Still No Time For Lunch

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

20 might be pushing it, but you get my point. However long it takes to sort the truck for the rest of the day.

...is still a waste of time...

 

[Geo926]

...is still a waste of time...

Sorting your truck so your not finger ing in the back of the truck the rest of the day is a waste of time? Whatever you say sir.

 

[HomeDelivery]

eat 2 of nature's perfect food: spread 'em out during the day

& a few granola/ breakfast bars... something light, so you won't have to resort to #2 during the day

lots of fluids / water and maybe gatorade for the upcoming summer heat ~ you don't want to get a headache due to becoming dehydrated, leading to loss of focus

pee bottle ~ for backup when you don't have that many business addresses on your route

good luck in your 30-days!

 

[wayfair]

We get a half hour lunch and two ten minute breaks. I think I would go nuts if I had to sit for an hour while I have stops hanging.

I take my full hour, everyday.

 

[Coldworld]

Once you are finished through the 4000 shelf, park the truck under a tree for shade, clock out for lunch, and set up your entire truck for the rest of the day. While you doing this, eat something!!!! Like Jumpman said, its not healthy. I eat a lunch and snack on fruit all day just to keep my energy.

Why would you be working when you are punched out for lunch. ...set the truck up on their time...why would you do this???

 

[By The Book]

How's your training rte. going? You should be on day 22 now if you have been driving every day. When I was learning a new rte. I used to pack a lunch and after 10:30 and my airs were delivered I would sort/eat at the same time. Take a bite of sandwich a drink of water move a few boxes up, and repeat over and over for about 8-10 minutes . This way you had something in your system. After pickups at meet point if you have one sort the rest of truck up and eat as you are doing this. Bananas, granola bars, like the other posters say is a good idea to keep your energy levels up to finish the day. A coffee getsu mind focused in the morning, but drink a lot of water all day so you don't cramp up.

 

[mrbrownstone]

How's your training rte. going? You should be on day 22 now if you have been driving every day. When I was learning a new rte. I used to pack a lunch and after 10:30 and my airs were delivered I would sort/eat at the same time. Take a bite of sandwich a drink of water move a few boxes up, and repeat over and over for about 8-10 minutes . This way you had something in your system. After pickups at meet point if you have one sort the rest of truck up and eat as you are doing this. Bananas, granola bars, like the other posters say is a good idea to keep your energy levels up to finish the day. A coffee getsu mind focused in the morning, but drink a lot of water all day so you don't cramp up.

When I originally posted this I wrote that I was on day 16 but it was actually day 15. Anyway, today would have been my 17th day but I was listed as an extra and wound up going home

I am a little concerned about getting hours as a driver because I have spent a lot of time talking to guys in my center who have been driving 3+ years and are still TCDs and still get put on the extra list.

It sounds like in my center you have to know 6-7 routes to get somewhat decent hours and I talked to one driver who I believe knows 13.

I'm not sure of there are any exceptions to this or how many hours most of these drivers actually get. For example I remember seeing a bid sheet over peak with 2 routes that appeared that no one wanted cause they are crappy routes. I would happily take a crappy route for the money.

I was also told my other drivers that even once you get your 30 days of you make it they can still hold you from getting seniority for a while. At a pcm this week the center manager congratulated a guy for getting his seniority after 2 years. Even he gets put on the extra list sometimes. He asked me a few days ago if I wanted to go home and I said no.

I knew it was not easy becoming a driver but didn't know quite this much about my center until recently by constantly asking other drivers questions.

Sorry for the long off topic rant. And, thanks for the advice. Sorting and eating is probably a good idea now until I get comfortable enough or make my 30 days to actually stop and eat.

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[9.5er]

Try to learn as many routes as possible. I work in a center that normally runs 38 routes or so. I know 15 regular bid routes. I also know almost all the split routes. I work every day. In fact I can hardly get a day off with out calling in. Been a cover driver for my whole career.

 

[mrbrownstone]

Try to learn as many routes as possible. I work in a center that normally runs 38 routes or so. I know 15 regular bid routes. I also know almost all the split routes. I work every day. In fact I can hardly get a day off with out calling in. Been a cover driver for my whole career.

Damn 15 routes! Sounds pretty tough tp learn that many. How many years did it take you to learn them all?

