AKCoverMan
Well-Known Member
Well once upon a time they did. You are talking about The Buckner Building which was basically a community under one roof back when Whitier was a Cold War military base. The building is abandoned now.
UPS North: Driving a package car in The Last Frontier
- Thread starter AKCoverMan
- Start date
AKCoverMan
Well-Known Member
Big Arrow Down...D
Leave the gun,take the cannoli
I've noticed a lot of the reality shows are now coming from Alaska and homestead living it's pretty interesting tho...
Think it may very well have been Ketchikan. Thanks.
AKCoverMan
Well-Known Member
Lol no we have no UPSers in Nome. I've delivered to some other Alaska "Reality" TV folks.
Not much of a fan of the many Alaska "Reality" TV shows except for Alaska State Troopers..it's fun to see if they are busting houses that I recognize from routes I cover.
AKCoverMan
Well-Known Member
No.
And I've been to the Palin's house. You can't see Russia from their back yard even on a clear day.
AKCoverMan
Well-Known Member
I think they have a two car plan.
rod
Retired 22 years
They just don't seem to show that on tv and everyone I know who has been to Alaska has commented on the junky yards.
rod
Retired 22 years
rod
Retired 22 years
soberups
Pees in the brown Koolaid
7 paragraphs, it only took me a couple of minutes to read. I find the topic fascinating and I am looking forward to hearing more about what its like to do our job in Alaska!
AKCoverMan
Well-Known Member
AKCoverMan
Well-Known Member
Oh trust me I have delivered to properties where I wasn't sure which pile of junk was actually the residence.
AKCoverMan
Well-Known Member
Alaska Feeders: It's not a long seniority list
While most of UPS volume moves in the lower 48 via the ground system, here we simply don't have the have the highways.
We currently have four feeder jobs in Alaska and they all operate five days a week.
The route between Anchorage and Fairbanks accounts for the first two jobs. A driver at each end takes off every evening about 2300, usually pulling doubles. (There are no triples allowed in Alaska.). These two drivers meet at a midway point where they exchange rigs, and come back to their home town arriving about 0700. Probably the best two jobs in the state, no loading just show up hook up, turn around, drop off, go home. But I would hate being on overnights forever.
There is another route from Anchorage to the Kenai center. This is run by one Anchorage driver who leaves about 0330, gets to Kenai and helps with unloading and reloading then comes back to Anchorage about noon. It's a bit over three hours each way.
The final and newest run is a local feeder run from Anchorage to the satellite building in Wasilla. He unloads the feeder on to rollers while the satellite drivers load their own cars, then come back with clerk items and pickups from the previous day. During parts of fishing season this job also picks up a trailer of NDA fish from a large seafood shipper here in Anchorage.
Besides these four bid jobs we have a couple of package car drivers who are feeder qualified and will be pulled of package to cover vacations etc.
The center manager of the Anchorage Center wears Alaska Feeder Manager as a "second hat".
While most of UPS volume moves in the lower 48 via the ground system, here we simply don't have the have the highways.
We currently have four feeder jobs in Alaska and they all operate five days a week.
The route between Anchorage and Fairbanks accounts for the first two jobs. A driver at each end takes off every evening about 2300, usually pulling doubles. (There are no triples allowed in Alaska.). These two drivers meet at a midway point where they exchange rigs, and come back to their home town arriving about 0700. Probably the best two jobs in the state, no loading just show up hook up, turn around, drop off, go home. But I would hate being on overnights forever.
There is another route from Anchorage to the Kenai center. This is run by one Anchorage driver who leaves about 0330, gets to Kenai and helps with unloading and reloading then comes back to Anchorage about noon. It's a bit over three hours each way.
The final and newest run is a local feeder run from Anchorage to the satellite building in Wasilla. He unloads the feeder on to rollers while the satellite drivers load their own cars, then come back with clerk items and pickups from the previous day. During parts of fishing season this job also picks up a trailer of NDA fish from a large seafood shipper here in Anchorage.
Besides these four bid jobs we have a couple of package car drivers who are feeder qualified and will be pulled of package to cover vacations etc.
The center manager of the Anchorage Center wears Alaska Feeder Manager as a "second hat".
HardknocksUPSer
Well-Known Member
How long does it take to become a FT driver in Alaska? Is it a job that's sought after or not really?
AKCoverMan
Well-Known Member
I started almost eleven years ago as a PT air ramp worker (as I mentioned we have a large air operation here). I started Saturday air driving and utility work within six months and was full time about nine months after that.
There were a few years where we had no retirements and no new staff added, around the time of the last recession. However last couple years have seen growth. We had a number of people come in and work PT a very short time before going driving.
It seems currently we are not having trouble filling driver spots but we don't have a years long list of PTs waiting to drive like some areas reportedly do.
The smaller buildings are harder since you're basically waiting for a driver to retire.
HardknocksUPSer
Well-Known Member
Thanks for a great reply, that's awesome, I figured some of the areas really do take a long time to go FT, I would think that UPS would be a very very good income for someone living in Alaska. Thanks again.
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