Telematics---not very accurate

[NHDRVR]

This may be before your time, but we heard the same argument when the DIAD first came out. There was nothing wrong with sheeting on paper and the system used for addressing and labeling pkgs was fine. Can you imagine going back to paper at this point?

People resist change--it is in our DNA. Change for the sake of change is a waste. Change for the sake of improving productivity and efficiency is welcome change.

Back to the thread--telematics should only concern those who are not doing the job the way that they were taught to do it.

We had a suit use that line 'you can go back on paper if you want to' a few weeks ago when we were complaining about this latest version of the DIAD. The shift key in general is a pain in the ass. The DIAD is a great upgrade, unfortunately it is upgraded and 'tweaked' by those who don't have to use it every day. DIAD 3 was probably the best one I have used. (NNE) I don't recall shifting the damn soft-keys all the time and it was pretty quick.
anyways....

 

[scratch]

Honest to God, the simple task of delivering a piece of cardboard is made the most complicated by those who don't do it.

Now that is a profound statement! Telematics was tried out in Roswell Center across town first, we are not expecting this latest wonder in my Hub for some time.

 

[pretzel_man]

While everyone takes this opportunity to bash UPS management and technology, let me provide some facts:

Telematics
Telematics sites show safety improvements, reduced automotive expense, and less road calls.

There have been small performance gains, very few disciplinary actions taken and one termination that I'm aware of.

Its saving UPS money in Automotive and so far allowing supervisors to move to a "virtual OJS" therefore reducing their time.

As Sober said, its not 100% accurate and if a supervisor should NOT discipline anyone based on those areas of inaccuracy.

All in all its an outstanding system and more advancements and improvements will come.

PAS
PAS sites show substantial service improvements, visibility improvements, and miles reduction. PAS has been measured and has shown that overall miles have been reduced by 30 million per year.

A relatively large percent of sites (maybe 30%) have not seen the gains as the others. From my experience, this is mostly due to poor management. They leave inaccurate information in the system and this causes packages to be either on the wrong car, wrong place in trace, or wrong place in the car.

These sites probably need to start over. The system is very easy to use but the user needs to understand dispatch concepts. Its kind of like giving a person Excel who doesn't know mathematic concepts. Good tool but poor outcome.

DIAD IV
It was revolutionary for its time. It started development about 7 years ago and was leading edge. The shift key was a necessity due to keeping the keys the size they are and reducing the size of the unit.

Maybe they should have made the keys smaller? I saw a picture of a DIAD IV with smaller keys and no shift key. From what I've seen the shift key, although a nuisance is not really that big a problem. 95% of our drivers are on EDD. They key much less than before EDD.

That leaves the key entry to be mostly in signature clarify (which is all alpha), and text messages. I teach drivers to use the it like a shift key instead of a toggle. It seems to be less of a problem

I think the signature key is the bigger problem. Maybe they should make you have to double click it or change something else in software to fix it.

BTW, from what I've seen, DIAD V won't have a shift key and will be smaller than a DIAD IV. The keys will be smaller. I hope that won't cause a new set of complaints.

My point is that UPS technology is not perfect. No technology is. UPS technology however goes through tremendous scrutiny before its built and deployed.

If someone tells you something is a "silver bullet", don't believe them. If someone tells you that technology is being deployed for ego or career purposes, don't believe them either.

Everything is a balance. Not all good or bad. If someone tells you otherwise, they have an agenda.

P-Man

 

[brownman15]

where has it been activated at? havent heard about it in any pcm's, yet. is it spreading from the eastcoast?

we have it here in the chicago area

 

[brownman15]

Has there been any disciplinary actions due to this system, and if so what was the outcome? I want to start preparing for the system that will inevitably arrive around peak. That seems to be when my building screws up everything.

in my building if you show up on report they will talk 2 u about it. if u dont improve then they will go out and observe you

 

[brownman15]

Telematics
Telematics sites show safety improvements, reduced automotive expense, and less road calls.

auto accidents have actually gone up since we have telematics

There have been small performance gains, very few disciplinary actions taken and one termination that I'm aware of.

i disagree have one driver on notice of termination for not wearing seat belt and bulkhead door open. in the training for this management said they would be disciplining drivers.
P-Man

 

[No such person]

I had a day last week where my average backing speed ( yes, they check that too ) was 28 mph. That seems a little high to me.

