UPSers that complain

toonertoo

Most Awesome Dog
Staff member
it is a great company, the pay is wonderful, the benefits are awesome.
I complain, because it is harder than it needs to be. Only a few operations are held to standards, and the dispatch and management are not among those. For every screw up in operations, we are expected to make it up. Back in the day on preload, we started at 330 or before, now they are starting the crew at 430am, and we dont leave the building til a half hour or more later than then, and still expected to "protect our air". It is just silliness in action.
We are expected to keep a certain amount of stops per on road hour, yet when we have a full 1/2 hr, in the building where we should have been on road, they change our time card to reflect on 15 minutes. We were loading and shi***ng and gitting to get our trucks loaded while they pay the preload and us to load the trucks instead of getting the logistics together and getting the trucks unloaded and us gone, they pay us both.
Its pretty disheartening, not to mention stressful, to try to fix it on the road.
This is my 29th peak. it has gotten worse, where it used to be fun, its now misery. But if you have the right mindset it is still a good job. Just know you are human, can only do so much, and while treated like a mechanical machine, you still need to break, take a lunch, drive defensively, and it will all work out.
Im not sorry I took it, Im just sorry it didnt continue to be fun and profitable. I think we got alot more done when we all worked together, instead of being treated like a micreant when you cant perform the impossible. And there is no way you can uderstand til you have done it. Try being a jumper/helper. You will see.
If you have a better option, take it.
 

jaker

trolling
When you think about everybody complains about their job

The sad part is with most company when all the employees start complaining they try to make a change , UPS pats themselves on the back and keeps making it worse

The really sad part is this happens in every hub and yet we still turn a huge profit , so don't think there will ever be a change

Thats logistics
 

Argize

Member
In this day and age I am blessed to have a job that pays very well; however with that being said, it's not the job it used to be. Now it's just a total number driven beast that has no regard for its' employees or their family life. I'm sure this isn't what our founder Jim Casey envisioned. The #1 complaint I hear is being overdispatched. Making money is great, but when you have to sacrifice family life for that, it becomes something very different. Internal family relationships suffer when dad is basically a stranger who comes in super late during the week. If you have a wife and kids who you don't like and they don't like you in return, well, this probably would be the perfect job for you.

And pertaining to our customers, we used to be so customer service oriented, but now if we even mention the customer once a month in our PCM, I'm shocked! That used to be our major advantage over Fed-Ex. Sometimes they were cheaper, but we offered better and faster service. Now the playing field has leveled out. Fed-ex has gotten better and even if we still might have a slight edge in service, in this economy so many shipping decisions are just now being made by, "what's the cheapest way to ship it?"

With routes always being cut out and stops being thrown on other drivers, customers don't know when to expect their deliveries. We have such a concern over the "pickup window", but total disregard is given to when our customers receive their deliveries. I remember when a dentist on my route used to schedule certain appointments for times just right after when he knew I would have been there with a pkg he needed for whatever procedure he was doing. I was almost like clockwork and he knew he could count on me being consistent with the delivery. Now that just doesn't float. Same thing with car dealerships waiting on a part for a repair job or anything of this nature.

I love my customers and really enjoy delivering to them. I'm an outdoors kind of guy so that's a plus too. I get paid well, that doesn't hurt my feelings either. But why do I do this job? .... for my family, they mean the world to me and there lies the imbalance of this crazy job, virtually no family time during the week. I've been doing this job for many, many years and it never has been anywhere near this extreme.

Just show us some love, give me back my turkey, safety award, or years of service award please. The economy went south so they tightened the belt and made the adjustment, but once they got the ball rolling again, all these "thank you pat on the back perks" are now just a distant fading memory. Something that would be even greater would be communication in our company from the top down to hear and address some of our concerns, working together as a team. But I know that's pipe dreaming, anything that is going to make UPS give up 1 red cent of profit just isn't going to happen nowadays.

So where does that leave us? It is what it is. If you're a new driver or thinking about becoming one, think long and hard about the pros and cons that we talk about on here. If you're a "finacially committed" driver who has been here for quite a while, well just keep on chugging, keep voicing your concerns and keep praying. By the same token, attitude is everything! I don't necessarily have to like being over dispatched in a package car day after day, but this is my life ticking by so I'm going to make the most of it and enjoy my customers and take a few moments throughout my day to call or text my loved ones letting them know how much I love them. After all, it truly is the little things of this nature that we do in life that can make a difference!
 
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bbsam

Moderator
Staff member
I'm glad I got fired. Really cleared things up for me as to finding out what's important in life. To me, Argize already has it figured out. Family, family, family.
 

bbsam

Moderator
Staff member
I've never made a secret of it. I chose drinking and drugs over my career at UPS. Part time 6 years, driver 2.
 

