Seasonal helpers '07: The nightmare before Christmas.

Griff

Well-Known Member
I was talking to a fellow driver this morning who happened to be assigned a helper for today. He told me that he was 5 stops short of his 06' Christmas stop count today (11/13/07). He also informed me that the new thing being pushed hardcore by management is "nobody who has a helper can go over 9.5". Is it just me or does this make you laugh out loud? How many more unrealistic goals can these corporate nitwits dream up, seriously. I also saw that he had two diad boards, just like last year. This makes me so angry it's not even funny, having to use both a diad4 and a diad3 is the most ignorant idea anyone at UPS has ever conceived. The entire concept reeks of someone who has never been a driver or someone who doesn't understand that most helpers don't know how to use a diad. It just blows my mind how these things can be considered such a time saver, I feel like I'm in the
bizarro world. Whatever, I'm ready for this fight before it has even begun.
 

upsgrunt

Well-Known Member
Is UPS going to push the "at least 40 stops in the helper board" this year? THAT is one of the dumbest things I can ever remember.
 

Griff

Well-Known Member
Is UPS going to push the "at least 40 stops in the helper board" this year? THAT is one of the dumbest things I can ever remember.

Yes. The thing that makes me angry is the fact the diad4 actually has a spot to put your helpers info/hours in (unless they took it out recently). I believe the extra diad is so they can justify giving you "X" amount of stops and rationalizing that you really didn't do "X", you did "Y"! We are still driving there, we are the ones doing the methods, we are selecting the packages, we are putting everything into the pointless diad3, it just ticks me off. Great example of IE and their "theory" at work, impractical as hell in the real world.
 

RockyRogue

Agent of Change
Ouch....you guys really don't like the idea of DIAD 3 and 4 being used at the same time. I know I'm jumping way over my head here but I'd like to weigh in if you don't mind. When I was helping last year, my driver and I used DIAD 3 and 4. I thought it worked pretty well once I learned how to 'game-boy' on DIAD 3. My driver was walking in the door at home before 7:00 almost every night right up until that d*mn snowstorm! He went from nearly becoming Captain Bligh to hero. :happy2: -Rocky
 

VTBrown

Well-Known Member
You have to understand Rocky.....Griff is I believe only 24 and well...is a little wet behind the ears.

Now he's complaining that the company DOESN'T want him to go over 9.5. Hello? Earth to Griff.....you can either do it in 9.5 or you can't. Thats on the company's shoulders to prove you a slug or change your dispatch. Duh

As to the two boards? Well...do you think that could be for the simple fact that its quicker to be working off of two boards then one? You think it "might" be a bit more efficient to give a helper your hand cart and 10 to 15 residential stops on a street and you take off and go deliver a bunch on another?

You are correct though, you are in your own little bizzaro world.
 
VT will you be my driver this year? LOL I only WISH my drivers the last season I worked would have thought of something like that instead of just sitting there. I had ONE driver that actually said "hey you take the 20 packages in this condo building and I'll run these into the one across the street" He went home in no time and I had time to go help another driver. I've only worked one season,about to start my second this week,but I don't get how drivers expect to get better numbers when it turns out we aren't actually HELPING we are running the whole route. We are there as an extra pair of legs to help handle the extra stuff on your truck, if they thought 1 person could do it all and get in on time they wouldn't give you guys helpers at all. If you aren't going to use us as HELP then let us go to a driver that wants to go home at a decent hour please. Some of us really DO want to help and DO care about times NOT just about a paycheck. Gruff you wouldn't have to worry about what your numbers looked like with me, all I would have to do here is call in and say you aren't happy with having a helper put me on somebody that is.
 

cino321

Well-Known Member
It really depends who you get. Some are a awesome help; they learn to use the board and get used to the way you work. Some of them just suck.
 

browned_out

Well-Known Member
:sad-very: Well as of last week the company is making me use a "helper", keep in mind that my route is averaging about 130 stops per day. They say I can't use him as a runner for residential, I'm supposed to use him only for my business stops. They want me to drop him off with a dolly full of pkgs and let him deliver them. First off my route isn't setup for this type of delivery, very bulky business stops so you may only be able to get a couple of stops on the dolly (sometimes only one), second this guy barely knows how to fully use the diad, he was trained (so they say) on diad 4, yet they want him to use daid 3 (go figure). So the issue becomes do I drop this guy off with more pkgs then can fit on the dolly, hope he can deliver without any problems, and still try and do my route in a decent amount of time.

The answer is NO, this guy is slowing me down, I can't trust this guy on his own, even with my input he is still having issues with the diad. And yes he is required to have 35 stops in the board. What a waste of my time, I keep telling my sup's that this guy would be better running for someone who really needs him (plenty of heavy resi routes), but no, they want me to use him. Well yesterday he didn't show, he called to say his car broke down, what a relief, I had more stops (140) and finished earlier then when using him.

This company continues to amaze me with there stupidity, I know that eventually I will need some help, but that time is not here yet. Anyways just thought that I would get that off my chest. Happy Holidays:happy2:
 
Brown maybe you will get lucky and get a better one...they really don't spend a lot of time training us with the diads, some people pick it up faster than others, I'm sorry you got a bad apple :( but I think they would rather us get hands on out on the routes before we are 300+ stops in and clueless...then the driver is even more frustrated because he already knows its gonna be a long night....and us newbies even more freaked out because we try and rush and screw everything up which in turn stresses the drivers out more...etc etc

Maybe his "car breaking down" is a permenant thing and you won't see him again...or hopefully if you are stuck with him he will catch on before the rush.

