Then and Now

vantexan

Well-Known Member
We talk a lot about what fair compensation is for couriers. Let's look at what was expected years ago. When I started we drove 700's or Econolines. Today it's primarily Sprinters. Some drove motorhome sized 900's too, there was that much freight. Score for the past courier.

We did a lot more writing back then. Wrote down pickups, filled out paper delivery manifests, filled out airbills, wrote down numbers at the end of the day. Score for the past courier.

We had to go to our trucks to check for on calls on DADS, use payphones to call customers and station, much more difficult to stay in touch. Score another for the past courier.

We had to carry a SRG book, be familiar with International and Dangerous Goods(more so than today). Again, tougher job for the past courier.

Filling out airbills, using MPS labels, no meter pkgs, etc much more time spent than today, required more couriers to get work done. One more for the past courier.

We handled much more box freight on average. Ground handles a large % of that today. Much harder on past couriers.

Fact is the job is no longer as demanding. A new courier today doesn't need to know his and surrounding rts on the sort. Just looks at a number. So do today's new couriers need UPS wages? Not really, but there was a time when you could make a strong case for much better pay based on what was required of us. Times change, technology improves. Read today that many retail companies are looking to get rid of cashiers and go to a mobile scanning device to get people quickly through lines. The bottom line is poor humans are becoming obsolete. I can accept, Dano, that it's a different world, I just don't accept the cutthroat way faithful employees are lied to, taken advantage of, and discarded. Absolutely nothing to be proud of.
 

thedownhillEXPRESS

Well-Known Member
We talk a lot about what fair compensation is for couriers. Let's look at what was expected years ago. When I started we drove 700's or Econolines. Today it's primarily Sprinters. Some drove motorhome sized 900's too, there was that much freight. Score for the past courier.

We did a lot more writing back then. Wrote down pickups, filled out paper delivery manifests, filled out airbills, wr
ote down numbers at the end of the day. Score for the past courier.

We had to go to our trucks to check for on calls on DADS, use payphones to call customers and station, much more difficult to stay in touch. Score another for the past courier.

We had to carry a SRG book, be familiar with International and Dangerous Goods(more so than today). Again, tougher job for the past courier.

Filling out airbills, using MPS labels, no meter pkgs, etc much more time spent than today, required more couriers to get work done. One more for the past courier.

We handled much more box freight on average. Ground handles a large % of that today. Much harder on past couriers.

Fact is the job is no longer as demanding. A new courier today doesn't need to know his and surrounding rts on the sort. Just looks at a number. So do today's new couriers need UPS wages? Not really, but there was a time when you could make a strong case for much better pay based on what was required of us. Times change, technology improves. Read today that many retail companies are looking to get rid of cashiers and go to a mobile scanning device to get people quickly through lines. The bottom line is poor humans are becoming obsolete. I can accept, Dano, that it's a different world, I just don't accept the cutthroat way faithful employees are lied to, taken advantage of, and discarded. Absolutely nothing to be proud of.

So what, just lay down and surrender becoming an indentured servant to the rich?
Keep voting in anti-union republican politicians.
More wealth exists now then ever has, its just in the hands of fewer.
That technology sure has made the rich's jobs easier, but their compensation has skyrocketed.
The difference has been the last few decades conservative push to eliminate unions.
 

vantexan

Well-Known Member
So what, just lay down and surrender becoming an indentured servant to the rich?
Keep voting in anti-union republican politicians.
More wealth exists now then ever has, its just in the hands of fewer.
That technology sure has made the rich's jobs easier, but their compensation has skyrocketed.
The difference has been the last few decades conservative push to eliminate unions.

You are an indentured servant of the rich, you just don't know it. Break away and start your own company, servicing, you guessed it, the rich.
 

DontThrowPackages

Well-Known Member
To be totally honest, the job isn't as taxing on the body as in the past. I remember having to swim over boxes to get off my first 3 P1 stops. If you can remember the bugs bunny episode when Yosemite Sam was cramming all that dynamite in the hole? That was may truck everyday for years. I love my rte now. Beautiful girls, great sport fans. However, as in a capitalistic country, big business company plans are all about pay out as little as possible but just enough to keep the worker coming back. I just don't know how can the country sustain this pay imbalance.In 1965, CEO vs average worker was 24 to 1. In 2005 CEO paid 262 times more than the average worker. Its their company, they take the risk but as we can see the rubber ban has snapped for many Americans. Maybe next 10 even more will be be jobless. Time will tell.
 

Goldilocks

Well-Known Member
To be totally honest, the job isn't as taxing on the body as in the past. I remember having to swim over boxes to get off my first 3 P1 stops. If you can remember the bugs bunny episode when Yosemite Sam was cramming all that dynamite in the hole? That was may truck everyday for years. I love my rte now. Beautiful girls, great sport fans. However, as in a capitalistic country, big business company plans are all about pay out as little as possible but just enough to keep the worker coming back. I just don't know how can the country sustain this pay imbalance.In 1965, CEO vs average worker was 24 to 1. In 2005 CEO paid 262 times more than the average worker. Its their company, they take the risk but as we can see the rubber ban has snapped for many Americans. Maybe next 10 even more will be be jobless. Time will tell.

Thats for sure, we had a lot more frieght back then. I remember once jumpseating to Indy (when it was first build) working the sort(sorting our box freight for the apparel mart shows) jump seat back, work the sort at my station then on the road for 9 hours. Loved that OT back then.

Yes, Fedex is now known as one of the Golden Handcuff Companies
 

whenIgetthere

Well-Known Member
Thats for sure, we had a lot more frieght back then. I remember once jumpseating to Indy (when it was first build) working the sort(sorting our box freight for the apparel mart shows) jump seat back, work the sort at my station then on the road for 9 hours. Loved that OT back then.

Yes, Fedex is now known as one of the Golden Handcuff Companies

Back then, it was all about doing the right thing for the customer (known elsewhere in the business world as customer service), now, it's all about profit, customer be damned in the eyes of MEM.
 

FedUpRTD

Well-Known Member
Thats for sure, we had a lot more frieght back then. I remember once jumpseating to Indy (when it was first build) working the sort(sorting our box freight for the apparel mart shows) jump seat back, work the sort at my station then on the road for 9 hours. Loved that OT back then.

Yes, Fedex is now known as one of the Golden Handcuff Companies

Apparel Mart? That was my last route as a courier. Those shows could be brutal sometimes.
 
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