BSWALKS

Fugitive From Reality
I have been workin at ups for a little while now, and im still pretty darn happy. i really wanted to start at ups bc i wanted to make a career out of it. but every morning the drivers come in and they all stand around and talk about how much they hate their jobs and just keep complaining.. i mean, if they hate it that much why dont they quit?
is it REALLY that bad?
isnt the pay good in the long run? and the benefits worth it?

im just so curious... bc now im having second thoughts about starting my career here, and i was actually really excited about it, and now im just questioning it.

anyone have any input?

thanks!
Don't get cought up in all the bitching.
Just keep your head down & keep working.
Peace of mind is between the ears.
As far as the money, ya it makes it easier, but money isn't everything.
 

HubBub

Well-Known Member
Generally speaking, complaining about the job iss a way you can instantly find common ground with your co-workers and start a conversation. It also engenders an "us vs them" mentality. It's comforting in a way, that in the "us" we find that we are not alone, that there are others that can sympathize with our plight, and in the "them", there is a group of idiots that we are superior to.

It also shows that we aren't mindless drones, and a way of maintaining some level of individuality and dignity. It shows that we may carry out stupid directives, but that we know full well that they are stupid. We may work longer and harder than is necessary, but we don't do it blindly or happily.

In short, complaining is an important social skill and coping mechanism in the workforce, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you decide to only work a job where the employees don't complain, you'll probably end up living in a cardboard box instead of getting paid to move them around.
 

sosocal

Well-Known Member
I will say up front i am a manager so i obviously have a different perspective-- I have supervised and managed in many centers - Here is my general observation. Each center will have complainers and people that are very thankful to have the job and will rarely complain (and when THEY do I listen closely because they WILL have a good point). It is the ratio that is interesting. In general there is a correlation that somewhat is attributed to the management team, but that is not the dominant factor in my opinion. What I have noticed is this. Rural centers have a MUCH smaller percentage of complainers than metro centers (even the drivers with heavy stops and packages in town). There is also a strong correlation between the area's general quality of life and the quality of life that the driver position provides. For example, even though both metro and rural centers will still have a "complainer" ratio that is predictable - If those centers are in a depressed area (lower general quality of life) the ratio will be lower for both than comparable centers in high end populations. maybe it is white collar envy? staying up with the Jones'? or the difference in a pride factor of saying proudly to your neighbor you drive for UPS when they eek out a living with long hours in the factory...compared to telling your neighbor who is an attorney you work for UPS under your breath.

Getting of my sociology platform I will give this advise. You truly do choose your attitude... you might want to seek those that choose to enjoy life at UPS and cluster with them in the mornings instead of the circles in the back going on about how they were screwed again.
 

UPSmeoff

Well-Known Member
Getting of my sociology platform I will give this advise. You truly do choose your attitude... you might want to seek those that choose to enjoy life at UPS and cluster with them in the mornings instead of the circles in the back going on about how they were screwed again.

What kind of circles are there in management sosocal?
 

DS

Fenderbender
i didnt know people could be so rude just because im trying to ask some stuff.. geez
kmac,don't take it personal.About 33% of the people that frequent this site are dill headed winkertosses.
HubBub said it best.
It's kinda funny,even after 23 years I bitch and question the BS that emanates from above,
but there I am again the next day,trying to unravel a brand new tangled mess.
You gotta be strong to work here.
 

Catatonic

Nine Lives
What kind of circles are there in management sosocal?

The same kind of circles no matter where you are.
Most people I have met bitch about their jobs ... seems to be the normal thing.
Family
High School
College
Church
Work
Boy Scouts
Sports Teams
and so on and so on.

Everyone pretty much lives the same experience, it is what you make it.
No matter where you are, there are negative people ... whiners and bitchers and predictors of doom and gloom.
You can choose to spend time with them and feel bad about yourself and your situation.
Or you can choose to associate with people that have a positive attitude.

I would say that the majority of the people who come here do so to blow off steam and frustration.
That does not mean they are negative as some use it as a coping mechanism.
 

purplesky

Well-Known Member
I have been workin at ups for a little while now, and im still pretty darn happy. i really wanted to start at ups bc i wanted to make a career out of it. but every morning the drivers come in and they all stand around and talk about how much they hate their jobs and just keep complaining.. i mean, if they hate it that much why dont they quit?
is it REALLY that bad?
isnt the pay good in the long run? and the benefits worth it?

im just so curious... bc now im having second thoughts about starting my career here, and i was actually really excited about it, and now im just questioning it.

anyone have any input?

thanks!

Kid just run the hell away from UPS before you get sucked in. THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A SECOND. THIS IS A COMPANY THAT MAKES BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN PROFITS AND ITS WORKFORCE FEELS LIKE IT IS AT A FUNERAL! By the time you realize that you are stuck in the UPS CULTURE it will be too late! RUUUUUUUNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!:wink2: Allow your life to take a different path.
 

yeldarb

Well-Known Member
We have all been treated poorly at ups. I have been there 20 years. I enjoy my job and the challenges and the pay. Don't let anyone's attitude get you down. Your are your own master and if your doing the job the best you can, don't worry about it.
 
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