Ugh -- Starting out as a driver is HARD!

FarmerJoe

Member
Man, ON my 5th day out driving solo. The last two days they have upped my stops count majorly -- Did not get in last night until 9pm.

Realize I'm still not going fast enough. Got the commercial part of my route down.

Out of the building yester by 9:20 -- Had all airs delivered by 10:10. (11 stops spread out) Then worked on commercial deliveries --32 stops -- 150 packages -- done by 1:00 -- worked on 70 resi stops until 3pm (got about 30 done) when I have to start my pickups run for businesses. Then finished my last 40 resi stops. I was slow because of darkness and not knowing the area at all. SOOOOO many dead-ends, cul-de-sacs and non-through streets.

Just a vent before I go back into today and try to do better -- Have to get better at the RESI stops.
 

Mr.Blonde

Only way outs inna box
Man, ON my 5th day out driving solo. The last two days they have upped my stops count majorly -- Did not get in last night until 9pm.

Realize I'm still not going fast enough. Got the commercial part of my route down.

Out of the building yester by 9:20 -- Had all airs delivered by 10:10. (11 stops spread out) Then worked on commercial deliveries --32 stops -- 150 packages -- done by 1:00 -- worked on 70 resi stops until 3pm (got about 30 done) when I have to start my pickups run for businesses. Then finished my last 40 resi stops. I was slow because of darkness and not knowing the area at all. SOOOOO many dead-ends, cul-de-sacs and non-through streets.

Just a vent before I go back into today and try to do better -- Have to get better at the RESI stops.

What time do you start your pick ups? And how many?
 

Nine5

Well-Known Member
Man, ON my 5th day out driving solo. The last two days they have upped my stops count majorly -- Did not get in last night until 9pm.

Realize I'm still not going fast enough. Got the commercial part of my route down.

Out of the building yester by 9:20 -- Had all airs delivered by 10:10. (11 stops spread out) Then worked on commercial deliveries --32 stops -- 150 packages -- done by 1:00 -- worked on 70 resi stops until 3pm (got about 30 done) when I have to start my pickups run for businesses. Then finished my last 40 resi stops. I was slow because of darkness and not knowing the area at all. SOOOOO many dead-ends, cul-de-sacs and non-through streets.

Just a vent before I go back into today and try to do better -- Have to get better at the RESI stops.
Only day 5 bro....take your time you’ve come this far.
Pretty soon those 30 that took you 2hrs will take you an hour, hang in there!
 

Mr.Blonde

Only way outs inna box
Try writing addresses or just the address number if your selection time is off. You can shave time on your pick ups by calling them. Only ones that are a bank or something that doesn’t have bulk.
 

Coldworld

60 months and counting
Try writing addresses or just the address number if your selection time is off. You can shave time on your pick ups by calling them. Only ones that are a bank or something that doesn’t have bulk.
Bad idea about calling pickups..... they pay for you to come by every day... you runners need to stop doing this....BS
 

Coldworld

60 months and counting
Man, ON my 5th day out driving solo. The last two days they have upped my stops count majorly -- Did not get in last night until 9pm.

Realize I'm still not going fast enough. Got the commercial part of my route down.

Out of the building yester by 9:20 -- Had all airs delivered by 10:10. (11 stops spread out) Then worked on commercial deliveries --32 stops -- 150 packages -- done by 1:00 -- worked on 70 resi stops until 3pm (got about 30 done) when I have to start my pickups run for businesses. Then finished my last 40 resi stops. I was slow because of darkness and not knowing the area at all. SOOOOO many dead-ends, cul-de-sacs and non-through streets.

Just a vent before I go back into today and try to do better -- Have to get better at the RESI stops.
Understand this now.... no matter how much or how fast you deliver it will never be good enough... your safety is totally your responsibility..... they don’t care about your safety....
 

FarmerJoe

Member
Try writing addresses or just the address number if your selection time is off. You can shave time on your pick ups by calling them. Only ones that are a bank or something that doesn’t have bulk.
Selection time is definitely off -- finding packages quickly in the back of that car is a trick!
 

