Production

Jim Kemp

Well-Known Member
Our sup told us that in 2009 UPS was going to really be pushing for more "production". Has any one else been told this? He could be just be blowing smoke. In our bldg the sups are going to have a busy year as everyone runs over, some as much as 3 hours.
He also said they were not going to do "rides", they were going to use gps and diad info. to make the improvements.
Gonna be a fun year.
 
W

westsideworma

Guest
I'm in management and its amsuing to me. We've (PT supes at my building) all noticed that when we make a major push production our injuries seem to go up negating any money we would have saved by that worker going faster than safely possible to meet spaceshot PPH or SPORH goals.

I'm not saying injuries are funny to me. I'm saying that we push and push for production but have no one to blame but ourselves when injuries happen. Of course "you're in charge of your own safety at UPS", but thats just our clever way of placing the blame on you for any accident or injury we don't have a set method (or acronym) for avoiding yet.
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
I like it when production is the "flavor of the week". Harassed drivers usually wind up being the best, most hard-core union members. Attendance at union meetings always seems to increase when the company turns up the heat.
 

brownrodster

Well-Known Member
We have a weird trend in my building. Volume seems slightly down. But our stops are increasing to record levels. My truck was half empty yesturday and I thought damn I'm lucky, today will be easy!! HA. I had almost record stops and was out until 2000. And I did over 18 stops per hour.

If they want more production they need to let the drivers design the load charts (not on PAS here). If the truck was loaded in a way that made sense then of course I could go faster. They need to make the preloaders accountable for the terrible loads they give us (or maybe hire more preloaders so my loader doesn't have to load 4 or 5 trucks). Stop having late air and making us waste tremendous amounts of time meeting late air trucks only to go back to 10 stops we've already been to.
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
Our sup told us that in 2009 UPS was going to really be pushing for more "production". Has any one else been told this?

I was told something similar to this by my Center Manager a few weeks ago. She didn't go into any details, but she said something like "UPS can't keep running the way it is now, we are going to change some things and a lot of people are not going to be happy about it". At the time, I was just thinking about the rumors of possible layoffs due to the economy. So maybe she was hinting at something else in the near future.
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
I say bring it on.

The last time I had a sup ride my ass about SPORH, I told him I would commit to whatever number he was able to demonstrate to me.

He got on car with me the next day and took the drivers seat. I had a notebook of my own, and I started timing him with my wristwatch and documenting the flaws in his methods. I would talk to him and recite numbers in order to confuse and distract him while he was trying to concentrate on looking for addresses and finding his next stop. I pointed out to him whenever he failed to select a package in under 24 seconds, or whenever he took longer than 7.5 seconds to stop, secure the vehicle and open the bulkhead door. I kept a running total of hs SPORH and reminded him of it every few minutes to keep the pressure on. I documented and verbally confronted him every time he failed to use a proper safety method, or whenever he followed another vehicle too closely, or failed to curb his wheels when parking on a hill. After 3 hours of this he didnt know whether to shiite or go blind, and his SPORH was nowhere near what he expected from me. We wound up needing help from other drivers just to get our pickups done on time. He learned his lesson and never bothered me again.

If you are being harrassed by a sup over SPORH, all you need to do is turn his own tactics against him. Insist that he demonstrate to you what he expects from you, and when he tries to do so you can break him down and drive home the fact that he is totally incapable of doing the job as well as you can and that his expectations are not based in reality. He will then leave you alone and seek an easier target. Never lose sight of the fact that when push comes to shove you can ALWAYS make your management more miserable than they can make you. Its all a state of mind.
 

MD Dan

Well-Known Member
Use the methods and follow ALL of the safety edicts. If you can demonstrate that you are doing these things, then by definition your SPOHR MUST be OK. If your numbers are still bad then the problem is with the time study-- not the driver.
 

StickMonkey

Junior stick.
I had the honor of being a helper this peak. First exposure to UPS. It was a learning experience to say the least. On the topic of production one thing I noticed with my regular driver was the amount of time "supervision" took away from him actually doing his job. 2- 3 times a week there was at least one call from a sup, usually in the 5-10 minute range for duration. One day the sup spent 20 minutes on the cell phone in a conversation the gist of which was why he wasn't working harder. Guess how many stops he made in that time. I'm a numbers guy and from the time I got on the truck until the time I got off were averaging 28-33 stops per hour, even when we had to do UPS Store pickups with 100+ pckgs. I can't say what the fella did when I wasn't on the truck, but we were busting our SPH goal every day when I was on board, and he was still getting regular supervision calls demanding he work harder.
 

Jim Kemp

Well-Known Member
I had the honor of being a helper this peak. First exposure to UPS. It was a learning experience to say the least. On the topic of production one thing I noticed with my regular driver was the amount of time "supervision" took away from him actually doing his job. 2- 3 times a week there was at least one call from a sup, usually in the 5-10 minute range for duration. One day the sup spent 20 minutes on the cell phone in a conversation the gist of which was why he wasn't working harder. Guess how many stops he made in that time. I'm a numbers guy and from the time I got on the truck until the time I got off were averaging 28-33 stops per hour, even when we had to do UPS Store pickups with 100+ pckgs. I can't say what the fella did when I wasn't on the truck, but we were busting our SPH goal every day when I was on board, and he was still getting regular supervision calls demanding he work harder.

