Satellite route

[Loco170Brownie]

In our center we have just made the decision to put out satellite routes in one area. Its a total of 4 routes that are changing, 3 will start on area with one that is the "feed" route. I was thinking it through the other day and I am wondering how this works in other areas.

The breakdown here goes something like this. The feed route starts at 8:30, the on areas at 9:30. I am being told I will (I got the feed route) bring out a trailer to the area leave it with the trucks on route then go about my day. At the end of the day I go back collect the trailer, that they should have now unloaded, delivered, did the pick ups, reloaded and is waiting for me, then head back to my center. Now looking at the time line. I start at 8:30, they at 9:30, for them to work at least 8 hours they need to work till 6:30, putting me at 9 if everything is running like clockwork with an almost hour drive back. So we are looking at over 9.5 if not 10 as a planned day. Having a wife and a number of kids I dont have a problem with the hours (Even if the evil thought of signing the no over 9.5 list has crossed my mind just to see how they would slove the problem) I just wonder how somethings work out.

If a on area route driver books off do I drive the cover guy out and back? When I put in for my 8 hour plan 2 times a month I have to wonder how that will shake down. What about boards, training, PCMs, etc for the on area drivers?

I know no one here can give me the exact answers to these questions, just want to hear how these things are addressed elsewhere.

 

[bigorange]

We have had satellite routes in my area for almost three years and they work very well here. The feed drivers bid on the feed routes for overtime and never file for over 9.5 they like the ot. In my area there is two feed drivers and one of the two will wait until all sat drivers are in. As far as pcm's and training the paperwork is sent with feed driver. I have my choice on PMI's or service on car I can take to hub for extra overtime or they will tow it and bring it back in time for the next day. When we are on vacation our route is loaded at hub like a normal route and if sat driver calls in sick a cover driver rides with feed driver to the drop site. I do not know what would happen if you signed 9.5 list it has never happened here. I took the first one in our center and haven't look back. I guess everybody involved has to want it to work before it will. It runs pretty smooth here except for an occasional screwup. Two of us load out of a TP-60 at our site so we can work together to even out our dispatch or if one of us needs off early the other can help out. That kinda sums it up for my center but I'm sure that in other areas it is different.

 

[1989]

You don't have to wait for the other drivers to finish. They can drop their pickups by say 4:30 then finish their deliveries.

 

[Loco170Brownie]

You don't have to wait for the other drivers to finish. They can drop their pickups by say 4:30 then finish their deliveries.

How then would the DIADs for that day get back and forth to be down and uploaded?

 

[bigorange]

A feed driver waits on me because my last two pickups have air everyday and I am 30 miles or more away all day after I leave TP-60.

 

[1989]

How then would the DIADs for that day get back and forth to be down and uploaded?

We bring the diads down with EED in them (4 routes) and exchange with the ones from the previous day.

 

[ol'browneye]

How then would the DIADs for that day get back and forth to be down and uploaded?

After unloading, the drivers go back out and finish delivering. When done, they use a cell phone provided by UPS to call in their info (stops, pcs, pickup pcs, miles, etc) and clock out time, then clock out and go home. The next day the feed brings out new diads and the other boards are then returned and info downloaded at the center. I've been a driver at a satelite ctr for 13 years now and that's how we do it!

Any more questions, just fire away!

 

[Catatonic]

Any more questions, just fire away!

Hit me with your best shot, fire away.

 

[ol'browneye]

Hit me with your best shot, fire away.

You old child of the 80's! That was one of my very first albums!

 

[soberups]

If a on area route driver books off do I drive the cover guy out and back? When I put in for my 8 hour plan 2 times a month I have to wonder how that will shake down. What about boards, training, PCMs, etc for the on area drivers?

I know no one here can give me the exact answers to these questions, just want to hear how these things are addressed elsewhere.

The cover guy will normally either drive his own vehicle out there, on the clock and reimbursed for mileage, or in the case of scheduled vacations he will be dispatched for that route and will report to work there instead of at the building if he so prefers.

In our area a cover driver cannot be forced to start later than his normal start time or be made to drive to a satellite center in his own vehicle if he chooses not to. If he is forced to do the satellite route, he has the right to report to his normal building at his normal start time and drive a company vehicle out to the satellite center and back.

If you are the feed driver and you have an 8 hr request the company will have another driver in that area meet at the sattelite and swap vehicles with you so that you can come in by 8 hrs.

You will bring DIADS out with you, and collect DIADS from the previous day if the sattelite drivers had to go back out to complete their deliveries after you left the previous day. Otherwise, they will leave the DIADs in the trailer when they clock off.

In my center there is a large duffel bag given to the feed driver every morning that contains DIADS, bid sheets, COD turn in envelopes and other supplies for the satellite. If there is a PCM that the satellite guys need to hear, a company cell phone will also be sent out in the bag.

