Stay on trace or make good Decisions

dirtnut67

Member
The other day I was given a very poor load. I showed my sup and asked her if she would like to deliver this load. Her reply was no and that I would have to sort the load after I get some of the bulk stops off. So that is what I did. Anyhow to get to the point. Do to the bad load I had 11 missed. Now I am getting a warning letter for having 11 missed pkg's. The worst part is that I had called my sup earlier in the day and told him that I would not be able to deliver all of my stops and be in under 9.5. He told me to get what I could done and be in under 9.5. What they are basing the warning letter on is that I stayed with the trace and delivered 1 stop that was 3 miles off the mainline. They told me that " I am paid good money to make good decisions". That I should have sheeted the one stop as missed and that would have allowed me to get a few more of the 11 missed. So we are told to make trace % and that we are payed good money to make good decision. I will be fighting the warning letter. I think this is rediculous. What are your thought on this situation.
 

30andout

Well-Known Member
Its just a warning letter don't let it get to you. Start a collection on your garage wall. I go through this every day, just try to do what makes the most sence for you and in the best interest of the company.
 

Ms Spoken

Well-Known Member
Always ask yourself "What would Mike do?" hahaha Would you go three miles out of your way to delv someones meds or delv 10 stops that was QVC, landsend or JC Penny? In this case I would have sent a mesg to let your sup figure out what you should do. Always send mesg that way you can cover your :censored2: and you have it on paper.

Fight the warning letter because you dont need that on your record.

Could someone please pick up EDD for me I shoved him out of my truck on Friday and I think Edward needs help on finding his way back to my center.

Good Luck
 

trickpony1

Well-Known Member
Be sure to file your protest letter quickly. You only have a certain length of time.
I would explain, at length, why you did what you did and if your sup knew about it or instructed you to do it.
I would include the sup's comment about "making good decisions", which is rather vague depending on who is benefiting from your decisions.
Another classic example of the "double bind" scenario that we employees are thrown into which ultimately results in the "damned if you do and damned if you don't" frustration.

My question is.......were you and/or your fellow drivers instructed at the PCM to stay on trace?
 

wornoutupser

Well-Known Member
They told me that " I am paid good money to make good decisions".

I am still rolling on the floor over that one!
I had a center manager do about the same thing to me a few years ago. I decided to make service, stayed out, and delivered everything.

I was told ( in front of the steward) that I am only to react, I am NEVER to think!
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
am paid good money to make good decisions

Not with pas your not. they make it for you. So like Trick stated, file on the warning letter, because if you do nothing, the company and the union will assume that you deserved the warning letter in any later actions.

Outside of that, there is not much you can do.

BTW, warning letters like this are mostly to cover the failures of management to properly dispatch. It just goes to show the harder they try to remain in control, just how out of control they really are.

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Anonymous Poster

Guest
dannyboy said:
Not with pas your not. they make it for you. So like Trick stated, file on the warning letter, because if you do nothing, the company and the union will assume that you deserved the warning letter in any later actions.

Outside of that, there is not much you can do.

BTW, warning letters like this are mostly to cover the failures of management to properly dispatch. It just goes to show the harder they try to remain in control, just how out of control they really are.

d
Drivers are not paid to think. That should be obvious by the responses here. There are no choices, only methods to use to accomplish your task. If you want to be paid to think, put your resume letter in.
 

UPSBOI

You don't want to know!
dirtnut67 said:
" I am paid good money to make good decisions"

Well no technically supervisors are paid to make the decisions period! You are to communicate with your supervisors and do what they tell you to do period. File a protest greivance within 10 days and make the supervisor eat his warning letter. He told you to be off the clock by 9.5 and thats what you did!
 
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Thebrowntruth

Guest
Could it be your dispatch supervisor has absolutely NOOOOO on road experience???
 

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
How did they find out you did the three mile out of the way stop? Seems like a lot of trouble to go thru your records for the day just to dig out this one stop in order to gig you.

It's kinda sad they have the time to research your records after the fact, but obviously cannot find the time to dispatch properly.

File the grievance.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
9.5

When are you guys going to get the big picture? UPS knows exactly where you have been within feet if not inches. All day. Every day. And if you have a really poor day productivity wise, they are going to try and find some fault with your previous days deliveries.

So all they do is plot your route driven courtesy of your diad, and you have a map of every place you went, all day. And the amount of time spent at each stop.

Its no harder for them now to get that information than it is for you to order a #6 meal from Micky D's. And just about bet it does not take as long to get.

Bottom line is this, let the sups make the calls, you just follow instructions. As far as making good decisions on road, stay out of accidents and injuries. Those are the only ones left for you to make. They want to do the rest. So letum.

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mattwtrs

Retired Senior Member
I know being under 9.5 is the "Big Idea" for the past couple of months but what happened to Service? I would have liked to hear the conversation between your division manager and the supervisor or center manager! Last time someone in our center missed 11 stops because of the 9.5 issue everyone was informed that it was not acceptable and we were told told always remember safety, service and then cost. If you needed help, call and get someone else in the boat with you!
 

tieguy

Banned
interesting case. I take it you have been trained or instructed to follow trace in the past? I take it you have trained or instructed on what the acceptable reasons are for breaking trace? NDA, 2da , or other relevant time commits such as a pickup that closes by a certain time? Unless you have previously been instructed to skip and miss that particular stop in that exact scenario then the company has a loser. Its possible I am missing something but these types of warning letters are what drove me nuts in the past. I have inherited operations that were well trained on working as instructed so much so that management had created a workforce that would work per their last instruction and not deviate until they were next instructed. Makes for a very management intensive operation. Often took me years to undo.
 
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speeddemon

Guest
We dont get paid to make decisions. They scream all the time to follow the methods. Thats what I would have done and brought back missed pieces an let them fire the preloader. Screw them.
 

upsdude

Well-Known Member
Our center manager is the hard nose by the book type. But, we’ve also been told to work smart and make service before worrying about a “report”. Example, EDD has me trying to deliver to a very busy fast food restaurant in the middle of their lunch rush. I skip the stop and move on. Why? No parking, risk of a minor accident, loss of time waiting on a signature. Later in the day I pass the very same restaurant while making pickups, that’s when they get their delivery. I’ve found that common sense and service takes precedence. Of course, that’s until another division manager or center manager arrive on the scene. LOL.
 

dirtnut67

Member
I haven't received my warning letter yet. I was told that I was going to get one.. This is not my 1st but I have been under the radar for some time now. I would say it has been 5 years since I have received a warning letter. I don't beleive Mgmt should be able to hold us responsable for anything as long as we stick to trace and follow edd. When Mgnt implamented Edd into our center they ingnored everything the drivers said and implamented it there way. Now we are stuck with something that doesn't work.

I will keep you all informed. I think this is bull. I shouldn't be treated like this. I hope things change sometime soon.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
[QUOTEI don't beleive Mgmt should be able to hold us responsable for anything as long as we stick to trace and follow edd][/QUOTE]

You should not be.........unless they have told you to call in with your problems and you didnt. Then they do have a right to climb your case. But if you followed the instructions given, and you are following your trace, then what is their problem?

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