Scanning pickups or not is going to be a local practice based on the package flow. The clock starts ticking at the first scan, whether that's a pickup scan or an origin scan (which is usually the first scan once the package gets back to the center). There are some situations where they don't want the clock to start ticking on the package right away. For example, our air driver who goes to the airport at night stops and makes a late letterbox pickup on his way. Often there are ground packages in the box. He does not scan them, because they will be brought back to the center and sorted the following day. If he scans them when he picks them up, the clock starts ticking and when they are scanned on the local sort the next day it shows them as "left in building," which is a service failure.
There are other situations depending on how your packages flow once they get back to the center where you don't want the clock to start ticking at the pickup time. Not only might it create a "service failure" when there isn't one, but it might affect the forecasting down the line.
Also, some centers use the "recovery area" feature of the pickup screen where you put in separate counts for your air and international pickups. Integrad trains new drivers how to use these but tells them to follow the practice at their home centers because they're all different.
The corporate policy is all packages get scanned at pickup; any other thing said is wrong,whether it comes from a DM, center manager, or on car, and I'd have no problem telling them so.
I can think of two reasons all pieces need to be scanned:
As was mentioned above, some pickup accounts need scans to measure the shipping performance; they measure from order received to consignee signs for delivery. Delaying the pickup scan won't hide anything from them; rather it'll just piss them off, and they may drop UPS as their shipping agent. I've seen it happen, although thankfully it was UPS gaining the business FedEx lost because of noncompliance.
There's also the issue of claims on returns being processed upon a package being scanned into our system. For instance, someone is returning a phone. Once the package is scanned into UPS' system, the company may automatically initiate a refund or mail them a voucher. I once did something like this, although it was with FedEx. As soon as it was scanned, I was emailed a voucher for the cost of the item. If that FedEx guy had neglected to scan the package, and it did not get an origin scan at the hub, I would not have been refunded my money.
Missing origin scans is not entirely unheard of: jam happens on an unload belt, packages spilling all over the place, some under a box line or other hard to reach area. May not being found for a couple days. Meanwhile, UPS is telling the consumer or the shipper, "We never received your package. It must be the person who shipped it."
I remember a similar thread popping up a year or so ago: guy was returning a $400 phone via ARS. He put it in a Dropbox, and the driver neglected to scan the package. For some reason it didn't get an origin scan, and the guy got stuck with the charge. Now, he was silly for coming here trying to allege the driver took it, but I understood his frustration. Some here were saying, "I'd never out such a high priced item in a dropbox! ", but that is irrelevant
, especially since the label often assures the customer that it is safe to leave at a dropbox.
Corporate policy-the bible of our business, if you will-states all packages must get a pickup scan. No center manager or supervisor can fire an employee for doing this, as they would truly be
working as directed.