Peak season advice

[Jeremaih156]

I've been working at UPS for 6 days now, I get 4 trucks a day and a couple of days I did over time. I think I'm doing a pretty good job, thing is I keep hearing rumors about peak season our packages triple than the normal amount. Is that true? And if it is, any tips I can use so I can keep up?

 

[PT Car Washer]

Yes, the volume goes through the roof. You will still be expected to load the same number of cars although you may start a 1/2 hour earlier.

 

[Jeremaih156]

Damn...

 

[AndUPSER]

A lot more chaos and more random yelling with a bigger paycheck each week.

The earlier start times vary by sort in my building. Preload starts at 11:00 Sunday night, usually 3:00 rest of the week, day sort starts at 9:30, twilight starts at 4:00 and night sort stays the same at 11:00. And of course, all the sorts run into each other during peak.

 

[PT Car Washer]

Which is why the pre load can't start much earlier. Midnight sort are using the same belts to move their volume. I am assuming you are working in a hub and center building.

 

[bleedinbrown58]

Yes, the volume goes through the roof. You will still be expected to load the same number of cars although you may start a 1/2 hour earlier.

Half hour earlier? Or three and half hours? That sounds more like it....lol. Peak preload start time was midnight almost everyday last peak.

 

[PT Car Washer]

I work out of a building with a hub. Pre load can't really start until they wrap. Might start preloaders on the boxline earlier but the rest of the belts can't.

 

[FrigidAdCorrector]

Last year I thought I understood the amount of volume we would get for Peak, but it was at least double that. Our start time was moved back two hours. You'll get a heck of a lot more hours and a nicer paycheck. I average 18 hours a week. There was one week during peak I did 38 hours. It's crazy how it happens too. The day before thanksgiving we had average volume. Cyber Monday we had triple out normal volume. It gets hectic fast.


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[Wally]

You will be stuffing stuff in big white bags. Not everything goes in truck.

 

[jibbs]

Half hour earlier? Or three and half hours? That sounds more like it....lol. Peak preload start time was midnight almost everyday last peak.

Same here. Went from 20 hour workweeks to 35+ through December last year, barely slowing down into January. Don't remember the volume the year before that, though, I was 3 months in and dog-tired through my entire first peak, and loading four trucks outside in winter weather that the conveyor belts didn't reach, so they had about 40-50ft worth of metal rollers jutting outside the building to a row of about 10 trucks, lol.

The job's easy once you've loaded outside in the middle of heavy snow or rain with temps at a max of like 40 degrees, a minimum of about 5 degrees from November to February. That BS SUCKED. And those little temporary roof/tent things they prop up out there? You learn real fast that those are meant to keep the packages from getting wet, not you.



in' BS is what it was... good luck on your first peak, though. Hopefully you'll have enough time in to not be thrown into the absolute most ty positions your center/hub has to offer by the time Christmas rolls around.

 

[bleedinbrown58]

Same here. Went from 20 hour workweeks to 35+ through December last year, barely slowing down into January. Don't remember the volume the year before that, though, I was 3 months in and dog-tired through my entire first peak, and loading four trucks outside in winter weather that the conveyor belts didn't reach, so they had about 40-50ft worth of metal rollers jutting outside the building to a row of about 10 trucks, lol.

The job's easy once you've loaded outside in the middle of heavy snow or rain with temps at a max of like 40 degrees, a minimum of about 5 degrees from November to February. That BS SUCKED. And those little temporary roof/tent things they prop up out there? You learn real fast that those are meant to keep the packages from getting wet, not you.



in' BS is what it was... good luck on your first peak, though. Hopefully you'll have enough time in to not be thrown into the absolute most ty positions your center/hub has to offer by the time Christmas rolls around.

Monday-friday I had about 45 hours. And they ran Saturday sorts every week during peak...bumped me up to about 50 hrs a week.

 

[jibbs]

I know, you get ridiculous hours even during the regular workyear iirc. I'm lucky if I hit 25hrs a week outside of peak. I consistently average like 21-22, it seems like. Before when I would jump at the chance to go home and sleep at least once a week I was getting 17-18 a pay period.

That's the kind of thing that makes me think I work out of a pretty small center, because it's not unusual for me to be one of the last loaders to leave after helping wrap other people up and pull add-cuts so it's not like I'm running from the work or anything.

 

[Jeremaih156]

Damn 50 hours a week? I don't know how I'm going to be able to do that and school. Hopefully I hover around the 35/hr week.

 

[bleedinbrown58]

I know, you get ridiculous hours even during the regular workyear iirc. I'm lucky if I hit 25hrs a week outside of peak. I consistently average like 21-22, it seems like. Before when I would jump at the chance to go home and sleep at least once a week I was getting 17-18w a week.

That's the kind of thing that makes me think I work out of a pretty small center, because it's not unusual for me to be one of the last loaders to leave after helping wrap other people up and pull ad-cuts so it's not like I'm running from the work or anything.

I know, you get ridiculous hours even during the regular workyear iirc. I'm lucky if I hit 25hrs a week outside of peak. I consistently average like 21-22, it seems like. Before when I would jump at the chance to go home and sleep at least once a week I was getting 17-18 a week.

That's the kind of thing that makes me think I work out of a pretty small center, because it's not unusual for me to be one of the last loaders to leave after helping wrap other people up and pull ad-cuts so it's not like I'm running from the work or anything.

My building has summer and xmas peak...so May thru Sept I get between 25-30 a week. Feb-May is our slow time...but even then I get at least 22 or so hrs..but most of that is due to seniority.

 

[Jeremaih156]

Peak season starts in October correct?

 

[Indecisi0n]

The rules change for preload during peak. It's not get the correct package in the truck and in the right spot with the labels facing out and lip loaded but rather just get the correct package in the correct truck. Doesn't matter where or how you do it.

 

[jibbs]

The rules change for preload during peak. It's not get the correct package in the truck and in the right spot with the labels facing out and lip loaded but rather just get the correct package in the correct truck. Doesn't matter where or how you do it.

Honestly? That's how it is the rest of the year.

Perfectly sequence every stop for four trucks, but have a single misload or two for the entire day? Hear about it every morning how you're in' up.

Shelf load, only ensuring that you've got the right box in the right truck near the right shelf, either on or under it? Come in and hear about how you had 0 yesterday, good job, buddy, keep it up.

 

[PT Car Washer]

The rules change for preload during peak. It's not get the correct package in the truck and in the right spot with the labels facing out and lip loaded but rather just get the correct package in the correct truck. Doesn't matter where or how you do it.

Get the correct package into the correct truck? When did that start? My buildings pre load manager just wants the boxes out of the trailer and into any truck and on the street. Somebody else's problem then.

 

[Indecisi0n]

Trust me when guys start sending in 10-15 misloads a day per truck like they use to here it changes real fast.

 

[PT Car Washer]

Nothing has changed in my building concerning misloads. Just some days are worse then others.