UPS establishes an account with a gas station near the satellite, or else provides fuel cards. They also provide tokens for a nearby carwash. If no restroom facilities are available they are required to rent a porta potti with an eyewash station in case of a hazmat spill, just like in the building.

As a feed driver pulling a TP6, you will automatically receive a $.25 per hour raise for all hours worked.

 

[trplnkl]

Most of the Sat centers I have hard of work pretty much as so far described. with a few variances.
Our sat centers use three DIADs per route. On day one the sat driver is given two boards, they start their day on board A, when dropping off their outgoing volume, clerk packages, etc. they clock out on DIAD A and leave it with the feed driver and clock on to DIAD B to finish the day. They call in the stats from B. The next day DIAD A & DIAD C are taken out to the Sat to repeat the routine.
As far as the over 9.5 and the 8 hour request goes, here neither would be honored. Our air has to be back to the building by 18:30 so the feed driver has to set a time for pull from the Sat center to make the deadline. IF the feed driver has too much work to finish before his pull time, he dumps on the Sat drivers to finish. Trust me, this makes for some pretty hard feelings.
The bottom lime is, the feed driver pretty well knows how many hours he/she will work in a week unless they are re-dispatched when the get back to the home center.

 

[ETA]

how far away from the home are most sat rtes?

 

[over9five]

Are there any exceptions in the contract for 8 hour requests from satellite or feed drivers?

If not, I think they should be granted and it's simply too bad about the hard feelings.

 

[over9five]

Hit me with your best shot, fire away.

You old child of the 80's! That was one of my very first albums!

Pat Benatar! Been to that concert!

Wonder what she's doing now?

 

[moreluck]

Over....she still makes appearances in places like Wendover and Tacoma.
Here's her fan site....

http://www.benatarfanclub.com/

 

[Catatonic]

how far away from the home are most sat rtes?

Some drivers live only a couple of miles from their sat routes.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

how far away from the home are most sat rtes?

Some drivers live only a couple of miles from their sat routes.

That is the ideal scenario.

We are bidding our areas currently and one of the areas was changed in to a satellite area with the hope (or so I have been told) that the bid would go to a driver who lived in that area. This area has still not been bid so they may indeed get their wish as the driver who lives nearby is fairly low on the totem pole.

From what I have been told they will be parking and having the pkg car serviced at a local repair shop. A driver on an adjacent area will drive his pkg car with a trailer down to that shop, drop the trailer, DIAD and any paperwork, and then come back when he is done and reverse the sequence. I assume that the sat driver will have a cut off time to be back at the repair shop with his pickups. I don't know what would happen if he still has deliveries left, whether he would pre-record them so that the driver can bring back the DIAD and then call in his miles and punch out times. I admit that I do not know a lot of the details as they really haven't told us much about it and I have already bid to stay on my area so I am not that concerned.

I do know that whatever driver bids that area will not be paid for miles nor will be on the clock until he is at the repair shop. The area in question is about 45-60 minutes away from our center so I will be curious to see what cost savings, if any, are realized from this change.

 

[Catatonic]

... I will be curious to see what cost savings, if any, are realized from this change.

Less broken mirrors.

 

[trplnkl]

Are there any exceptions in the contract for 8 hour requests from satellite or feed drivers?

If not, I think they should be granted and it's simply too bad about the hard feelings.

No, there are no exceptions written into the contract for Sat Ctr drivers or feeders. I agree that should be granted, however the contract does not guarantee anyone will get the 8 hour request. The kicker is the sentence in the contract that says"
No penalty shall be due if the employee exceeds the eight and one-half (8.5) hour threshold as a result of events beyond the Employer’s control.". There's way too much wiggle room there. And all that after making the driver jump through hoops to even request the 8 hour.
The language and the recent national committee agreement makes the over 9.5 language nearly worthless for Sat ctrs.

ETA Re: Satellite route
how far away from the home are most sat rtes?

We've got four Sat ctrs. 2 are around 45 miles, 2 are around 60 miles. Those make up a total of 5 rtes. Only one ofr the Sat drivers lives close to his Sat Ctr, the others all commute.

 

[BigBrownSanta]

No, there are no exceptions written into the contract for Sat Ctr drivers or feeders. I agree that should be granted, however the contract does not guarantee anyone will get the 8 hour request. The kicker is the sentence in the contract that says"
No penalty shall be due if the employee exceeds the eight and one-half (8.5) hour threshold as a result of events beyond the Employer’s control.". There's way too much wiggle room there. And all that after making the driver jump through hoops to even request the 8 hour.
The language and the recent national committee agreement makes the over 9.5 language nearly worthless for Sat ctrs.


We've got four Sat ctrs. 2 are around 45 miles, 2 are around 60 miles. Those make up a total of 5 rtes. Only one ofr the Sat drivers lives close to his Sat Ctr, the others all commute.

That's what I was thinking also in regards to the bolded part in red above.