Preload Noob Qs

[EASY1ONE]

Hi guys, it has been my dream to drive for UPS ever since I was a kid. I was hired as a preloader in OCT and started on call. Ive worked everyday now for about 3 weeks. My misloads are low and I actually had zero misloads for like 7 days in a row... How ever For the last two days we have been getting slammed (over 22,000+ packages). It has been really overwhelming to keep up with my 3 trucks.. my trucks are right at the begining of the belt right next to someone who loads 1 truck and sorts east and west of the belt... seems like I walk the belt stack 10 or so packages go load them while 10 more pass then I go get the 10 i missed only to miss 10 more and on and on and it hardly ever seems to slow down..this results in alot of blowbys.. I work my ass off and I am safe but I just cant seem to keep up.. I am in my 70 day probation period and im starting to worry that UPS will let me go after peak.. there is also 1 supervisor who is constantly on his phone texting or listening to music and talking to all the girls alot of the times about inappropriate things.. and he seems to tell everyone to "pull their crap" and "we load not stack" he is really getting on my nerves... anyway should I be worried.. ?? is this not for me??? if youre going to be an no need to respond to this post...

 

[TearsInRain]

preload sucks dude. driving has a lot of bs and stress too, but you'll be making 3x as much (or more on OT) and once you're out of the building things get significantly better

unless you have some secondary dream that involves a college degree and comfortable workspace, i'd just stick with it dude

think of preload as a lesson in patience, stress management, and dealing with a stupid boss; all those will come in handy no matter what you do later

 

[Indecisi0n]

I would love to give you tips on how to piss managment off by working "safely" but you haven't made your book so my advise is to keep your mouth shut and keep on moving.

 

[EASY1ONE]

I really like working at UPS even as a preloader lol.. there are 4/5 supervisors and the others are really cool and i dont mind them just the one is an a hole.. and i will for sure stick with it and hopefully ill stick around after peak.. i cant wait for the opportunity to drive.. i was a driver at Fedex Ground for a few years and a driver at DHL for one year.. so ive done it before.. although i still worry your guys' comments really help thanks

 

[Bagels]

Honestly, I've been here over a decade and can count the number of persons UPS choose not to retain after their probationary period on one hand. If you show up to work on-time and give it your best effort, I'd be surprised if you weren't retained. Loading on a straight-belt (like yours) is challenging... typically it requires cooperation, with one person pulling packages while the other loads (and flip roles every few minutes). Give it your best effort -- if you get caught up, they'll just dump a fourth truck on you anyway. And don't worry about the superviors... they say the same things here. Remember, they're your boss - not your friend.

 

[barnyard]

If you were to search 'preload' or 'preload questions', you would have enough to read for a week.

In the end, it might not matter. You will be laid off the day after Christmas and it is hard to say if you will be called back.

 

[EASY1ONE]

i had my worst day there i had 10 misloads and a bunch of blowbys my area got slammed and i couldnt keep up... i loaded over 1000 pieces... one of the drivers complained because i loaded his truck wrong apparently.. im very discouraged...

 

[jibbs]

**** happens. Hold your head up, find out what you did wrong and make a conscious effort not to be discouraged. The job is easy once you find your rhythm/methods, the toughest part is physical and even then... it's not that hard to keep up. Just keep your feet moving and your eyes open.

 

[STFXG]

Big dreamer...

 

[cosmo1]

i had my worst day there i had 10 misloads and a bunch of blowbys my area got slammed and i couldnt keep up... i loaded over 1000 pieces... one of the drivers complained because i loaded his truck wrong apparently.. im very discouraged...

Waah!

 

[Bagels]

Waah!

It's nice to know UPSers are respectful people. (Not to worry, the drivers whine more than any other employee group.)

 

[cosmo1]

It's nice to know UPSers are respectful people. (Not to worry, the drivers whine more than any other employee group.)

Waah!

 

[Justaname]

i had my worst day there i had 10 misloads and a bunch of blowbys my area got slammed and i couldnt keep up... i loaded over 1000 pieces... one of the drivers complained because i loaded his truck wrong apparently.. im very discouraged...

Just out of curiosity, how would you compare working for brown over the competition? As for sucking at preloading, everybody does when they start out. During peak everybody stacks. You'll eventually become better.

 

[Bagels]

Waah!

Aww, did cosmo1 have a bad day?

 

[EASY1ONE]

It's nice to know UPSers are respectful people. (Not to worry, the drivers whine more than any other employee group.)

yeah one of my drivers keeps complaining about how i load his truck... if i hold stuff out he throws a fit and chucks all of it in his truck and then complains to my sup on how it was loaded... if i load it all i dont leave him enough room to walk around in his truck.. he has not come to me and told me anything about it sooo im going to keep loading it all in the best i can...

 

[EASY1ONE]

Just out of curiosity, how would you compare working for brown over the competition? As for sucking at preloading, everybody does when they start out. During peak everybody stacks. You'll eventually become better.

good question... at DHL i was paid minimum wage as a driver. i lived in a town that had no hub the closest hub was in a town about an hour and a half away... we would do pick ups in the morning and a shuttle would come around noon and we had 3 drivers... we would load our own trucks and deliver.. we had to work everyother saturday where we would go over to the town where the hub was at 3 hour drive and deliver.. again no overtime...

at fedex i worked at ground. i was a "sub-contractor" i was paid 600/wk weather i worked 8 hours or 12 and maybe would get a 100 bonus when the contractor could afford it (which was hardly ever). no benefits. i had to do my own taxes because i was considered "self employed".. again the fedex hub was about an hour and a half away... i would leave my house at 330 am or so to get tthere at 5am load my own truck and go deliver and would get done between 6pm and 8pm... we never had driver helpers at DHL or fedex...

maybe the driver that complains about his load should work for FedEx Ground for a week... lol

 

[EASY1ONE]

lol lets face it preload sucks.. but i am loosing weight.. i work my ass off... the time seems to fly by.. i am really looking forward to wearing the brown... and i feel like i am doing good getting product out to the people if not as a driver just loading the truck and sorting... i really like it..