Sounding Horn and Warning Letters and the Law

[FrowningBrown]

Drivers in our center are now being observed and warned about any petty offense including not sounding the horn at each and every stop.
Management is also very strict on coming to a complete stop at every stop sign and always reminds us that it is the law to do so.
Since they claim they are very strict in following the law I dug up our state law on the use of Horns.
Seems to me that horns should only be used when necessary, to try to avoid an accident or give warning for safety.
UPS wants us to blow the horn at every stop when we are coming to a stop. This is not for safety at all.....It is to try to alert a home owner to come running out of his house and meet us to save a millisecond or have some very busy business owner on the 2nd floor of a building drop what he is doing and come running down 2 flights of stairs to grab his pkg.
I've been verbally warned that I don't use the horn at every single stop (my supe apparently thinks somehow this practice will get my over allowed under an hour from where it is now at 1.50)
Maybe I should have posted this in the union message forum but am wondering if this letter of our state regulations will help my case about being harassed for this method infraction.

 

[The Milkman]

Drivers in our center are now being observed and warned about any petty offense including not sounding the horn at each and every stop.
Management is also very strict on coming to a complete stop at every stop sign and always reminds us that it is the law to do so.
Since they claim they are very strict in following the law I dug up our state law on the use of Horns.
Seems to me that horns should only be used when necessary, to try to avoid an accident or give warning for safety.
UPS wants us to blow the horn at every stop when we are coming to a stop. This is not for safety at all.....It is to try to alert a home owner to come running out of his house and meet us to save a millisecond or have some very busy business owner on the 2nd floor of a building drop what he is doing and come running down 2 flights of stairs to grab his pkg.
I've been verbally warned that I don't use the horn at every single stop (my supe apparently thinks somehow this practice will get my over allowed under an hour from where it is now at 1.50)
Maybe I should have posted this in the union message forum but am wondering if this letter of our state regulations will help my case about being harassed for this method infraction.
View attachment 69135

More crap to put on drivers when they cant' think of anything else to do. Next thing they will do is install another sensor to tie in with telematics to count how many times you do blow the horn counted against your stop count...Many years ago people may have been home throughout the day back in the 80's when I started but now many working families are working 2 jobs to make ends meet so what is the reason? backing up and hitting the horn is a no brainer, as far as I am concerned just dumb nit picking. If you are new to UPS you will see over the years (if you last that long) more nonsense coming down from higher ups or from those who want to move up the ladder

 

[scooby0048]

Oh so that is the flavor this month? We got that speech about a year ago. They must have run out of things to bitch about and it took over a year to make it's way back around. Tune it out till the next stupid thing comes up, it will be another year after that until you have to hear about the horns.

Or every driver could always blast the horn for a good 5 seconds at every stop at any time of the day or night. They will get enough complaints that the horn issue will quiet down.

 

[jbg77]

Usually when I'm backing and tapping the horn continuously I get very strange mean looks.

 

[Wally]

Ask customers to complain if they don't want the horn blasting.

 

[Box Ox]

Yep, I got a warning letter for not using the horn at every stop. Now I do. And I've got people walking up to the truck who were already outside and thought I have something for them rather than their neighbor (time waster explaining it to them), and cars beside and in front of me going all over the place thinking I think they've done something wrong. It's absolutely brilliant.


Management at my center doesn't cite the law or anything. If it were law they wouldn't have just started enforcing it. It's just a failure to work as directed kind of thing.

 

[hellfire]

Blast the horn at every stop, complaints come in quick

 

[2 hrs over allowed]

More crap to put on drivers when they cant' think of anything else to do. Next thing they will do is install another sensor to tie in with telematics to count how many times you do blow the horn counted against your stop count...Many years ago people may have been home throughout the day back in the 80's when I started but now many working families are working 2 jobs to make ends meet so what is the reason? backing up and hitting the horn is a no brainer, as far as I am concerned just dumb nit picking. If you are new to UPS you will see over the years (if you last that long) more nonsense coming down from higher ups or from those who want to move up the ladder

I'll just wait til I back up to the belt at night, look at my final stop count for the day, blow the horn that many times!

 

[Faceplanted]

its illegal in my state to honk your horn for no reason. I would love to get a warning letter for this.

 

[Babagounj]

I tried once in my personal vehicle blowing the horn as I was backing into a parking spot . Some guy who was walking away from me , when I tapped the horn , turn around and attacked my vehicle claiming that I was trying to run him down . I still have the dents where he kicked my vehicle .

 

[Jones]

That's a dumb rule I never followed. People who work nights and sleep during the day get pretty pissed when you pull up to their house beeping the horn.

 

[By The Book]

I'll just wait til I back up to the belt at night, look at my final stop count for the day, blow the horn that many times!

So that's why your 2 hours over allowed.....always wondered.

 

[By The Book]

Usually when I'm backing and tapping the horn continuously I get very strange mean looks.

There's the 2-3 second continuously, then there's the red bull continuously..... Maybe that's why.

 

[BrownTexas]

They tell u to honk the horn. Honk it. Pick your battles. This one is pointless.

 

[2 hrs over allowed]

So that's why your 2 hours over allowed.....always wondered.

If you follow the speed limit and all there methods, there numbers are an unattainable joke

 

[clean hairy]

Blast the horn at every stop, complaints come in quick

Especially when the honking wakes up a Baby that finally fell asleep just 2 minutes before.
Or the folks who work nights waken by the blasting horn!

 

[HEFFERNAN]

I don't honk at every stop and I don't ring every doorbell. (only NDA and Sig. Req)

People work 3rd shift, babies are sleeping, and people are generally aware they have a package coming that day.

I safely deliver my stops and have not had one complaint.

(The mailman doesn't do it either !!! CASE CLOSED)

 

[ducktape]

Ring the bell!!!!!

 

[Faceplanted]

I know who has new borns and very small kids on my route, I usually knock very quietly if anything at all. a little common curiously goes a long way, especially when tip season comes around

 

[selfcancelsignal]

That's a dumb rule I never followed. People who work nights and sleep during the day get pretty when you pull up to their house beeping the horn.

1 of our drivers delivers the town 8 miles east of our center & he's by the book. I've heard complaints from 2 people I know that live there, "Does every UPS driver honk their horn at every stop? It sure is annoying!" or, "I was waiting for someone to pick me up & wasn't finished changing my clothes. I heard a horn thinking it was the person picking me up, but no, it was the UPS guy. Tell him he needs to knock that off!" Haha. I just tell them it's part of our training & methods, but I don't do it. He's by the book. What else can I say or do?