-peak. Gives the impression that the success of the system will be used as leverage during negotiations for our next contract.

 

[Rack em]

Ultra strict ORION compliance has become a huge issue at my center post-peak. Gives the impression that the success of the system will be used as leverage during negotiations for our next contract.

What success? Everyone including our management team agrees that orion is garbage.

 

[Wally]

What success? Everyone including our management team agrees that orion is garbage.

It is good for overtime.

 

[JL 0513]

I was recently reminded how UPS' operation is just a big numbers and reports game and not for the right reasons.

As a cover driver, I can usually beat Orion miles on many of the routes I know best. I've beaten Orion by up to 20 miles on a 105 mile solution. Naturally I would disregard running Orion in the spirit of doing what was best for the company - saving them money on less labor, less fuel, less vehicle wear and tear. This seems like the right way for a company to thrive, right? Wrong.

I was directly told to get my compliance up and after pointing out beating the miles, was told that they'd rather see the high compliance number than me beating its miles! I couldn't believe it. Actually, I've been with UPS long enough to believe it.

How are we still in business again?

So UPS is so invested in this thing that it is no longer about saving miles. They'd rather maintain the facade to sell its success to themselves than to actually benefit from driver knowledge that actually produces better results to company profits.

It's hard to make me not care about doing my job well. But congrats UPS, you got me there the day I was told not to beat Orion's solution. I now switch my brain off at start time.

 

[burrheadd]

I was recently reminded how UPS' operation is just a big numbers and reports game and not for the right reasons.

As a cover driver, I can usually beat Orion miles on many of the routes I know best. I've beaten Orion by up to 20 miles on a 105 mile solution. Naturally I would disregard running Orion in the spirit of doing what was best for the company - saving them money on less labor, less fuel, less vehicle wear and tear. This seems like the right way for a company to thrive, right? Wrong.

I was directly told to get my compliance up and after pointing out beating the miles, was told that they'd rather see the high compliance number than me beating its miles! I couldn't believe it. Actually, I've been with UPS long enough to believe it.

How are we still in business again?

So UPS is so invested in this thing that it is no longer about saving miles. They'd rather maintain the facade to sell its success to themselves than to actually benefit from driver knowledge that actually produces better results to company profits.

It's hard to make me not care about doing my job well. But congrats UPS, you got me there the day I was told not to beat Orion's solution. I now switch my brain off at start time.

Be careful you don't blow a fuse

 

[bumped]

I was recently reminded how UPS' operation is just a big numbers and reports game and not for the right reasons.

As a cover driver, I can usually beat Orion miles on many of the routes I know best. I've beaten Orion by up to 20 miles on a 105 mile solution. Naturally I would disregard running Orion in the spirit of doing what was best for the company - saving them money on less labor, less fuel, less vehicle wear and tear. This seems like the right way for a company to thrive, right? Wrong.

I was directly told to get my compliance up and after pointing out beating the miles, was told that they'd rather see the high compliance number than me beating its miles! I couldn't believe it. Actually, I've been with UPS long enough to believe it.

How are we still in business again?

So UPS is so invested in this thing that it is no longer about saving miles. They'd rather maintain the facade to sell its success to themselves than to actually benefit from driver knowledge that actually produces better results to company profits.

It's hard to make me not care about doing my job well. But congrats UPS, you got me there the day I was told not to beat Orion's solution. I now switch my brain off at start time.

Its about selling Orion to other companies. If you run Orion it the numbers can be manufactured to show it works.

 

[Box Ox]

What success? Everyone including our management team agrees that orion is garbage.

Well, however they spin it. Compliance %, etc. I'm no fan of it either.

Management who doesn't know better already thinks it practically puts a route on auto pilot because they've never run a route and eat up the propaganda from above.

While the truth is that you have to know an area better than ever beforehand to be ORION compliant. Which probably defeats its purpose in the first place.

 

[Wally]

Well, however they spin it. Compliance %, etc. I'm no fan of it either.

Management who doesn't know better already thinks it practically puts a route on auto pilot because they've never run a route and eat up the propaganda from above.

While the truth is that you have to know an area better than ever beforehand to be ORION compliant. Which probably defeats its purpose in the first place.

Orion sure loves us to cut into traffic.

 

[Rack em]

Orion sure loves us to cut into traffic.

I love making U turns across 6 lane highways

 

[JL 0513]

Its about selling Orion to other companies. If you run Orion it the numbers can be manufactured to show it works.

That's the thing. To them Orion's solution presumably saves miles while ignoring that a human can indeed beat it while also performing the job better in other ways as well. So really, they don't want it beaten with bad compliance. As long as they think they're saving miles that's all that matters. In their minds the Orion solution beats running regular EDD in order and that is the "success" but a good driver would follow neither and beat both.

 

[Box Ox]

That's the thing. To them Orion's solution presumably saves miles while ignoring that a human can indeed beat it while also performing the job better in other ways as well.

I think it's just something the company wants to point to when arguing for lower wages for new hires in future contract negotiations.

 

[JL 0513]

I think it's just something the company wants to point to when arguing for lower wages for new hires in future contract negotiations.

Problem is it is much easier to run regular EDD blind than it is to run Orion blind. EDD runs in a logical right turn, right turn... progression while Orion is all over the place and often pulls 180's.

 

[OrioN]

I love making U turns across 6 lane highways

Yeah, our system at FX HD does the same thing

I'm currently in a rural route and OrioN tries to make me drive on dirt roads (10~20mph) instead of staying on blacktop (45~55mph).

If I'm paid by the hour, sure! I'll risk getting a flat tire on those roads too...

 

[MC0493]

Problem is it is much easier to run regular EDD blind than it is to run Orion blind. EDD runs in a logical right turn, right turn... progression while Orion is all over the place and often pulls 180's.

Not to mention the fact that Orion likes jumping around in the back of the truck too. I've found that Orion does actually work fairly well on a rural route, but the more urban it gets the more useless it becomes.

 

[HEFFERNAN]

3 minutes of OT = $2.60 = 1 gallon of gas = 6 MILES

This is the logarithm that proves ORION's a piece of garbage
If you let drivers come in earlier, there is more savings in that

 

[1989]

Not to mention the fact that Orion likes jumping around in the back of the truck too. I've found that Orion does actually work fairly well on a rural route, but the more urban it gets the more useless it becomes.

It works best when there is only one way to run a route. But even then, it can somehow screw that up.

 

[clean hairy]

Don't you wish you could have one of the Orion die hards with you one day?
Stuff that person in the Drivers seat, and observe how another person who has never run your route can do it better than you sticking to Orion all day? Of course, you do not mention Air is going to be late, or that it will have you doing pick ups after the Business has closed.

 

[BrownInTx]

Management told me to follow Orion so I do. 95 to 100 percent. It screws the whole day up. I miss businesses and I miss pickups. It makes a horrible day for my supervisor.

After doing this for 2 weeks they changed their tune. Then when I wanted to file 9.5 the center manager told me I should be able to get all the stops off Bc of orion. He told me once again to follow orion. So I did for the next week. Then filed my 9.5. Nothing but a chess match.