If a sup calls me on MY phone and starts any cr@p I just hang up. I don't need to listen to it on my dime. They usually get ticked off but so what, its my phone
 

1989

Well-Known Member
Our sup told us that in 2009 UPS was going to really be pushing for more "production".




Good, It's about time!!!
 

UnconTROLLed

perfection
As though UPS doesn't cram enough packages down everyones throat? And as though there are not enough injuries and precarious situations? This could get fun!
 

Jack4343

FT DR Specialist
If I had to guess, the production they are talking about is trying to get more production out of fewer drivers. They will cut routes and increase delivery stop counts and pickup stop counts on the remaining drivers. Of course, their production will increase. They are counting on drivers going well above and beyond the neck-breaking speed that most of us do daily. However, the problem with their plan of increased production will be the increased overtime by the remaining drivers. If you overwork yourselves, you will set a new bar that will be impossible to do from day-to-day. They are counting on that to happen. I've already told my on-car that this will be the year I break the bank on OT. They've already cut the route next to me twice in 3 days. I'm all for working hard. I have a good work ethic and I really have to work hard to slow myself down and remind myself that I will be doing this job for at least 20 more years and I need to keep my body intact to do it.
 

New Englander

Well-Known Member
If I had to guess, the production they are talking about is trying to get more production out of fewer drivers. They will cut routes and increase delivery stop counts and pickup stop counts on the remaining drivers. Of course, their production will increase. They are counting on drivers going well above and beyond the neck-breaking speed that most of us do daily. However, the problem with their plan of increased production will be the increased overtime by the remaining drivers. If you overwork yourselves, you will set a new bar that will be impossible to do from day-to-day. They are counting on that to happen. I've already told my on-car that this will be the year I break the bank on OT. They've already cut the route next to me twice in 3 days. I'm all for working hard. I have a good work ethic and I really have to work hard to slow myself down and remind myself that I will be doing this job for at least 20 more years and I need to keep my body intact to do it.

They will quickly find out production will drop.

If were going to be out late no matter what.....I'm not busting my ass for them. I'll be out late with fewer stops then I did prior.

Dangle the carrot in front of my nose that I've an early type day - I will work harder to try and get back to see my kids even sooner. If I know no matter what I do I'm stuck out? Whats my incentive?

Funny how that works.
 

Jim Kemp

Well-Known Member
I am convinced that what they want is your lunch hour. How else will you ever do what they want? And a drivers lunch hour to a sup. is like heroin, the get addicted and they need more and more. Best thing is to never start giving it to them.
 

New Englander

Well-Known Member
Best thing to do is file if your 9.5 is violated. Slow down for safety's sake if your going to start getting hammered day after day. People get worn out mentally and physically.

Simple formula.....stay safe! I'm not going to let it bother me one way or another.

It's like this peak....I was asked why with my helper we were not running numbers closer to another "like" route. Forget that my route has an hour and 15 more commute added AND I had to go to a meet with 5 other drivers all dumping our outbound to 1 driver. (log jam)

Guys were being forced to work the last two Saturdays. I looked at my on-road and said. I'll work my 60 in 5 days, not 6. So this is all your getting. Didn't like it but I was left alone after that.
 

brownrodster

Well-Known Member
Dangle the carrot in front of my nose that I've an early type day - I will work harder to try and get back to see my kids even sooner. If I know no matter what I do I'm stuck out? Whats my incentive?
Funny how that works.

Exactly, the only days I've skipped my breaks and ran a little were days where I could get done in under 8 hours and needed or wanted to do so. If I have a full days worth of work on my truck I work a safe pace, take my breaks and earn a bunch of overtime.
 

spuman

Well-Known Member
I am convinced that what they want is your lunch hour. How else will you ever do what they want? And a drivers lunch hour to a sup. is like heroin, the get addicted and they need more and more. Best thing is to never start giving it to them.



absolutely!!!Thats the only time left in the day and they want it.If

I skipped my lunch i would have another 25 stops on my target.If they

get 5 drivers to do it they can cut another route.I know there was a

thread on this recently but these youngsters need to figure it out,its

not easy to change a driver thats been skipping lunch for 10 or 20 years.

I got luckey,when I started driving some of the senior drivers invited

me and others to stop for lunch,you would be suprised how fast an hour

goes by when your not alone. Sorry for getting off track.
 

1989

Well-Known Member
I am convinced that what they want is your lunch hour. How else will you ever do what they want? And a drivers lunch hour to a sup. is like heroin, the get addicted and they need more and more. Best thing is to never start giving it to them.


I've only got warning letters for not taking my lunch at the proper time.
 
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