The bad roads,

[Schlepper]

Mostly for you rural area guys and gals out there, do you encounter any extremely bad roads on your route that you have to service? My route covers a pretty large zip that encompasses a great deal of rural area. These roads are unpaved, sometimes barely van-width, rutted, washed-out, washboarded, steep, and impassable in the rain. I have one road on the route that turns into 3 or 4 inches of soft mud any time it rains making it impossible to deliver. I'm curious to see what others out there encounter in terms of unfit, non-county-maintained roads. The ones where there are 20 battered, unlabeled mailboxes at the end of the road, and it's a roll of the dice every time you have a stop down one.

 

[SmithBarney]

we have a guy who seems to get stuck weekly in the sandy soil... our swings never get stuck.

Time to start getting creative delivering, ask FX for a cell phone so you can call customers to meet you.

 

[LTFedExer]

Down south I had to deal with red clay. When it got wet, it was so slippery, you could easily slide into the ditch. I had the ok from my manager to Dex any packages that I couldn't attempt due to dangerous road conditions. I used to call some regular delivery customers and let them know where I'll be at certain times so they can meet me.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Down south I had to deal with red clay. When it got wet, it was so slippery, you could easily slide into the ditch. I had the ok from my manager to Dex any packages that I couldn't attempt due to dangerous road conditions. I used to call some regular delivery customers and let them know where I'll be at certain times so they can meet me.

Did you ever get mud in your tires?

Mud In Your Tires - YouTube

 

[HomeDelivery]

as a swing driver, if i can't find alternate roads that are paved during those rainstorms... i'll have to code it as a weather delay & let the regular driver deal with it when he returns.

 

[whenIgetthere]

I have roads which are impassible when it hasn't rained for a while, the dirt turns to sand, worse than driving on the beach. When it rains, it firms the roads up again for a couple of months.

 

[Schlepper]

Is weather coding at the driver's discretion at Express? I tried to code 82 a stop once because the road was completely washed out, got a call 10 minutes later telling me that "code 82 was not in effect that day" and it needed to be changed.

 

[whenIgetthere]

Is weather coding at the driver's discretion at Express? I tried to code 82 a stop once because the road was completely washed out, got a call 10 minutes later telling me that "code 82 was not in effect that day" and it needed to be changed.

My station anything like DEX 84 etc. requires calling the manager first.

 

[LTFedExer]

Did you ever get mud in your tires?

Mud In Your Tires - YouTube

Great movie.

Is weather coding at the driver's discretion at Express? I tried to code 82 a stop once because the road was completely washed out, got a call 10 minutes later telling me that "code 82 was not in effect that day" and it needed to be changed.

Typically..no. FedEx won't let you do anything 'at your discretion'. I was able to tell my manager I MIGHT not be able to get to certain stops because of 'unsafe road conditions' while still in the station.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

We are allowed to use EC at our discretion.

Some drivers use it more than others.

 

[Mr. 7]

What's EC?

 

[SmithBarney]

Emergency Conditions
Early Commit
Eager Commie
Eye Chart

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Emergency Conditions

It is supposed to be used only for those addresses that cannot be accessed due to weather related issues.

There are some mgt teams who use it as a dispatch tool.

There are some drivers who use it for their personal convenience.

 

[59 Dano]

Down south I had to deal with red clay. When it got wet, it was so slippery, you could easily slide into the ditch. I had the ok from my manager to Dex any packages that I couldn't attempt due to dangerous road conditions. I used to call some regular delivery customers and let them know where I'll be at certain times so they can meet me.

Red clay is the work of the devil. Stop me if you've heard this one before.. Red clay with just enough gravel to make it look passable and you don't realize that it's not passable until about 5 seconds too late or until you try to make it back up that hill.

 

[Knownuthin]

we have a guy who seems to get stuck weekly in the sandy soil... our swings never get stuck.

Time to start getting creative delivering, ask FX for a cell phone so you can call customers to meet you.