 

[Catatonic]

I had a day last week where my average backing speed ( yes, they check that too ) was 28 mph. That seems a little high to me.

28 mph? What did you do? Back off a cliff?

 

[tae111]

I never had a problem going off paper. Remember the last time you delivered on paper in the rain? The DIAD was something that made my job easier.I can't see telematics doing that. "telematics should only concern those who are not doing the job the way that they were tought to do it"? I remember when they came out with time studies and allowances. If you happen to be the driver who got a bad one you were in for a life of misery. When they came out with the " Methods" I took them home and memorized them. I practiced them every day until they became second nature. It made me a more productive and effecient driver. It did not keep me from having to endure months of harassment, having my job threatend,followed on route, three day rides, ect. untill they figured out it was a bad allowance. I shouldn't be concerned though. I was just doing the job the way I was trained. Telematics....Good Luck !

Wipe your mouth,There's still a little B.S around your lips

 

[HEFFERNAN]

I had a day last week where my average backing speed ( yes, they check that too ) was 28 mph. That seems a little high to me.

I am very curious if they are going by the engine's RPM rather than MPH. There is no way anyone will reverse at 20+ miles an hour. I wonder if P-man can shed some light.

 

[govols019]

PAS has been measured and has shown that overall miles have been reduced by 30 million per year.

The reduction in miles was caused by the elimination of routes when PAS was implemented. PAS didn't make the deliveries closer together. PAS just made the overtime go up.

 

[tae111]

28mph ? how many gears do you have in revearse?

 

[Cobra Agent]

we have it here in New Orleans. Last week my bulk head door didnt shut as tight as it should...the next day on the report it showed that i had 122 instances of driving with the door open and drove 45 miles with it open. (But not to worry as soon as i noticed something was wrong with it I called my onroad and him about it) It is all about doing your job safely and cya

 

[PENNYdaCHUG]

This may be before your time, but we heard the same argument when the DIAD first came out. There was nothing wrong with sheeting on paper and the system used for addressing and labeling pkgs was fine. Can you imagine going back to paper at this point?

People resist change--it is in our DNA. Change for the sake of change is a waste. Change for the sake of improving productivity and efficiency is welcome change.

Back to the thread--telematics should only concern those who are not doing the job the way that they were taught to do it.

I'd like to respond to the statement "telematics should only concern those who are not doing the job the way they were taught..".
We recently instituted the telematics in our center. I was told by my center manager that I had 252 seatbelts violations in one day. Apparently the vehicle was moving without my seatbelt engaged. I was trained, along with many others, to flip the PKNG brake, hit the key, and snap the belt as you pulled out. And of course reverse when stopping. Now apparently that is all incorrect and after 20 years of service I have to reacquaint myself with the task of when and when not to "snap the belt" or else get disciplined. It would seem to me that a few feet of moving without your belt isn't much of a concern but to our "current" illustrious leader it is!

 

[PENNYdaCHUG]

I had a day last week where my average backing speed ( yes, they check that too ) was 28 mph. That seems a little high to me.

Hey NSP, one more thing you may want to mull over. Check out the definition of "Duty of Care". In short, it would seem if the Head Honchos at our beloved UPS were so inclined, if you were involved in an accident they could use the info derived from the telematics to displace blame from them to you for any losses incurred. Now true, case by case would change from state to state, however the point remains and as popularity for use of these devices increases, I wouldn't be surprised if some politician's pockets became fatter in an attempt to institute such practices in areas of the country where they are currently lacking! FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!

 

[soberups]

Hey NSP, one more thing you may want to mull over. Check out the definition of "Duty of Care". In short, it would seem if the Head Honchos at our beloved UPS were so inclined, if you were involved in an accident they could use the info derived from the telematics to displace blame from them to you for any losses incurred. Now true, case by case would change from state to state, however the point remains and as popularity for use of these devices increases, I wouldn't be surprised if some politician's pockets became fatter in an attempt to institute such practices in areas of the country where they are currently lacking! FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!

Incorrect.

Article 6

Section 4
(8) No employee shall be discharged on a first offense if such discharge is based solely upon
information received from GPS or any successor system unless he/she engages in dishonesty
(defined for the purposes of this paragraph as any act or omission by an employee where he/she
intends to defraud the Company). The degree of discipline dealing with off-area offenses shall not
be changed because of the use of GPS.


