Telematics and peak

[bad company]

Some of the telematics savings also come from management seeing their problems in the dispatch and fixing them.
P-Man

I hope you're right about this one. During my annual S&V ride, I always find myself explaining to the sup why I get to give high fives to the driver next to me about 6-8 times a day, and why I deliver to the blue warehouse in a complex and he delivers to the white one. Or why there are 3 drivers in 2 different loops delivering stops off of a 2 mile long rd...???

Yet in my short 2.5 years driving with 6 on-road sups, 4 center managers, and 3 different division managers, no one wants to fix the issues.

But got forbid I cost the company an extra $3.75 because I was .15 overallowed. The horror!

 

[brownmonster]

Corporate mandated +/- 15 on pickups. When you look at a printout it shows a driver 100% compliant. Upper mgmnt happy. What it doesn't show is the 5 stops the driver skipped on the other side of town to get back and do his pickups on time and the added miles of then going back to the other side of down to finish later when he could have simply started his pickups 10 minutes late. I see the same thing happening with telematics. What happened to going green? Sounds like this system spits out alot of wasted paper.

 

[Catatonic]

And another bottom line is that this technology will allow the reduction of on-car sups (OPs) and IEs. That should make sober and others happy.

The primary purpose of management is to Plan, Organize and Control.
This technology will:
1) facilitate more efficient and hopefully effective Planning. (IEs and OPs)
2) reduce resources needed by effective Organization. (IEs and OPs)
3) reduce time and effort to monitor and Control operational implementation and compliance resulting in less OJS rides. (OPs)

Drivers that do their job according to the methods and correct best-practice habits from feedback received from Telematics may never see management except in the morning and evenings at the center.

Span of control before the DIAD, tracking and other technologies was 8:1. Now it is closer to 17:1 and with telematics and other new technologies it may approach 25:1 or even greater.

I can even foresee that the driver check-in will include reviewing their analysis for that day on a computer screen at the check-in point. No need to even talk with one of those dumb, ignorant human supervisors.

Big Brother is watching.

 

[pretzel_man]

Corporate mandated +/- 15 on pickups. When you look at a printout it shows a driver 100% compliant. Upper mgmnt happy. What it doesn't show is the 5 stops the driver skipped on the other side of town to get back and do his pickups on time and the added miles of then going back to the other side of down to finish later when he could have simply started his pickups 10 minutes late. I see the same thing happening with telematics. What happened to going green? Sounds like this system spits out alot of wasted paper.

If you read my other posts, I called the push on pickup compliance ridiculous. They are doing that totally wrong.

I'm not afraid to say when they are wrong like pickup compliance.

When they are right, like Telematics I am also going to say so. I let facts drive my opinions.

The facts show that Pickup Compliance (as currently used) is wrong. The facts also say that Telematics is a good thing for UPS.

P-Man

 

[Catatonic]

I hope you're right about this one. During my annual S&V ride, I always find myself explaining to the sup why I get to give high fives to the driver next to me about 6-8 times a day, and why I deliver to the blue warehouse in a complex and he delivers to the white one. Or why there are 3 drivers in 2 different loops delivering stops off of a 2 mile long rd...???

Yet in my short 2.5 years driving with 6 on-road sups, 4 center managers, and 3 different division managers, no one wants to fix the issues.

But got forbid I cost the company an extra $3.75 because I was .15 overallowed. The horror!

That is the dirty-little not so secret about ineffective Controlling of the dispatch. The drivers get planned time for all these incidences of non-optimum dispatching. There is not real incentive, and more importantly tools and accountability, for management to correct deficient dispatching.

 

[brownmonster]

If you read my other posts, I called the push on pickup compliance ridiculous. They are doing that totally wrong.

I'm not afraid to say when they are wrong like pickup compliance.

When they are right, like Telematics I am also going to say so. I let facts drive my opinions.

The facts show that Pickup Compliance (as currently used) is wrong. The facts also say that Telematics is a good thing for UPS.

P-Man

I read your other posts and am glad to see it being adjusted. What I'm not happy about is the ridiculous lengths mgmnt went thru to make everyone compliant. To the driver and the customer it was meaningless yet we had to endure endless harassment. You see why we are skeptical.

