Peak day= Break out routes!

[Scoot]

I have lurked here for awhile but decided I needed to post about this.

So we show up to work this morning the preload is wrapped and we get out of the building about 20 minutes earlier than usual. Air commits are relaxed to 12:00. Looks like a good day....at least a good start to a heavy day.

Sometime after we have all left, upper mgt decides that stops per car are too low so they decide to break out 3 routes in our center. They spend the whole day making meets and shuttling stops out to all the drivers....almost none of which are near our routes. The route they broke on our belt had 200+ stops on it. For most of us it meant delivering businesses that were 3-5 miles off our routes at 7:00 at night. Obviously there were many pkgs not delivered and nearly every one of us lucky drivers punched out after 8:00. Some closer to 9:00. All this in order to send 3 drivers home and get the numbers looking good.

You would think we could put the numbers aside for this one week of the year and do what is right by the customers and the drivers. I have worked 21 years for UPS so I am not looking for an explanation....I know better. It just seems that every time I think we couldn't push customer service and employee relations any farther below the bottom line.....we do.

 

[grgrcr88]

What did the drivers do that got cut. Did they go home? If so they are guaranteed 8hrs. So not only did they waste all that time and effort. They paid 3 drivers 8hrs pay for not working.

You also sould file a grievance for all the time the sups spent shuttling packages. If they cut drivers and then worked themselves, that is a contract violation which pays double pay, for all time worked.

 

[iruhnman630]

Yup--we also had 3 names at the bottom of the board to start the day.

I went out with a heavy but manageable (imo) dispatch...120 country stops plus a 25 stop resi split near the building...figured I would finish around 7:30, break and all. But then the message came at 2:00, saying that I must use a helper today, despite my objections that meeting the helper would lose more time than 2 people could possibly make up doing country stops.

But here's the best part: the 'helper' was one of the drivers they sent home this morning (I ran her route today)! They had called her back in, saying they were now 'desperate' for her help, and they would not put on outside-hire helpers today.

In the end, my 7:30 punch-out time turned into 8:30, I had to hold my breath that the gas tank I had topped off this morning had enough gas due to the extra miles I ran to pick her up (I ran out in the yard just last week with this car), and I still needed to give up 15 of those nice easy resi stops by the building!

The wonders never cease.

 

[iruhnman630]

What did the drivers do that got cut. Did they go home?

They actually called her while she was on car as a helper with me and asked her if she wanted to work the hub tonight to fill her 8 hours. That drew a good laugh.

 

[The Passenger]

Yup--we also had 3 names at the bottom of the board to start the day.

I went out with a heavy but manageable (imo) dispatch...120 country stops plus a 25 stop resi split near the building...figured I would finish around 7:30, break and all. But then the message came at 2:00, saying that I must use a helper today, despite my objections that meeting the helper would lose more time than 2 people could possibly make up doing country stops.

But here's the best part: the 'helper' was one of the drivers they sent home this morning (I ran her route today)! They had called her back in, saying they were now 'desperate' for her help, and they would not put on outside-hire helpers today.

In the end, my 7:30 punch-out time turned into 8:30, I had to hold my breath that the gas tank I had topped off this morning had enough gas due to the extra miles I ran to pick her up (I ran out in the yard just last week with this car), and I still needed to give up 15 of those nice easy resi stops by the building!

The wonders never cease.

I know UPS is huge and we can't all use the same lingo as we all face different challenges depending on where and in what field we work. That said, can anyone tell me what a country stop is?

 

[whiskey]

I know UPS is huge and we can't all use the same lingo as we all face different challenges depending on where and in what field we work. That said, can anyone tell me what a country stop is?

Consignee? Country? No? I don't know.
"Well we didn't know, because our mission had been so secret, no distress signal had been sent."

 

[Johney]

What did the drivers do that got cut. Did they go home? If so they are guaranteed 8hrs. So not only did they waste all that time and effort. They paid 3 drivers 8hrs pay for not working.

You also sould file a grievance for all the time the sups spent shuttling packages. If they cut drivers and then worked themselves, that is a contract violation which pays double pay, for all time worked.

Yea but at least their numbers looked good for the day right?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I know UPS is huge and we can't all use the same lingo as we all face different challenges depending on where and in what field we work. That said, can anyone tell me what a country stop is?

A country stop is a stop in a rural area. These are also called chasers.

120 country stops can equate to well over 200 stops in a typical subdivision as these stops are much further apart from one another.

 

[over9five]

Welcome to Brown Cafe, Scoot. Glad you finally posted!

All I can say is what we already know: "Yup, they sure do some dumb things!"

Sorry, that was no help at all.....

 

[OVER10]

We in the Peoples Republic of Maine refer to the country roads as "Goat Paths". My route does 140 miles about 60 of which are chasers on goat paths.

 

[dilligaf]

A country stop is a stop in a rural area. These are also called chasers.

120 country stops can equate to well over 200 stops in a typical subdivision as these stops are much further apart from one another.

or shags

 

[dilligaf]

We in the Peoples Republic of Maine refer to the country roads as "Goat Paths". My route does 140 miles about 60 of which are chasers on goat paths.

Thats funny. We have goat paths here as well.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

or shags

I thought a shag was a carpet from the '70s.

 

[Harley Rider]

Commonly referred to as "pig trails" here. That is mostly my whole route. I deliver about 20 stops in a small town by the interstate. Then head for the boonies the rest of the day. Usually about 100 stops total and 200 miles a day.

 

[Pkgrunner]

or shags

Stingers here.
No goat paths though, just deer trails in the hills and quad roads through the groves.

 

[cachsux]

I thought a shag was a carpet from the '70s.

I thought it was the hot easy girl that worked at one of the stores on route.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I thought it was the hot easy girl that worked at one of the stores on route.

Should you be talking like that, Teacher?

 

[screamin chicken]

We had 5 routes cut, I have been running 190-230 with a helper since Oct. so I figure I was getting off early on Christmas Eve until they add cut 40 more stops to me that are not on my area, I finish then I had to go and take 15 stops another driver that had a helper that only had 100 stops, so he went out with 85 stops with a helper and still did not punch out before 7 and his route is only driven about 25-30 miles residentials.

 

[dilligaf]

I thought it was the hot easy girl that worked at one of the stores on route.

Cache, do you speak from experience?

 

[1989]

I had been doing 280-310 stops the last 2 weeks...Only had 210 on Thursday. GRAVY