suggestions? and Hello

[aspenleaf]

Hello, I am new here and new (since Dec 05) to UPS. I have enjoyed reading your posts and wanted to know if anyone had some tips for preloaders. It seems that no matter what I do I am in trouble for something. It is not just me, everyone on my line gets yelled at for not being fast enough or stacking etc. They just changed our lineup so we (preloaders) all have different trucks/ drivers.

Can anyone tell me how UPS retains employees? I have seen 6 preloaders start and then not last the first week. For me to be hired I just had to be alive and was told "welcome to UPS." I thought I would die my first week; wondered why I joined and was ready to leave. I was tired of my sup yelling at me. My drivers saved me and "taught" me how to load the trucks and gave me encouragement. So had it not been for those first drivers I had I would have left a long time ago.

 

[toonertoo]

WElcome Aspen leaf, Its sad you got no training, and Im glad you have good drivers to help you. Instead of ones who yell at you when you are clueless. First off do you have charts to go by? if you do always check the number breaks. Once you know the bulk stops, it will help you immensely. But the number breaks and the zip codes matter also. Sometimes by miles, and we get yelled at every day too, so dont feel alone. If you know where something goes chuck it in there, you can adjust when there is a break in volume. The first section is the most important, and leave some room up front so we can step into the truck, we can handle just about anything else. If you have a question pkg, put it on the seat, or leave it out, then remember where the driver says it goes. Its kind of like the game of concentration, once you have an idea of the area, it will all fall together. Good Luck

 

[aspenleaf]

We have that new system (PAL I think it is called) that makes it "easy" but the bulk items all say 1 of 1 or they will say 1 of 4 but there will be 10 sets of those. . .and then the truck is a mess and you have to sidestep to place the next day airs up front... It just makes me crazy. I didn't start in time to have to memorize everything. So now I have 4 four very packed trucks. And how can something that is 100 pounds be fragile??? I know it can break but those are no fun and they are spa'd for a top shelf? The lumber people have software that will tell them how many ways they can saw a log and not have any left over wood and we can't spa things to take into accound the size.
My drivers have all been wonderful and I listen to them (since they are my customer and I'd rather have 4 happy drivers than one happy sup) but right now the volume (and my start time - which I have no control over) are getting in the way.

Up until last Thursday I loved loading my trucks and planned to stay through peak to load those trucks. (I am in nursing school so I am not planning on staying at UPS for a long time) These new trucks I have. . .well let me just say I will not be here for peak loading those by myself. I have been told that they will hire someone to take over one of my cages... but I was fine before the move so I think I just have to step it up and get used to the extra volume coming my way.

Thanks for the info and that part about a path to the front is helpful since they park the trucks so close that I once blocked my driver from the front and had to move stuff so he could leave.

Well happy Monday!

 

[dannyboy]

Getting a job at UPS is easy, keeping it is a bit harder. Most people these days dont want to work that hard, even for that money.

As for sups yelling, that is all they know. Let it slide. After a while, it becomes like that fly that is just a bit anoying.

Do your job to the best of your ability (the drivers will appriciate that) dont do anything unsafe (remember, a clear walk path is a safe walk path so dont block your entrance or exit from the package car with bulk stops, load them at the end of the day) and dont loose your cool. Pretty much everything else can be handled.

Good luck!

d

 

[aspenleaf]

I don't mind the hard work. Today the guy next to me called in an quit. So we are short staffed even more. I can ignore the yells of the sup and I do wait to load my bulk at the end (at least to not block the middle of the truck). I love the exercise I get at work and the people I work with are great. This is the best part-time job I can have and still be a full time student. Thanks for the tips!

 

[dannyboy]

Let me give you one more.

