Stay out of residential driveways

[Jackburton]

What you don't see in the picture is a 30ft rut, 3 sprinkler heads, and a dead dog laying up near the top from the FedEx ground/DHL/post office guy. As you throw your 4 tires off at the garage and are backing down, the homeowner arrives home, just in time to see you pull off. Not to say UPS wouldn't believe you or anything that you didn't do any harm, but on telematics it shows you backing down the driveway clear as day, along with a DIAD message stating not to go in driveways. This is what they'll use against you when you go to your panel hearing for not reporting an accident.

But it's ok just this one time, management won't question your integrity.

 

[brownmonster]

What you don't see in the picture is a 30ft rut, 3 sprinkler heads, and a dead dog laying up near the top from the FedEx ground/DHL/post office guy. As you throw your 4 tires off at the garage and are backing down, the homeowner arrives home, just in time to see you pull off. Not to say UPS wouldn't believe you or anything that you didn't do any harm, but on telematics it shows you backing down the driveway clear as day, along with a DIAD message stating not to go in driveways. This is what they'll use against you when you go to your panel hearing for not reporting an accident.

But it's ok just this one time, management won't question your integrity.

I would have quit long ago if I spent my days thinking "what if"?.

 

[BrownArmy]

I'm a cover driver...

I'd walk it off the first time, to get my bearings...next time, I'm popping wheelies in consignees driveway.

Just saying.

 

[iruhnman630]

Had an accident in my center on Monday. Driver backed into a basketball hoop causing minimal damage. Management over reacts and messages all of us to stay out of ALL residential driveways.
I'm not walking off this one with in the rain with four truck tires weighing around 250lbs.
What would you do?
View attachment 8944

I do drives like that all the time.

Most modern homes have plenty of room to get turned around. Worst case scenario...it is an easy back out if needed.

Drive it.

 

[Jackburton]

I would have quit long ago if I spent my days thinking "what if"?.

I don't spend a lot of time thinking what if, I just work as directed. They said stay out of driveways, it's not that hard to do what they said, they are paying you to do so. I don't put myself in a situation where my integrity can be questioned. This is why I also don't have to worry about "what if?".

 

[browned out]

Walk it off. Is it absoulutly necessary to back? If management wants you to back down these long country driveways, have management instruct you in writing that you are directed to back down these long driveways. It will help if you have to go to the State Panel to fight for your job after you hit something or go off the driveway and get stuck. Otherwise; UPS will say, we gave him the proper training and he refused to follow it.

 

[soberups]

Walk it off. Is it absoulutly necessary to back? If management wants you to back down these long country driveways, have management instruct you in writing that you are directed to back down these long driveways. It will help if you have to go to the State Panel to fight for your job after you hit something or go off the driveway and get stuck. Otherwise; UPS will say, we gave him the proper training and he refused to follow it.

Read the original post and look at the picture. The delivery was four tires. That house looks to me to be about 350 yards up hill, and there isnt any way I know of to fit more than one tire at a time onto a hand cart. Are you seriously suggesting that the driver hike all the way up there and back four times, rolling a tire uphill on each trip? That would wind up being a total distance of over 3/4 of a mile to walk off. What if there are dogs running around loose up there? What if its November or December and pitch black outside after 5:00 PM? Our job is to get the packages delivered, not to die of a heart attack or get attacked by a dog or shot by a homeowner who panicks at the sight of some guy in dark clothing sneaking up his driveway at night.

 

[soberups]

The company has never even defined what a "driveway" actually is, so they certainly cant discipline you for failing to stay out of one.

I personally define anything longer than about 75 yards as a "private access road" rather than a "driveway." In 25 years of driving I have never once been told to stay off of private access roads. See how easy that is?

 

[Indecisi0n]

What you don't see in the picture is a 30ft rut, 3 sprinkler heads, and a dead dog laying up near the top from the FedEx ground/DHL/post office guy. As you throw your 4 tires off at the garage and are backing down, the homeowner arrives home, just in time to see you pull off. Not to say UPS wouldn't believe you or anything that you didn't do any harm, but on telematics it shows you backing down the driveway clear as day, along with a DIAD message stating not to go in driveways. This is what they'll use against you when you go to your panel hearing for not reporting an accident.

But it's ok just this one time, management won't question your integrity.

If you run over an already dead dog is it an accident?

 

[cachsux]

Is each tire over 75lbs? Sit tight until help arrives and two of you can walk them up that drive. Enough productivity disappears and the directive will change to "Show extreme care in driveways".