Mr.Blonde

Only way outs inna box
Selection time is definitely off -- finding packages quickly in the back of that car is a trick!

Ya I suggest writing addresses and or just the numbers on the packages especially ones on the floor. If you dont mind and youre not in the loaders way try going in during the last 30min of preload and sort the 1000 2000 3000 shelf by writing the addresses. After air go through it a little more for like 10-15 min. Abbreviate the street names too.
 
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trickpony1

Well-Known Member
Then worked on commercial deliveries --32 stops -- 150 packages -- done by 1:00 -- worked on 70 resi stops until 3pm (got about 30 done) when I have to start my pickups run for businesses. Then finished my last 40 resi stops./QUOTE]

I'll suggest this again...
Take a healthy lunch with you, after your morning commits...find a safe place to park and punch meal. While eating your lunch, sort your truck, set up stops for the rest of the day and collect your thoughts.

You would be surprised what you can accomplish during this 30 minute lunch. Based on your post I would suggest taking your 30 minute lunch sometime prior to making pickups.

Don't miss any morning commits;
DO NOT deliver on meal and;
after you qualify, don't do any work on meal.

Good luck.
 

The Real Jack RyanMI6

Well-Known Member
First off this is the advice i was given and it has and continues to be the foundation of my days
1. Be a student of the methods, and follow them faithfully. In time the will become automatic.
2. One stop! That all just one stop. Worry only about using your methods to get from where you are to where you need to be safely. Then focus on delivery of the right boxes, the correct number of said boxes, to the correct location undamaged.
3 rinse and repeat untill trucks empty.

Look this job isnt and will never be easy from several viewpoints. It has its good days, however at least once a month and in truth more like once a week you'll be tempted to quit, put the fob in the back and walk.
DONT
Just kno its another day in brown and focus on just the next stop and you'll be ok.
Thats been my experience for whats its worth.
 

Benben

Working on a new degree, Masters in BS Detecting!
FarmerJoe......go drive your area 4+ times this weekend in your personal car. After each time pull out a map and look at the streets. Remember, you make up time in the residential sections of the route. Once you get the area down you'll do much better.

Next week concentrate on trying to limit the amount of time you spend in the back of the truck. You lose time behind the bulkhead.
 

Mr.Blonde

Only way outs inna box
Bad idea about calling pickups..... they pay for you to come by every day... you runners need to stop doing this....BS

They pay for our service,no where did I say to not provide it. If there are places that are not consistent with out going it saves time. Thats your prerogative if you want to squeeze every second out of this company. This person needs help, probably to make scratch.

How long have you been a driver?
 

Mr.Blonde

Only way outs inna box
...and when you're told on the phone "...we aren't shipping..." when, in fact, they are...guess what?

Missed pick up.

Communication amongst coworkers in a small business like a bank is pretty straightforward. So finding out if anyone has out going doesn’t take that long.
 

Coldworld

60 months and counting
They pay for our service,no where did I say to not provide it. If there are places that are not consistent with out going it saves time. Thats your prerogative if you want to squeeze every second out of this company. This person needs help, probably to make scratch.

How long have you been a driver?
You are giving him wrong info about this... everyone who is on here will agree with me... I am a 25+ year employee and I never called customers but some of my heaviest pickups had my number.... calling pickups is a newbie thing ....
 

Coldworld

60 months and counting
FarmerJoe......go drive your area 4+ times this weekend in your personal car. After each time pull out a map and look at the streets. Remember, you make up time in the residential sections of the route. Once you get the area down you'll do much better.

Next week concentrate on trying to limit the amount of time you spend in the back of the truck. You lose time behind the bulkhead.
They just do t give you the proper amount of time in the cab....it’s a fricken joke...
 

Coldworld

60 months and counting
Selection time is definitely off -- finding packages quickly in the back of that car is a trick!
It’s a joke... the loads suck but they want a pkg out in 7 seconds .... ridiculous....you are pretty much swimming upstream when you are trying to qualify...don’t listen to these guys on here trying to give you bad info... just do your best...
 
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