Stay in school and finish what you set out for. If UPS becomes your career, fine, your education will come in handy. If you dont stay with UPS, then you will at least know what happens at brown as you make your millions repairing knees and backs.



d

 

[trickpony1]

Aspen,
I agree many times over with dannyboy.
Stay in school and get that LPN, RN or BSN, you didn't indicate which one.
When the sup yells at you just smile and keep working. The sups have to amuse themselves and substantiate their jobs somehow.
Just view being a preloader as a step to where you really want to be.
Being accepted by a school of Nursing is a glowing testament in itself.
Good Luck!

 

[tieguy]

Aspen,
I agree many times over with dannyboy.
Stay in school and get that LPN, RN or BSN, you didn't indicate which one.
When the sup yells at you just smile and keep working. The sups have to amuse themselves and substantiate their jobs somehow.
Just view being a preloader as a step to where you really want to be.
Being accepted by a school of Nursing is a glowing testament in itself.
Good Luck!

agreed. In fact trick and I often have a beer together and laugh about the business. He's really a great guy and would be pissed if I did not push you hard enough.....

 

[aspenleaf]

Thanks everyone! I will finish school I will be an LPN this summer and then I have one more year to become and RN and someday will earn my BSN. Right now I am at UPS because they are the only job I could find that had the hours I needed (very early morning - before class) to let me work and go to school. My sup is not too bad but she runs off so many employees because they let her "yelling" get to them. I do just smile and do what she asks and I don't let her get to me. We just lost another one this week and it happened after she was yelling at him for talking to one of his drivers about the load. I have seen her do this to 3 people now and I just wonder if HR or whom ever realizes that she is part of the reason people leave. She gets along with me but I don't agrue with her. I do not agree with her but since I am going to be at UPS for such a short time I feel no need to cause conflict. And things are getting better with my new trucks... I no longer call them "those trucks". They are mine and I will take care my loads as best I can.

Thanks for all the tips - I did use some today when loading all that bulk. I just wish I had a stack bench but for some reason I am not allowed; but that does not matter.

 

[dannyboy]

I no longer call them "those trucks". They are mine and I will take care my loads as best I can.

I wished more part timers had that attitude. Pride in your work. What a novel idea. Think that maybe UPS will ever get the idea that it works?

d

 

[trickpony1]

Aspen,
Your work ethic will take you far.
Please promise me you will not succumb to the glitter, gloss, glamour and dollar $ign$ of package cars.

 

[toonertoo]

I pray she doesnt she needs to be in the ER.

 

[trickpony1]

"...trick and I often have a beer together...."

Hell will freeze first.

 

[tieguy]

Aspen,
I agree many times over with dannyboy.
Stay in school and get that LPN, RN or BSN, you didn't indicate which one.
When the sup yells at you just smile and keep working. The sups have to amuse themselves and substantiate their jobs somehow.
Just view being a preloader as a step to where you really want to be.
Being accepted by a school of Nursing is a glowing testament in itself.
Good Luck!

Interesting comment Trick. As I read it I had to wonder if Aspen gets his / her LPN or RN if someone will ever yell at him when he is working his chosen career? Probably not thats something that only happens at UPS. But surely he/she will work 8 hours and evacuate as a lpn/ RN. Because they can walk away from the dead and dying when their shift is up? And I'm sure they will not have nearly as much stress on their job saving lives as we do on ours?

 

[dannyboy]

The medical profession is losing more people each day than UPS does in a year.

Burn out is rampant with people expected to work 12-14 hour days, 6-7 days a week. Yes the money is good, but the workload is tough.

I know, my wife is a RN. And she was in charge of recruitment for a major hospital chain in our area. More leaving than are getting in. So much experience is dropping by the wayside.

It is a tough job you seek. It does have its rewards though just like any other job.

You have my respect for seeking out the path you are going down.

d

 

[moreluck]

Once you have the nursing credentials it seems you can go anywhere in the country and get a good job. Sounds like the right 'field' to be in.

 

[trickpony1]

Danny,
If your wife is a RN, in charge of recruitment, then I'm sure she has heard of:
"occasional part-time"
"per diem"
"agency"
Some hospitals will pay a nurse 40 hours to work three twelve hour shifts. Can you imagine having 4 days off? Do you think our company will ever have 3 twelve hour shifts with four days off? Do we not experience burn-out? If we are mistreated can we quit and go to another shipping company to work?