 

[brownmonster]

I would back all the way up that driveway if I had 4 tires. No way I'm walking.

 

[dilligaf]

Just do your job and dont worry about the silly messages. If they want to get all technical about it, you could simply refer to that as a "private access road" instead of a driveway. That'll shut em up for a little while.

I have soooooooo many private access roads. I've lost count.

 

[dilligaf]

I'd back up the driveway. I had a country run and quite honestly backed up more than one driveway that long on a
regular basis. And if you can't back up a driveway that wide you shouldn't be driving anyway.

I disagree, at least for the 1st time. I always drive in a driveway I don't know. If I have to back out then so be it and I already know what is behind me. But if I back in the 1st time there is limited visibility and more like to miss seeing something that I might need to know is there.

 

[dilligaf]

If I never delivered there I would cart it off. If you been there and know there is a good turn around then drive it.

Also a good way of doing it.

 

[oldupsman]

I disagree, at least for the 1st time. I always drive in a driveway I don't know. If I have to back out then so be it and I already know what is behind me. But if I back in the 1st time there is limited visibility and more like to miss seeing something that I might need to know is there.

Oh I agree Dilli. I was going by the picture in front of me. I could see what I'm facing. 9 times out of 10 I did it your way too.

 

[browned out]

Read the original post and look at the picture. The delivery was four tires. That house looks to me to be about 350 yards up hill, and there isnt any way I know of to fit more than one tire at a time onto a hand cart. Are you seriously suggesting that the driver hike all the way up there and back four times, rolling a tire uphill on each trip? That would wind up being a total distance of over 3/4 of a mile to walk off. What if there are dogs running around loose up there? What if its November or December and pitch black outside after 5:00 PM? Our job is to get the packages delivered, not to die of a heart attack or get attacked by a dog or shot by a homeowner who panicks at the sight of some guy in dark clothing sneaking up his driveway at night.

It is fine to go up that road or driveway if that is the directive and the driver feels it is safe to do so. The directive is Stay out of Residential Driveways. The instruction is Back only when necessary, back first, use horn, etc. If a driver is instructed to stay out of driveways; he should stay out of driveways. We make 1000's of decisions a day. We are not to back to dump stop docks if we can deliver the package with the handcart. We are charged with accidents if our car leaks oil on a driveway.
Bottom line Work as Directed. You can ask for more training on how UPS wants you to handle that situation. When you are on your safety ride: ask the oncar what she/he thinks is safest. If they want you to go down those types of driveways; make a note of it on your 3 day ride paperwork and ask for a copy of that paperwork. Oncar will have marked that you did this, that and the other thing wrong. Just make a point that you asked for clarification on your safety ride.

 

[Re-Raise]

It would be interesting if a center manager or other member of management would respond to this thread. I would like to hear their opinion on this scenario. I know they are experts after the fact with their 20-20 hindsight , but I would like to hear them tell us how much time we should spend pushing a cart up this hill.

 

[cosmo1]

I personally define anything longer than about 75 yards as a "private access road" rather than a "driveway." In 34 1/2 years of driving I have never once been told to stay off of private access roads. See how easy that is?

Been there, done that.

 

[dilligaf]

It is fine to go up that road or driveway if that is the directive and the driver feels it is safe to do so. The directive is Stay out of Residential Driveways. The instruction is Back only when necessary, back first, use horn, etc. If a driver is instructed to stay out of driveways; he should stay out of driveways. We make 1000's of decisions a day. We are not to back to dump stop docks if we can deliver the package with the handcart. We are charged with accidents if our car leaks oil on a driveway.
Bottom line Work as Directed. You can ask for more training on how UPS wants you to handle that situation. When you are on your safety ride: ask the oncar what she/he thinks is safest. If they want you to go down those types of driveways; make a note of it on your 3 day ride paperwork and ask for a copy of that paperwork. Oncar will have marked that you did this, that and the other thing wrong. Just make a point that you asked for clarification on your safety ride.

Obviously you don't do a rural route. When I came back from my injury I had an OJS. Sup on board and I used every driveway just like I normally do. I backed when I needed to and I didn't when it wasn't necessary. He said, "Cool". My route is number 1 or number 2 for back counts. I've haven't been told but I'm guessing it is number 1.

 

[Indecisi0n]

I would back all the way up that driveway if I had 4 tires. No way I'm walking.

You will be explaining yourself in the office next day, "So why did you back XXX feet?"