ALSO........
​

ARTICLE 10. LOSS OR DAMAGE

​

Section 1.
.................This Article is not to be construed as permitting charges for loss or damage
to equipment or for any damage to merchandise as a result of a vehicular accident
under any circumstances.

 

[Tiny Panda]

We had one driver who, according to Telematics, backed up for 14 blocks through an urban area... at 35 MPH.

Oooh sounds like they were watching me

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Hey NSP, one more thing you may want to mull over. Check out the definition of "Duty of Care". In short, it would seem if the Head Honchos at our beloved UPS were so inclined, if you were involved in an accident they could use the info derived from the telematics to displace blame from them to you for any losses incurred. Now true, case by case would change from state to state, however the point remains and as popularity for use of these devices increases, I wouldn't be surprised if some politician's pockets became fatter in an attempt to institute such practices in areas of the country where they are currently lacking! FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!

I would think that if my behavior behind the wheel were the cause of an accident then I would accept the blame and face the consequences. On the flip side, Telematics can also be used to prove that my behavior behind the wheel actually helped me stay in control and that I did everything that I could to avoid and then minimze the impact of an accident.

Monitoring devices have been a part of our culture for some time. Are you familiar with EZ Pass? This is the highway toll collection system which uses a device in your car to wirelessly pay the tolls from your pre-paid account. Did you know that divorce lawyers use these records in efforts to prove infidelity or that govt agencies use these to prove cases of misuse of govt vehicles? These are also used to monitor traffic flow and to change the traffic patterns to improve it.

Parents can buy Black Boxes to monitor their kids' driving behaviors and can install chips in their cell phones to monitor both location and whether they are using them while driving.

As far as the bribing of politicians I dare say you may have read one too many fiction novel.

 

[New Englander]

While everyone takes this opportunity to bash UPS management and technology, let me provide some facts:

Telematics
Telematics sites show safety improvements, reduced automotive expense, and less road calls.

There have been small performance gains, very few disciplinary actions taken and one termination that I'm aware of.

Its saving UPS money in Automotive and so far allowing supervisors to move to a "virtual OJS" therefore reducing their time.

As Sober said, its not 100% accurate and if a supervisor should NOT discipline anyone based on those areas of inaccuracy.

All in all its an outstanding system and more advancements and improvements will come.

PAS
PAS sites show substantial service improvements, visibility improvements, and miles reduction. PAS has been measured and has shown that overall miles have been reduced by 30 million per year.

A relatively large percent of sites (maybe 30%) have not seen the gains as the others. From my experience, this is mostly due to poor management. They leave inaccurate information in the system and this causes packages to be either on the wrong car, wrong place in trace, or wrong place in the car.

These sites probably need to start over. The system is very easy to use but the user needs to understand dispatch concepts. Its kind of like giving a person Excel who doesn't know mathematic concepts. Good tool but poor outcome.

DIAD IV
It was revolutionary for its time. It started development about 7 years ago and was leading edge. The shift key was a necessity due to keeping the keys the size they are and reducing the size of the unit.

Maybe they should have made the keys smaller? I saw a picture of a DIAD IV with smaller keys and no shift key. From what I've seen the shift key, although a nuisance is not really that big a problem. 95% of our drivers are on EDD. They key much less than before EDD.

That leaves the key entry to be mostly in signature clarify (which is all alpha), and text messages. I teach drivers to use the it like a shift key instead of a toggle. It seems to be less of a problem

I think the signature key is the bigger problem. Maybe they should make you have to double click it or change something else in software to fix it.

BTW, from what I've seen, DIAD V won't have a shift key and will be smaller than a DIAD IV. The keys will be smaller. I hope that won't cause a new set of complaints.

My point is that UPS technology is not perfect. No technology is. UPS technology however goes through tremendous scrutiny before its built and deployed.

If someone tells you something is a "silver bullet", don't believe them. If someone tells you that technology is being deployed for ego or career purposes, don't believe them either.

Everything is a balance. Not all good or bad. If someone tells you otherwise, they have an agenda.

P-Man

That signature key sticks out like a sore thumb on a commercial route. I fail to see how if this diad had real world testing it would or could have stayed that way.

 

[pretzel_man]

That signature key sticks out like a sore thumb on a commercial route. I fail to see how if this diad had real world testing it would or could have stayed that way.

500 drivers tested the DIAD IV for over a year. They were in multiple districts.

I'm sure someone knows more about that testing than me..