When was the last time you saw a nurse drive a pkg car down the hallway at the hospital jumping in and out of it 80-120 times a day?

 

[dannyboy]

My wife was instrumental in attempting to create what they call a magnet hospital. But unfortunately, after spending almost four years on the matter, much of it on her own time, they just did not see the need.

As for nursing, travelers make anywhere from 60-95 or more an hour with no bennies. Some even have a 6 month sign on bonus in the 5 figures. And many will assist you in housing.

As for time off, yeah right. Just like you get a day off when you want it without pay. Just doesn't happen.

Then lemme see, how many docs do you have riding your case all day with no place to go but the bathroom to get relief? How many patients can you see in a days time when three take 5 hours, two take four, and the other 19 take at least an hour each. And that is only in one shift. Not to mention answering kindly the families of each patient that have all those little annoying questions like when is the doctor coming by, or daddies breathing, is that normal?

Then add to that the pharmacy screws up the order and luckily you catch it before you kill the person, you cant read what the doctor ordered, so you have to document and find out what they need.

And will all that, you have at least 30 forms to fill out on each patient, may of which take half an hour.

Oh and dont forget to prep those patients for the surgery today.

and heaven forbid you have one die on your watch..........

Then of course you have the wonderfully timed visits by the nursing supervisor that end up taking time.

One more thing, you want an anal exam? Try letting the med cabinet be off count by one pill. There will be no less than 30 climbing all over you and the rest of the staff before you go home. Even if you did not enter the med room all shift.

So while you are attempting to draw parallels to our job and theirs, it is a bit more stressful dont you think?

After all, there is a difference between the life of a human and the condition of a package.

d

 

[trickpony1]

I don't recall saying it wasn't stressful.
I am aware that some nurses only work 2 or 3 days a week and some will work a 16 on saturday, a 16 on sunday and be off work the rest of the week.

 

[aspenleaf]

Well I take in pride in whatever I do even when I am not happy (such as taking away my trucks... (I just had to get used to the fact that my old trucks were not coming back.) I wish more did care then maybe they would give us enough time to load in a manner that was safe and let us put the packages on the trucks so that the driver can find them. I have had several co-workers tell me that when it gets busy they stop writting the spa number on the side of the box (a req. we have so that we put the boxes in order on the shelves.). I keep writing, maybe faster, but I don't just stop (unless it is RDR or RDL and they are in the right area... when they leave the area I do write on the box.

Today was better, and mangement told me that on Monday I will have a slpit truck and that my sup will use one of my cages as a training cage. So I don't know what that means when we do not have a new hire. I would assume that if there is no one to train I do have a split car in my area? But as the the 4 trucks I will do my best until. I personally like having my drivers like the work I do and it makes them have a better day.

In my center (at least on my side of the boxline) we have more women than men. We have 3 women (all 30+) and one college kid (18). All the other males who have tried to work on my side have left after a few days or a few weeks. So I wonder if UPS should try to appeal to the women in my area like the schools do for bus drivers. It is hard work, but you get in shape and the benefits are the best for a part-time job. How are things where you all are?

Well thanks for all the tips. Oh and I found out today that my drivers get a nice list of all the boxes on the truck and how many they should have. Why can't they let us preloaders know that we will have 30 of one stop? On my truck it was spa'd for the 200 spot and took up the whole shelf and some of the 6000 shelf. The driver said he wanted it spa'd to the RDL but it would take forever and he wanted to know who was in charge of saying where things go. Well it is not me but if if is a customer he has everyday I told him that I can move it to the back for him. But my concern is that if he gets RDL I will have to move that ahead of the stuff I drop. I know as a preloader we don't have time to plan out things like that. Which brings me back to the list... a copy at the begining of the shift would be so nice!