Good luck!
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
I have been using a Helper for about a month now, even though the volume is only starting to come in now. We have to have forty stops in the DIAD 3 too. I ran 77 by myself and 94 stops with my Helper in 3.5 hours today. Of course the split cars have been busted out for the most part to give Driver/Helper Teams more stops. Using two boards slows me down too, its bad enough having to deal with someone else on the Package Car. Its just another stupid idea from up above from someone with no clue.I am worn out a day or two earlier in the week now.:wornout:
 

VTBrown

Well-Known Member
Guys....do you think they are using the extra Diad 3's for the same simple reason we had helpers on Diad 2 when 3 came out?

Supply and demand? Cost?

Browned Out.....why fight it dude? Your getting a helper regardless if you want one or not. Plain and simple. Don't even try to use the lame excuse that "your" route isn't set up for one. A helper can be used on almost all routes but the real rural ones.

You've got a couple options here:

Be a real prick about it and fight it the entire way like Griff will probably do. Make two peoples peak miserable.

OR

Take the time now before peak hits to try and help get the guy trained on the board.
Take some time and look at your route and see where you can use him the best.

It was the same with PAS.....it's here whether you like it or not. Fight the losing battle or learn to cope and make it better for yourself. :knockedout:
 

Fnix

Well-Known Member
Would you drivers have a problem with someone whos worked at UPS for 2 years and is a good worker? Alot of you seem to hate helpers.
 

VTBrown

Well-Known Member
Would you drivers have a problem with someone whos worked at UPS for 2 years and is a good worker? Alot of you seem to hate helpers.

Don't worry about it....you have to understand. People are afraid of change and do not like being put out of their comfort zone.
UPS Drivers more then most.

Personally? I don't really want a driver for some of those reasons....though I do not fight it and try my best to make it work for both of us.

I cover rural area's in Peak with limited commercial.....this past year was my first in this area with a helper. Were talking 150+ miles on a peak route. There was NO place I could really just drop him and take off to do more. As taking off would put me a few miles away. The poor guy just ran deliveries off for me while my fat arse stayed glued to the truck and warm.

My SPORH were higher without him then with him. Yet I was forced to keep him then move him on to another route where he could be dropped with a cart and go at his own pace. While the other driver is off delivering.

Worst experience I've had at UPS. I felt like a slave driver.

Though I did buy him a thank you X-Mass gift and we both still chat via email.
 

old brown shoe

30 year driver
I think drivers should get a higher pay for having a helper on there truck. It is allot more work mentally for the driver and sometimes it seems like babysitting a kid all day. ( I have had some great helpers in the past). If it saves the company so much money then it should be shared with the driver who is doing the thinking for two people. They make it seem like it makes your life so much easier. I don't like being responsible for another person when I'm trying to deal with all that comes with peak. I had a helper for many peaks until I bid onto a rural route. I would rather be out late in the snow and ice by myself than run in town with a helper.No disrespect to helpers, in some areas they work great and others you could do the job just as fast by yourself. But just try to explain that to the boss when you can't produce the numbers they want with a helper.
 

Griff

Well-Known Member
I have been through roughly 12 helpers in 3 years. Of these 12 not one had the slightest clue how to use a diad and none of them were UPSers. My final helper last christmas informed me that he was told "the driver will teach you the diad". I'm not the mvp of UPS like VTBrownnoser over there, but I don't have the time or patience to train someone how to use a diad. It's also not my job to train people how to use UPS equipment. If the company is so concerned with getting people in and off the clock, why do they continue to implement things that are a WASTE OF TIME, that was the point. Two diads saves time in theory, in reality it's a waste of time and is just the justification for dispatch to put more work on you.
 

VTBrown

Well-Known Member
I have been through roughly 12 helpers in 3 years. Of these 12 not one had the slightest clue how to use a diad and none of them were UPSers. My final helper last christmas informed me that he was told "the driver will teach you the diad". I'm not the mvp of UPS like VTBrownnoser over there, but I don't have the time or patience to train someone how to use a diad. It's also not my job to train people how to use UPS equipment. If the company is so concerned with getting people in and off the clock, why do they continue to implement things that are a WASTE OF TIME, that was the point. Two diads saves time in theory, in reality it's a waste of time and is just the justification for dispatch to put more work on you.

Griff....try and think man...calm down.
It's PEAK your going to get more whether you like it or not. Your getting a helper regardless too.

You? You don't have time to try and help this poor guy who jumped into your rotten day? You who never runs a lunch? Takes the lunch between the 4th and 5th hour?

You don't have time to be human and talk to this helper and show him the board?

Two diads do save you time...but you've got to be smart enough to figure it out on your own. I see your not.
 

Griff

Well-Known Member
Griff....try and think man...calm down.
It's PEAK your going to get more whether you like it or not. Your getting a helper regardless too.

You? You don't have time to try and help this poor guy who jumped into your rotten day? You who never runs a lunch? Takes the lunch between the 4th and 5th hour?

You don't have time to be human and talk to this helper and show him the board?

Two diads do save you time...but you've got to be smart enough to figure it out on your own. I see your not.

I'm not teaching someone how to use a diad, it's that simple. I believe there's actually something in the contract about paying us more per hr if we have to train someone. Until they tell me they are giving me that money to train the helper, I refuse to do it. I have never refused a helper, but I still contend that it does more harm than good. Even on routes that have the type of stops that a helper actually increases your SPORH, it all gets negated when you factor in travel time for picking them up and dropping them off. Don't get it twisted, buddy. Just because I take my lunch in the alloted contractual time everyday, don't run, don't skip my breaks, doesn't mean that I want to be working 12hrs everyday. I'm all about being efficient on the job, but within the confines of not injuring myself or others.
 
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