what are these? (in the PC)

[E-racer]

 

[Jackburton]

On average, they cut production by 2/3rds.

Fixed it for you.

 

[jibbs]

it is for the new system going in. We just got it, preloaders now have to scan their packages and those things tell you if ur in the right truck. Today was the first day I used them, you get a belt with the scanner right in the middle that hangs down to ur nuts.

Worst thing to happen to preload ever in my center. The only way it runs smoothly is if we're given extra time to load (earlier start times) or less volume per worker, which they assured us both would happen and I can assure you that neither have.

I'm assuming it runs identically in every center, so here's a free tip that works for me:

Drop the belt and manually scan the barcode in the truck when you walk in/out with a package. Yeah, you have to scan twice per trip but that belt is the most irritating thing ever (it's also faster, for some reason?)

Picking up the sensors to trucks you're not even in after you've scanned a package, then going off like a fire alarm when you haven't even walked into a damn truck yet-- let alone misloaded... aggghhhhh, I hate the sound of those beeps, I swear to God I do.



Also, don't let your scanner and the belt get too far away from each other... when they disconnect the sound will annoy every living soul on the belt until you come back.

Sometimes, when you have a heavy flow coming down the belt, you'll hear the trademark BOING sound from the scanner meaning the battery is dead or the scanner battery pack disconnected.

"Sometimes?"

That BOING sound goes off around 7am like once every three days for me, lol. It's chill, though, because we've been instructed not to load without scanning so I get to smoke a cigarette while the supe' runs to find a new scanner/battery/belt/velcro strap/finger guard/whatever else I can possibly think of to refuse a scanner.




But now, though? Now it's even worse. Scanners were introduced in my center around October/November last year, and the crayon/PAL label method phased out. No joke, today we get a new manager and now we're instructed to scan, write, and peel labels.

Work as directed, right? I'm only left to wonder how long the new guy lasts, because today was a peak-worthy -show that I never thought I'd escape from.

 

[Brisket]

first time seeing this... i assume its for preload but does anyone know exactly what they are/do?

They have them in the vans here, haven't done a mall route but just saw them last week.

 

[dudebro]

Fixed it for you.

In reality, its a couple pph on a preload. compare that to the cost of the driver going a mile to a meet point and waiting for another to do the same, is worth it. The ones that are in, also save us up to 9000 ticked off customers a week.

 

[dudebro]

Worst thing to happen to preload ever in my center. The only way it runs smoothly is if we're given extra time to load (earlier start times) or less volume per worker, which they assured us both would happen and I can assure you that neither have.

I'm assuming it runs identically in every center, so here's a free tip that works for me:

Drop the belt and manually scan the barcode in the truck when you walk in/out with a package. Yeah, you have to scan twice per trip but that belt is the most irritating thing ever (it's also faster, for some reason?)

Picking up the sensors to trucks you're not even in after you've scanned a package, then going off like a fire alarm when you haven't even walked into a damn truck yet-- let alone misloaded... aggghhhhh, I hate the sound of those beeps, I swear to God I do.



Also, don't let your scanner and the belt get too far away from each other... when they disconnect the sound will annoy every living soul on the belt until you come back.





"Sometimes?"

That BOING sound goes off around 7am like once every three days for me, lol. It's chill, though, because we've been instructed not to load without scanning so I get to smoke a cigarette while the supe' runs to find a new scanner/battery/belt/velcro strap/finger guard/whatever else I can possibly think of to refuse a scanner.




But now, though? Now it's even worse. Scanners were introduced in my center around October/November last year, and the crayon/PAL label method phased out. No joke, today we get a new manager and now we're instructed to scan, write, and peel labels.

Work as directed, right? I'm only left to wonder how long the new guy lasts, because today was a peak-worthy -show that I never thought I'd escape from.

Through most of this post, you are your own worst enemy. You take the belt off, then have disassociation issues because you're wandering around with the imager. it also requires more battery to maintain the connection because you think you're smarter than the methods, so the scanner dies.

I'm with you on writing and peeling labels though. If I was the manager I'd stop that.

 

[jibbs]

Through most of this post, you are your own worst enemy. You take the belt off, then have disassociation issues because you're wandering around with the imager. it also requires more battery to maintain the connection because you think you're smarter than the methods, so the scanner dies.

I'm with you on writing and peeling labels though. If I was the manager I'd stop that.