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[9.5er]

Been at UPS since '98 driving since '04. Actually went out on a new one today for the first time. Don't be scared to go out on a new route. Just take it one stop at a time.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Sorting your truck so your not finger ing in the back of the truck the rest of the day is a waste of time? Whatever you say sir.

Sorting your package car is a waste of time.

 

[cosmo1]

Sorting your package car is a waste of time.

Let me guess, Dave. Even before PAS/EDD you had loaders that would have your trip set up stop for stop every day.

 

[bleedinbrown58]

Let me guess, Dave. Even before PAS/EDD you had loaders that would have your trip set up stop for stop every day.

And lovingly sprinkle the packages with fairy dust....lol

 

[cosmo1]

And lovingly sprinkle the packages with fairy dust....lol

And rose petals scattered by bluebirds along his path.

 

[slaveofbigbrown]

...nor do you need to spend 20 minutes sorting...

If your spending 20 min sorting it's done on there time. Not yours

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[slaveofbigbrown]

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[superballs63]

Sorting your package car is a waste of time.

It's really not. I am a self described runner (when I want to be), and often I don't sort, but at my hub, the loaders are so god awful terrible, that you damn near NEED to sort so you aren't spending 3 minutes looking for each package.

 

[Coldworld]

Sorting your truck so your not finger ing in the back of the truck the rest of the day is a waste of time? Whatever you say sir.

Ups has been around for100 years and they still have trouble with dispatch and leveling routes....These routes should be going out almost perfect in regards to load quality...you shouldn't have to sort anything. If I can't find a pkg oh well..come back later and dup the and be over allowed I don'tcare

 

[Coldworld]

It's really not. I am a self described runner (when I want to be), and often I don't sort, but at my hub, the loaders are so god awful terrible, that you damn near NEED to sort so you aren't spending 3 minutes looking for each package.

The loaders are terrible because they load 3 or 4 cars at a time and don't have enough time to do job properly. .If the load is cap on a daily basis the route Should have a variance to account for it...but ups would never do too hard to do the right thing

 

[browniehound]

I'm 16 days in and still find no time to take a lunch yet punch in a full hour plus my 10 min. Maybe I could actually take some of that in between pick ups like 10 min here or there but right now I'm barely making book working straight through my whole day literally.

I figure I'm not being dishonest because I waste time in different ways cause I'm new. Such as, I may pass stops or couldn't always deliver my grounds with my airs, or loose time not being organized enough. I'm sure there are other ways I loose time too.

Anyway, it seems that the lunch topic is a hot topic around here lately so I'm wondering at what point you guys think I should be able to actually take one? And I also wonder if most guys actually take an hour or just a half hour? How long were you doing the job until you said it was time to actually take a lunch?

Right now I'm doing the best I can everyday but I just don't have the time to eat. I love when people tell me just take 5 min to eat a food bar or something. I would love to but that 5 min may cost me a stop or for that matter 2 stops.



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I say run your lunch until you make book. Do what you have to do to make book. After that, no excuses, you have to take a lunch and stop giving the company money and working for free. Once you make book you can take your lunch and there is nothing they can do about it.

Also, you justify not taking your lunch by saying that you lose time by driving by stops and being unorganized.

So what? Its what drivers do in the beginning. There is no time clock that says your route must be done in X amount of time even if your supervisor tells you that everyday. Those numbers are theirs, not yours. You get paid by the hour and when you are driving by stops you are still working. Don't for 1 second believe you should doc yourself time for that. You are working and the law since the mid 1860's says you must be paid for every second that you work for someone. This is regardless of what UPS thinks or wants.

UPS wants the days of slavery back. They do every thing they can to get a driver work for nothing and they actually know, expect, and count on a certain % to work for free. Why else would they make such a big deal out of something so trivial as a lunch break? Because they KNOW some drivers will "punch out" for lunch but continue to work and UPS just loves this free labor.

At any other company in this universe its no big for an employee to say to his boss "hey boss, me and the family are going away for the weekend and have a 5 hour drive ahead of us, is it ok if I work my lunch break so I can get an hour head start?" and the boss saying "yeah, that's fine, what do I care?"

No, not at UPS. You need to take the hour, no exceptions. They do this because they know you are going to put the hour in the board and work lunch so you can go away early and UPS gets an hour of free labor.

This makes me sick that they do this. This is the lowest of low, scum of the earth type of crap. I don't know how my center manager sleeps at night KNOWING he is robbing all of his rookie drivers of an hour's pay EVERYDAY.

This is a thief in my book.