Snow Flake List

[over9five]

We had 20 Feeder drivers bang in yesterday because of the snow. Not sure how you can run the business like that other than a bunch of CPUs were closed. In my whole career, I have never booked off because of weather. All that does is force the drivers that DO show up to work MORE hours in that blizzard to cover THEIR work.

Or am I wrong? It was a miserable night. Were the people on the Snow Flake List the smart ones?

 

[jaker]

We have the same here except it's rain and not snow

 

[Brownslave688]

We had 20 Feeder drivers bang in yesterday because of the snow. Not sure how you can run the business like that other than a bunch of CPUs were closed. In my whole career, I have never booked off because of weather. All that does is force the drivers that DO show up to work MORE hours in that blizzard to cover THEIR work.

Or am I wrong? It was a miserable night. Were the people on the Snow Flake List the smart ones?

I drive an hour to work. Through straight roads. Over 4-5 inches and I legit can't get to work.

 

[Duckwithapipboy]

I take public transit so I am dependent on if it runs. Most of the time if it does snow here in Portland I have to get off the bus early and walk about 20+ minutes across the island after leaving two hours before hub start due to delays.

If I can make it to slog on the load lines that night, those snow flakes can too.

 

[over9five]

I drive an hour to work. Through straight roads. Over 4-5 inches and I legit can't get to work.

Totally different. Banging in because it is physically impossible to get to work is different than banging in because of weather.

 

[PrimeUPS]

1Up for the title of the thread.

 

[over9five]

1Up for the title of the thread.

Lol, wasn't my idea. It was on the whiteboard at work with 20 booked off drivers listed underneath.

 

[Johney]

Screw that I'm not working in the snow.

 

[Johney]

No gypsies up there?

 

[Poop Head]

I thought "banging in" meant punching in.

 

[Mugarolla]

All that does is force the drivers that DO show up to work MORE hours in that blizzard to cover THEIR work.

No it doesn't. You were talking about feeder drivers calling in,

We had 20 Feeder drivers bang in yesterday because of the snow.

not package drivers. Even if you were talking about package drivers also, UPS is not going to pile on stops to other drivers and keep them out till all hours of the night during a blizzard.

There is also a big difference between package drivers and feeder drivers working during a blizzard.

Or am I wrong?

Dead wrong

Were the people on the Snow Flake List the smart ones?

Yes.

I know some package drivers use the highway to get to and from their routes, or between areas of their routes, but for the most part, package drivers can tool around the cities during a blizzard and be mostly safe.

You may not get much done, but you are driving a small truck at slow speeds. Country routes get a little tougher.

Feeder drivers, on the other hand, usually pull 53 foot trailers or doubles mostly on the highway. These are difficult enough to stop in good conditions, let alone a blizzard. I know the speeds are down, but that adds another problem.

With the slower speeds and accidents all over the place, there is a high probability that a feeder driver will not make it back that night and have to be put up in a hotel 200 miles from home.

The other issue is your job. UPS will tell you there is no such thing as an unavoidable accident. If anything happens out there, you are risking your job. Or you are at least risking losing a couple of weeks pay if something happens out of your control.

I know many feeder drivers that say they would rather lose a day's pay, call in during a blizzard, as opposed to possibly losing weeks of pay if something happens.

Do you realize that up until a few years ago, when UPS changed their rules, that a feeder driver was charged with an accident if he hit a deer on the highway? A deer comes out of nowhere, you hit it and you are charged with an accident.

To some feeder drivers, it's just not worth the risk.

The attached avoidable/unavoidable accident judgement may be a little old, but it still applies. Like I said, UPS believes that no accident is avoidable.

Do you want to risk your job working during a blizzard?

 

[trickpony1]

I notice no mention was made in this thread, thus far, that feeder drivers operate a vehicle that wiggles in 3 places whereas pkg cars don't.

Hmmmm.......

