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R.I.P. DRA
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<blockquote data-quote="Ricochet1a" data-source="post: 1170332" data-attributes="member: 22880"><p>This is what I've heard. DRA is WORKING in the areas from which I know people who are corresponding with me. In the instances where the stop ordering is screwed up, the station management is still having routes balanced with DRA, but allow Couriers to create their own stop ordering to keep from continuously backtracking with the screwed up ordering generated by DRA. As a 'history' of stop ordering is generated by a route (Courier generated), engineering is using that 'trace' to assist in generating a default method for the software to assign stop ordering. DRA is far from dead, to the contrary, they are working the kinks out of it and slowly getting it to produce the results they want. </p><p></p><p>One of the issues which is touched upon by the quoted post - is the tendency of the software to generate a TREMENDOUS number of routes. I've already written on this - stations that are experiencing difficulties with DRA are hiring additional part-time Couriers to run DRA 'overflow' routes. As DRA for a station is reasonably polished up, a hiring freeze will be established in these stations and staffing levels will be allowed to drop to what is needed (turnover is still going on).</p><p></p><p>Many part-timers are accumulating over 30 hours a week as a consequence of this. This is causing other issues for Express (they DON'T want to be offering part-timers full-time employment). </p><p></p><p>So as much as the 'career' Couriers may wish DRA to go away, it isn't. It is the future of Express and no matter how long it takes, it will be unrolled and implemented in virtually ALL Express stations. </p><p></p><p>About the only issue that still has to be tackled by Memphis is just how much customer service to 'cut' as a result of running DRA routes. DRA eliminates the flexibility of traditional delivery routes - this flexibility has enabled service to be granted to customers who complain 'rather loudly' (Apple is a current example). DRA takes this capability away - Couriers can't break trace with a DRA route to take care of a 'noisy customer'. Just as with the desire of Express to do away with 3rd day volume (but not lose customers in the process - that is the ONLY thing stopping it from being abruptly ended), they are grappling with just how much service reduction to implement and not piss off too many high revenue customers. </p><p></p><p>What I expect Express to do, is to implement a variant on what the 'airlines' have and are doing with their high revenue customers - create a de facto two-tiered system of Courier service level (Express would NEVER publicly admit this, but I think it will happen nevertheless). Routes will be created to ensure a higher 'service level' to high revenue customers (both in and outbound), while non-high revenue customers will be served by the garden variety DRA route with no flexibility. This way Express can keep its time honored tradition of having and eating its cake at the same time - while being able to deny any such 'separate but equal' practice exists. The consistent high revenue customer will get the premium service and flexibility, while the garden variety one or two piece a day customer will be on the non-flexible DRA routes. Just my hunch...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ricochet1a, post: 1170332, member: 22880"] This is what I've heard. DRA is WORKING in the areas from which I know people who are corresponding with me. In the instances where the stop ordering is screwed up, the station management is still having routes balanced with DRA, but allow Couriers to create their own stop ordering to keep from continuously backtracking with the screwed up ordering generated by DRA. As a 'history' of stop ordering is generated by a route (Courier generated), engineering is using that 'trace' to assist in generating a default method for the software to assign stop ordering. DRA is far from dead, to the contrary, they are working the kinks out of it and slowly getting it to produce the results they want. One of the issues which is touched upon by the quoted post - is the tendency of the software to generate a TREMENDOUS number of routes. I've already written on this - stations that are experiencing difficulties with DRA are hiring additional part-time Couriers to run DRA 'overflow' routes. As DRA for a station is reasonably polished up, a hiring freeze will be established in these stations and staffing levels will be allowed to drop to what is needed (turnover is still going on). Many part-timers are accumulating over 30 hours a week as a consequence of this. This is causing other issues for Express (they DON'T want to be offering part-timers full-time employment). So as much as the 'career' Couriers may wish DRA to go away, it isn't. It is the future of Express and no matter how long it takes, it will be unrolled and implemented in virtually ALL Express stations. About the only issue that still has to be tackled by Memphis is just how much customer service to 'cut' as a result of running DRA routes. DRA eliminates the flexibility of traditional delivery routes - this flexibility has enabled service to be granted to customers who complain 'rather loudly' (Apple is a current example). DRA takes this capability away - Couriers can't break trace with a DRA route to take care of a 'noisy customer'. Just as with the desire of Express to do away with 3rd day volume (but not lose customers in the process - that is the ONLY thing stopping it from being abruptly ended), they are grappling with just how much service reduction to implement and not piss off too many high revenue customers. What I expect Express to do, is to implement a variant on what the 'airlines' have and are doing with their high revenue customers - create a de facto two-tiered system of Courier service level (Express would NEVER publicly admit this, but I think it will happen nevertheless). Routes will be created to ensure a higher 'service level' to high revenue customers (both in and outbound), while non-high revenue customers will be served by the garden variety DRA route with no flexibility. This way Express can keep its time honored tradition of having and eating its cake at the same time - while being able to deny any such 'separate but equal' practice exists. The consistent high revenue customer will get the premium service and flexibility, while the garden variety one or two piece a day customer will be on the non-flexible DRA routes. Just my hunch... [/QUOTE]
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