My feeling as well --"Time to start getting creative delivering, ask FX for a cell phone so you can call customers to meet you".
Currently - trying to contact FedEx or UPS with a means to assist a driver with delivery when roads are bad. There is no way to ask a driver to call or text you to meet them in a safe place to allow transfer of shipments. Delivery instructions are canned and "leave at the front door" is a joke when roads will prevent the driver from getting to the delivery point in the first place. Drivers need to pressure FedEx to add a "Contact for Delivery Assistance" memo.

I have a 3/4 mile long driveway (winter needs 4 wheel drive for safe access) and can find no way to notify the driver that I will assist them by meeting at the driveway entrance when the driveway is bad. A text or phone call when 15 minutes away would allow me time to be there waiting but I'm not going to sit there from sun-up until the notice's "delivery will be before 8 pm", waiting for the truck to pass by.

I don't fault the driver for non delivery but DO BLAME FedEx and UPS for not letting the public help/assist their drivers.

 

[Jkloc420]

@IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U loves to take a roll in the mud

 

[Operational needs]

My feeling as well --"Time to start getting creative delivering, ask FX for a cell phone so you can call customers to meet you".
Currently - trying to contact FedEx or UPS with a means to assist a driver with delivery when roads are bad. There is no way to ask a driver to call or text you to meet them in a safe place to allow transfer of shipments. Delivery instructions are canned and "leave at the front door" is a joke when roads will prevent the driver from getting to the delivery point in the first place. Drivers need to pressure FedEx to add a "Contact for Delivery Assistance" memo.

I have a 3/4 mile long driveway (winter needs 4 wheel drive for safe access) and can find no way to notify the driver that I will assist them by meeting at the driveway entrance when the driveway is bad. A text or phone call when 15 minutes away would allow me time to be there waiting but I'm not going to sit there from sun-up until the notice's "delivery will be before 8 pm", waiting for the truck to pass by.

I don't fault the driver for non delivery but DO BLAME FedEx and UPS for not letting the public help/assist their drivers.

You sound like a customer. Why would you join this site to only post a stupid comment? There is no way the average courier would call you 15 minutes before delivery. Ain’t nobody got time for that, plus, Fedex sure isn’t going to provide phones. Keep dreaming. Also, any courier with 3/4+ mile long driveways isn’t even thinking of driving down them in the snow. They’ll bag your package and leave it at the end of your driveway to avoid being stuck for hours.

 

[pkgdriver]

You sound like a customer. Why would you join this site to only post a stupid comment? There is no way the average courier would call you 15 minutes before delivery. Ain’t nobody got time for that, plus, Fedex sure isn’t going to provide phones. Keep dreaming. Also, any courier with 3/4+ mile long driveways isn’t even thinking of driving down them in the snow. They’ll bag your package and leave it at the end of your driveway to avoid being stuck for hours.

Settle Down

 

[Operational needs]

Settle Down

It cracks me up how customers think they’re the only delivery in a delivery driver’s day and it’s all about them.

 

[MyTripisCut]

My feeling as well --"Time to start getting creative delivering, ask FX for a cell phone so you can call customers to meet you".
Currently - trying to contact FedEx or UPS with a means to assist a driver with delivery when roads are bad. There is no way to ask a driver to call or text you to meet them in a safe place to allow transfer of shipments. Delivery instructions are canned and "leave at the front door" is a joke when roads will prevent the driver from getting to the delivery point in the first place. Drivers need to pressure FedEx to add a "Contact for Delivery Assistance" memo.

I have a 3/4 mile long driveway (winter needs 4 wheel drive for safe access) and can find no way to notify the driver that I will assist them by meeting at the driveway entrance when the driveway is bad. A text or phone call when 15 minutes away would allow me time to be there waiting but I'm not going to sit there from sun-up until the notice's "delivery will be before 8 pm", waiting for the truck to pass by.

I don't fault the driver for non delivery but DO BLAME FedEx and UPS for not letting the public help/assist their drivers.

Here’s how you can pitch in, go to the in store for your crap if you can’t wait for the delivery to be made safely.