Pick Up Times

tups

Well-Known Member
Is anyone experiencing this in their centers? We have been told that we must make out pickups to be within a 15 minute window +/- of the scheduled pickup time. And if we cannot meet those times, the on-car sup can change them so that we meet the times. When I questioned him about this today, I told him that on my route it is nearly impossible to meet the times that are currently scheduled. He told me to let him know the correct times and he can adjust them. Well it turns out that the current times have been adjusted by him when he was on this route trying to train a new driver. They were changed from the times that the old driver had them for over two years. Now he explains that this is all for customer service and so that the customer will have reliable pickups from us. I tried arguing that this business route sometimes gets so heavy that deliveries go on well after the pickup times he scheduled, and sometimes they can be met. It is a route of about 75% business and 25% resi. Avg. pkg count each day for this route goes from 280 - 350. And it is not all dock stops either. So I tried telling him that the only time the customer cares about is BEFORE they close. He said if I couldn't give him reliable pickup times he would change them for me and then I would be held accountable. Anyone else getting this about pick up times?
 

mis_load

Active Member
Yes, we have the same thing in our center. Mgnt gets a report everday to show them the % < and > fifteen minutes. We have had to redo all of our pick-ups times. As you said it could be different every day depends on the route. My suggestion is, make your pick-ups times as close as you can everyday. Have the supervisor print out your daily p/u's from DCS and review with supervisor as to when they are best to be made. Should get to atleast 85% of all pickups within fifteen minutes< or >. Get Center Mgr, involved things should go good.
 

Griff

Well-Known Member
Give it a week and they won't care anymore. Sounds like your management team is getting bored and needs something to fill their day.
 

25yrvet

Well-Known Member
Just wait till an over zealous swing driver gets on your rt for a week or two. He'll be in the office changin' the p/u times himself--with the 'ok' from the sup.

I would be nice if, like in the old days, customers could almost set their watches by us for del & p/u. Some will argue that this 'new' sched p/u program will do that. MY QUESTION IS WHERE DID IT GO IN THE FIRST PLACE.

So much for customer retention
 
M

Mr. Smiley

Guest
When I get there I get there. As long that is before their closing time and I dont miss the pickup that day their is no problem. Dont worry about it. Just remember not to sheet a business stop as NI 1 between 12 and 1 and put your lunch in the board and you will be fine. WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF NEXT ???????????????? Maybe something to do with your mirrors and backing. Oh wait, they just came up with that too. Another brain idea from some Sup who probably drove for maybe 1 year or most likley less. Been doing this for 30 years and have 29 years of safe driving and some ROOKIE on the safety BS is trying to tell me how to set my mirrors. Give me a break. The only reason these guys are on the safety commety is because its free easy money.
 

Steelheader

The Fishing UPS Guy
Our center has done the same thing. I understand where 25yrvet is coming from, BUT.....UPS is different then it was then. We had a set schedule, and there was no breaking it. We didn't bend that much for the customers needs then. If it wasn't ready, off we went and signed out the book.

It's a different ball game now. I've built up alot of volume by being flexible with my customers. I have the last two pickups on my board that I can pickup as late as 7pm (and one I can simply have them fill my TP60 and leave end of day in my Pup). I have days where my accounts are really heavy and days they are very light and of course in between. Days I FLY through the pickups. I'll easily blow the timeline (and have). Also the reverse. Have days I'm so bogged down brickloading my pickups (since I can easily blow out my P1000 and TP60) that I run over my pickup times and drop air so I can finish out my stop and last two pickups.

It's a phase, just like everything else. Itll blow out with the wind as well. Plus, I have a few onroute pickups. Depending on how my route runs dictates when I stop in and pickup. It's impossible to dictate, especially on routes that change daily (my route can run from 60% business/40% resi to 95% business/5% resi from day to day all on the SAME route without pulling/adding a split). You just can't win with some of the stuff they want us to do.
 

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
This is scary, Every time there is an issue brought up on here a week later, we got it. Yes I had the pick up game also.
I understand the reasoning, but I have no control over what is stuck in my truck??? . So pickups I usually make at 430, if I have commercial stuck up my butt, do I pull and make them in the window....and miss the commercial, or do I service the customer, and make the pick ups after five since they are open 24/7?

We are spending so much time on the numbers, my head spins.
One driver I know, if asked to make a pick up early, so they can leave, writes down the whole freaking end of day number and records it at the proper time:w00t:

In 15 yrs, I have never missed a pick up, Iam even stupid enough to help out the on area pickups, by giving them my cell number in case they have an emergency pick up. And no one abuses it. I cant take any more time commitments. We have 1030, we have 1200, we have 3pm, we have 5pm. we cant edit a mistake, We cant over ride an error. We cant be Over 9.5, we cant be under 8, we cant dr where we should, and we shouldnt ask for a sig, if it is supposedly safe, measured by some dweeb, who never set foot in my town. WE cant wait for a cod, but we get a complaint for rudeness, when we dont. We are not suppose to get bit by a dog, but we get complaints when we dont deliver to a porch with a pit bull tied to it, since ni1 dog is not in the diad. WE cant use other, other, then why the heck is it in the board? We cant leave letters in mailboxes, yet its a choice in the board. If its a FP, not good enough we have to type in "behind planter" and leave a freakin note. Its raining make sure you make good dr's, but we dont have any bags, but we will be getting them, once the summertime drought sets in.

Take your lunch between this time, dont deliver in this time, dont pick up 15 min before 15 after this time. It is getting so we have no flexibility to do what we are paid to do. Everything is being measured by some idiocracy, that was caused by some idiot somewhere else. The minority of bad drivers is causing every one to be punished.
Ive already told people about the pee breaks, they laugh, give it a day or two, it will soon be coming to a center near you.
 
Last edited:

DS

Fenderbender
They`ve been preaching the within 15 min rule here for years,and being a big city its usually pretty tight and its easy to meet the commits.We are a bit behind here...pushing the no del between 12:00 and 1:00 but I never had a problem there.Here its memorizing the 10 point commentary.
word for word...I`m workin on that...
but tooner said a mouthful and with much validity.
our jobs are ruled by a corporate idiocracy.
 
I was called into my Center managers ofice 2 weks ago and told that I ran 12.6%effectiveness. I have 39 PUps a day that averages to about 1700-1900 packages picked up per day. None of my Pup's are done the same everyday, it varies per customer and sometimes a 4:00 PU will be ready at 3:00 and a 4:00 will be ready at 6:00. So what I do Is Prerecord my Pup stops. So say I get to PU that should be picked up @ 1600 and get it @ 1430 I'll pre record the stop at 1430 and stop complete between 1545-1615. This has kept Center manager off my back and now I run a high 90% every day.
 

dutchups

Well-Known Member
Suprise!!
This has also been going on n the Netherlands the last few weeks.

As a few already said: just ride it out.

Not every customer is happy with it; it`s just another UPSreport that they want to have clean.
Even if it changes pick up times requested by the customer......
 
Top