 

[CharleyHustle]

P-Man,

Will telematics be used to show inept or derilict management teams where it brings a large increase in production? My opinion, from my tiny little corner of the UPS empire is that most hourly are tring to work as instructed. Do you think that the increase in revenue from telematics is more from less inappropriate use of time by drivers, or managers finally fixing mistakes that are now as plain as day? Would it not have been MUCH cheaper to just have managers doing the job they were allready being paid to do?

Once again, my opinion, the developement of these new and proven (at least to you) technologies is an admision that UPS has not done a very good job of managing the business.

 

[brownmonster]

P-Man,

Will telematics be used to show inept or derilict management teams where it brings a large increase in production? My opinion, from my tiny little corner of the UPS empire is that most hourly are tring to work as instructed. Do you think that the increase in revenue from telematics is more from less inappropriate use of time by drivers, or managers finally fixing mistakes that are now as plain as day? Would it not have been MUCH cheaper to just have managers doing the job they were allready being paid to do?

Once again, my opinion, the developement of these new and proven (at least to you) technologies is an admision that UPS has not done a very good job of managing the business.

Kind of like when PAS was said to save 10's of million miles a year. Who put in a plan that wasted that many miles a year in the first place.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

PAS has reduced my mileage by 10% on average.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Once again, my opinion, the developement of these new and proven (at least to you) technologies is an admision that UPS has not done a very good job of managing the business.

One could also argue that the development of new and proven technologies has allowed UPS to continue to effectively manage the business by maximizing the production of its' employees and the efficiency of its' operations.

 

[Catatonic]

Once again, my opinion, the developement of these new and proven (at least to you) technologies is an admision that UPS has not done a very good job of managing the business.

When UPS transitioned from using bicycles to cars, that did not mean that it was managed poorly before. It meant that a new technology enabled management to run their operations more efficiently.

 

[govols019]

PAS has reduced my mileage by 10% on average.

It upped my miles by 30-40%. It reduced the miles of the route next to me 100%.


I miss that old route being there.

 

[pretzel_man]

P-Man,

Will telematics be used to show inept or derilict management teams where it brings a large increase in production? My opinion, from my tiny little corner of the UPS empire is that most hourly are tring to work as instructed. Do you think that the increase in revenue from telematics is more from less inappropriate use of time by drivers, or managers finally fixing mistakes that are now as plain as day? Would it not have been MUCH cheaper to just have managers doing the job they were allready being paid to do?

Once again, my opinion, the developement of these new and proven (at least to you) technologies is an admision that UPS has not done a very good job of managing the business.

Charley,

That is a good, intelligent and hard question.... I don't think I have a great answer, but I'll try.

The pickup and delivery side of UPS is much different today than when I started over 30 years ago. In those days, we were a ground business and worked in a cookie cutter manner. Rules worked most of the time, and metrics were pretty easy.... Stay on trace, make all your pickups, work hard....

Today, we have multiple commit times, special customer handling, and many, many services. The old tools from 30 years ago are not as applicable as they once were.

So, UPS built dispatch and control systems. These systems are outstanding. DPS, PAS, EDD, ODSe are truly great systems. The problem is that our management team doesn't always know how to properly use them.

So, are they inept management, underqualified management, untrained management, or just management in intransition that will mature. There is a fine line between those choices. I like to believe the latter. I think they are learning how to use the tools and it will take time.

Telematics is a tool that points out inept management but also aides management that is in transition to do a better job. That's why I like it so much. It is a great compliment to the existing tools.

Of course, I do get upset at inept management that choose to use it to point out small, inconsequential discrepancies. On the other hand, I get really pleased when good management finds a new use for the tool to improve their operations.

More tools are coming. The same things will happen. Some management will screw them up. Some will do an awesome job....

P-Man

 

[govols019]

Some management will screw them up. Some will do an awesome job....

And we, the driver group, are the ones that have to deal with the management teams that screw up. Harassment and threats to your job gets old real fast.

 

[soberups]

Telematics also shows lots of information besides individual driver safety, service, and performance. It shows where drivers overlap areas, where pickups are compared to delivery routes, trace, etc.

Some of the telematics savings also come from management seeing their problems in the dispatch and fixing them.

P-Man

This "information" has been available to you for many years.....simply by listenting to what the drivers are telling you.