My own worst enemy?

Wandering around?

::sigh::

Considering production has been down ever since scanning has been introduced, and things've gotten worse with every new method/manager to "fix the problems...." I don't think I'm more "intelligent" than the methods, I'm more efficient than the (new) methods allow me to be. That doesn't stop me from working as directed, it just encourages me to learn to be just as efficient with these new methods as I was with the old.

As far as the belt/imager situation... You take the belt off and you stay at your pull-- no disconnection issue. You take the belt off and go take a ? You're gonna probably disconnect depending on where you're located with regard to the nearest bathroom. That's the kind of separation I was referring to, not wandering around on the clock and stealing time.

 

[jibbs]

Also, I'd like to point out that those belts + physical strain of preload= the perfect recipe for hemorrhoids


THAT honestly was the main reason I was so determined to work without the belt, and as a result I found physically doing the scanner's job instead of waiting on the beeps to be faster than letting the belt pick up on the nearest sensor to clear the package.

It also allows me know instantly whether I'm going in the right truck, whereas with the belt you're probably not going to know you misloaded until you've already walked out of the truck and started focusing on the next stack of packages, causing you to put everything on hold until you go back in the truck and find the package that you last loaded, which in turn causes you to miss packages, which in turn causes the end of the belt to get ed, which in turn causes the people right before the end of the belt to get ed, which in turn...


Dude, seriously. The scanners are simply a nuisance and today I learned that it's possible to have a misload despite having 100% scans, because 100% doesn't mean 100%, it means the average of your 4 trucks' scan-rates round up to 100%.

Honestly, I think most PT supe's just don't know what they're talking about and get the words messed up when they parrot whatever it is their boss has instructed them to do.

 

[Jackburton]

In reality, its a couple pph on a preload. compare that to the cost of the driver going a mile to a meet point and waiting for another to do the same, is worth it. The ones that are in, also save us up to 9000 ticked off customers a week.

We were one of the first buildings that this was implemented in. In reality it's now referred to as "it's more important to achieve scan status than load the packages". It's also giving a false positive while you scan packages outside the truck in piles, going back and forth to different barcodes. Once you make piles of packages for different trucks you load like usual. This also doesn't include a dedicated employee going around just scanning packages, not loading them, all along the belt.

Much like every system at UPS, numbers are all that matter, achieving those results is up to the management in charge. Coming up with creative ways to achieve results is what you pay them to do, and they do it well.

Just FYI, this isn't anecdotal, it's real life how the system is being used.

 

[Brownisthenewblack]

UPS has dumbed the preload job down to where anyone can do it. Except no one wants to at $10/hr.

That sucks. My preload starts at $11 an hour.

 

[LeaveIt2Griever]

That sucks. My preload starts at $11 an hour.

$13 an hour here. Still not enough.

 

[jibbs]

mother ERS i started at 9.50 an hour

currently at 13.90/hr and yeah... I still feel like it's not enough, though it's damn decent for PT work it's all relative. I guess that's that entitlement in me though, huh...

idk, though, I definitely can't complain about the benefits, and the reasons I haven't moved up are all on me so, as far as I'm concerned, it just is what it is.

 

[PT Car Washer]

mother ERS i started at 9.50 an hour

currently at 13.90/hr and yeah... I still feel like it's not enough, though it's damn decent for PT work it's all relative. I guess that's that entitlement in me though, huh...

idk, though, I definitely can't complain about the benefits, and the reasons I haven't moved up are all on me so, as far as I'm concerned, it just is what it is.

PTers at UPS work harder for 3 1/2 to 4 hours then most 8 hour FT jobs outside of UPS.

 

[jibbs]

PTers at UPS work harder for 3 1/2 to 4 hours then most 8 hour FT jobs outside of UPS.

I could see myself standing behind that statement.

I did oil changes and tire rotations and other minor maintenance services before I worked here. Weighed 157lbs when I started preload in 2012...

...I don't think I've broken past 130lbs since some time in 2014, and lately I'm between 120-130, and I eat a ton of food and two double-scoops of protein powder a day. So yeah, if you keep movin' on the preload it's a definite paid workout every single weekday.

Wears the body down after a while, though. I think I've got arthritis in my left knee and hip, just developed a few weeks ago with no signs of going away.

But hey, that's why my insurance is essentially free.