 

[WorknLateHuh]

i work, but if my optional/schdl off day happens to fall on a snow day...

well then, SCORE!!

then my sup is blowing up my phone the morning of... muhahahaha!!

 

[Mugarolla]

i work, but if my optional/schdl off day happens to fall on a snow day...

well then, SCORE!!

then my sup is blowing up my phone the morning of... muhahahaha!!

I have never called in either. I have been put up in hotels on many occasions, slept on the interstate due to it being shut down for a fatality, been run into by cars losing control in the snow, damn near run off the road by other trucks losing control, sliding sideways down hills because I could get no traction what-so-ever, got stuck and had to be pulled out, couldn't make it up hills due to ice and snow and had to wait for a salt truck, actually blown off the highway due to straight line winds while on solid ice (that wasn't fun) and so on and so on.

I do not blame anyone for calling in during a blizzard.

 

[MyTripisCut]

There is also a big difference between package drivers and feeder drivers working during a blizzard.






but for the most part, package drivers can tool around the cities during a blizzard and be mostly safe.

You may not get much done, but you are driving a small truck at slow speeds.





Like I said, UPS believes that no accident is avoidable.

Do you want to risk your job working during a blizzard?

What kind of "city" are we talking about? Day of the snow, when they enforce parking regulations, you might have a point. The next 9 days it takes to melt, and cars are parked wherever they can regardless of how far they are sticking out over a snow bank because there is no where to put the snow, and the road has three inches of ice? Dead wrong. However, I agree it's BS about accident avoidance in foul weather. We've had at least two a winter that a parked and secured package car slid on ice into a parked car. Avoidable by UPS. Lol.

 

[Jones]

I see a chance of flurries in the forecast I'm reaching for my phone...

 

[Mugarolla]

The next 9 days it takes to melt, and cars are parked wherever they can regardless of how far they are sticking out over a snow bank because there is no where to put the snow, and the road has three inches of ice?

I agree. It still makes for slow going and more dangerous than normal, but for the most part, you have never thought of losing your job.

Feeder drivers think about it a lot during bad weather.

I see a chance of flurries in the forecast I'm reaching for my phone...

Me too. Seriously, I never think about the snow unless they are calling for more than 3 or 4 inches.

 

[Mugarolla]

We've had at least two a winter that a parked and secured package car slid on ice into a parked car. Avoidable by UPS.

Now picture yourself pulling a set of doubles on the highway at night during a blizzard, snow and ice on the road. You cannot see out of your windshield due to the ice and snow build up, (feeder drivers know what I'm talking about.)

Cars and trucks seemingly flying past you, driving like they have a death wish, cars in the ditch all over the place, cars spinning out in front of you, not leaving you any room what-so-ever to be able to stop before plowing into them, or that truck passing you doing 50 mph while you are doing 30, and then he starts jack knifing right next to you, hitting your brakes because traffic in front of you is stopping and realizing that your tires are just sliding.

I can usually count on one hand the times that we get that much snow for the above to happen, but it does happen.

I never think about stuff like this while in bundles. I drive around, deliver 1/4 of my route and get paid for 10 hours. Yes, a little tougher than when the roads are clear.

Yes, there is a huge difference. Trust me, I do both.

Do you want to lose your job because you decided to come in and drive during a blizzard to move cardboard boxes?

I take the risk everytime it snows, maybe I'm stupid, but I do not blame those that don't, maybe they're smart.

 

[Johney]

I don't see how a bunch of feeder drivers calling can cause the rest to do more work, package? Yes of course. I've worked during tropical storms and had to suck up extra work due to call out's, but feeders? I can only due what I normally due there just isn't enough time to do more. I can only pull so many loads a night.

 

[HEFFERNAN]

I'm assuming that the 20 driver's shift started after the blizzard was over. It ended here in CT around 6. Highways were empty but road conditions were poor.

If they booked without sick days, then I'd be pissed. If they had paid time available, you can't really fault them.