 

[Bubblehead]

Okay... Explain this then

- We all agree that UPS is cheap and wants to increase profits.
- They installed Telematics first in 1500 vehicles and analyzed them.
- Then they installed Telematics in over 10000 vehicles and spend a very large amount of time analyzing the results.

So, with all this analysis by highly skilled finance people, why did UPS decide to continue and install more? Believe me, the accountants would like to NOT spend the money.

Don't you think they analyzed this? I looked at the same reports as they did.

If its a loser, doesn't it make sense that they would then stop?

P-Man

Internal ponzi scheme.
UPS always resists acknowledging they bought a lemon.
Remember the TEAM Concept?
PAS didn't yeild the production increase anticipated on the driver end either,yet allowances were whacked on day one and continue to be unrealized.
Manufacture some numbers here to mask the real reason for the system.
To reduce On Car Supes.
This system will only slow down the runners if utilized across the board on all drivers.
I figure it will be used like the present day system where management picks and chooses who they scrutinize and turns a blind eye to the runners and gunners who are obviously cheating the methods.
If the numbers are up in these centers, I contend it's because the system has scared the slackers while the burners keep on cheating with immunity.


P.S. UPS can't justify the expense to retrofit package cars with 3 point seatbelts, yet can spend on this system? Saftey First?? Doesn't seem to be the case does it?

 

[soberups]

So, are they inept management, underqualified management, untrained management, or just management in intransition that will mature. There is a fine line between those choices. I like to believe the latter. I think they are learning how to use the tools and it will take time.

99% of them are competent and capable management...who are making poor choices based upon fear or to satisfy impossible expectations and ridiculous mandates that are being imposed upon them from above by the "absentee landlords" from Corporate.

Imagine what would happen if, instead of micomanaging and mandating, we stepped back, gave them the resources they needed, let them make the best decisions they can based upon their experience and firsthand knowledge of their areas of responsibilities, and trusted them to do the right thing.

You wouldnt need Telematics. Hell, you wouldnt need half of the upper-level management people we have now.

 

[Catatonic]

Of course, I do get upset at inept management that choose to use it to point out small, inconsequential discrepancies. On the other hand, I get really pleased when good management finds a new use for the tool to improve their operations.

More tools are coming. The same things will happen. Some management will screw them up. Some will do an awesome job....

P-Man

This "information" has been available to you for many years.....simply by listenting to what the drivers are telling you.

P-Man,
Are any of these new tools going to increase accountability on the center management to actually implement and use the tools to eliminate dispatch deficiencies?
Sober says management is being told now but they don't do anything about it. Possibly because there is no automated audit capability of actual dispatch.
An automated analysis tool for dispatch could point out problems with the loop as well.

 

[soberups]

Internal ponzi scheme.
UPS always resists acknowledging they bought a lemon.
Remember the TEAM Concept?
PAS didn't yeild the production increase anticipated on the driver end either,yet allowances were whacked on day one and continue to be unrealized.
Manufacture some numbers here to mask the real reason for the system.
To reduce On Car Supes.

Another example is the failed "remote initiative" from the mid-90's which basically required us to bring a certain number of stops back per day according to a ridiculous quota in order to save miles. The anticipated savings in miles were never realized, and the entire program wound up being used as a crutch to hide service failures and eliminate entire routes. The whole program was a complete clusterf$%k and we wound up screwing our customers for over a year before someone from Corporate with enough rank was able to cut through the BS and pull the plug on it.

 

[pretzel_man]

99% of them are competent and capable management...who are making poor choices based upon fear or to satisfy impossible expectations and ridiculous mandates that are being imposed upon them from above by the "absentee landlords" from Corporate.

Imagine what would happen if, instead of micomanaging and mandating, we stepped back, gave them the resources they needed, let them make the best decisions they can based upon their experience and firsthand knowledge of their areas of responsibilities, and trusted them to do the right thing.

You wouldnt need Telematics. Hell, you wouldnt need half of the upper-level management people we have now.

I've worked with and trained many of these management you are talking about. I've done this in many districts and many centers. What you are saying is not my experience.

Yes, some expectations are unrealistic (like pickup compliance). Most of the others though can be met through good management. Management's job is to plan, execute, and analyze the operation (so the plan can be updated).

Corporate expectations are not keeping local management from adjusting their trace and dispatch to reduce cost. I do it all the time....

P-Man