Whats up with the Preload?

[imgonpostl]

Is it just me or have the quality of the loads gone downhill since the implementation of PASS? My loader never uses any of the methods when loading my car. No numbers written on any of the pkgs. Pkgs never loaded in any kind of numerical order. Labels never facing forward on shelves , or up and out when on floor. Multiple pkg stops are never kept all together. I mark load as unexceptible on DIAD every night but apparently nobody reads those things. Is this happening all over. Anyone know how to fix the problem? Preloaders........ did training go out the window with PASS? HELP!!!!!!!!! Imgonpostl

 

[over9five]

It's the same as it always has been. I have an awesome preloader. Never have a misload with him. He uses his brain as well as reading the pals. Catches some crazy stuff.

BUT....... every once in a while, they'll switch all the preloaders around....... No-one knows why..... It's all very mysterious....... Secret squirrel stuff....

And I'll get a .......... least best preloader...... and my overtime drastically increases..........................................................................

 

[dontgetit]

Speak to you sup about production and how this is having a negative effect on it. To much time being spent re-sorting packages. Is the preload doing load quality audits if not request that this pre-loader be audited.

 

[The Blackadder]

I was talking to an guy in IE who was surprised that after the PASS system came into play that the preloader made a difference. He firgured anyone could move around and just load it by the numbers.

As always you have guys that care and think and guys who just load as fast as they can no thought into it.

I have talked about this with my sup. saying how does it make sense to save money on the preload but then pay me and the other drivers all the ot to fix what they screw up? No answer was forthcoming.

 

[evilleace]

Not only is most of the training gone the main reason is time when you run less routes which means higher piece counts for everyone. Combined with the fact that the unload is ran like crazy just to get done in 3 1/2 hrs. then the load quality is going to suffer. Especially if you have a newer preloader who feels pressured to get done to show his boss that he can keep up.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

The problem here isn't the preload. Its the dispatch. They are all over the place. When EDD was first implemented we had a few problems with on each route but after 3 years things have only gotten worse.

 

[over9five]

But if you have a guy or two that load perfectly, shouldn't they all be able to?

 

[evilleace]

But if you have a guy or two that load perfectly, shouldn't they all be able to?

Yes if the preloader will slow down and take the time that they need to put a good load in. Some are just better loaders than others but experience goes along way towards quality, and it also helps if you lad the same cars everyday and can learn the little quirks about each one.

 

[Shifting Contents]

When I was a preloader I Was trained by another preloader. Now they have cornerstone. As a laid off driver loading I understand a lot more of the "logfistics" of loads. How high you can stack before it falls, locking in bulks so they don't slide, facing labels (something I was not taught as a loader as I came in post PAS in my center) etc. etc.

My point is that they don't teach preloaders how to load. They depend too much on PAS. Much like a previous poster said the his IE guy stated. "Anyone should be able to load." But there are too many variables. My loads shift from day to day. A stop that is PAL'd to the 200 section gets blown out now and then. When it does I move it to RDR and move the RDRs to RDC on my own. No add cuts, no direction. I just do it. Experience and training matter. Leaving the pre loaders where they are and no moving them around also matters.

Also our unload is pushing out 8000 pph in a building built for 5500. We get creamed EVERYDAY. I haven't caught a bad slap in months because I have no time. I am never wrapped by start time and have to decide which of my drivers I like the least that day so I can choose which one has to driver wrap.

It's all about that damn effeciency number. Gotta get those stock prices up.

 

[hurricanegunner]

When I was a preloader I Was trained by another preloader. Now they have cornerstone. As a laid off driver loading I understand a lot more of the "logfistics" of loads. How high you can stack before it falls, locking in bulks so they don't slide, facing labels (something I was not taught as a loader as I came in post PAS in my center) etc. etc.

My point is that they don't teach preloaders how to load. They depend too much on PAS. Much like a previous poster said the his IE guy stated. "Anyone should be able to load." But there are too many variables. My loads shift from day to day. A stop that is PAL'd to the 200 section gets blown out now and then. When it does I move it to RDR and move the RDRs to RDC on my own. No add cuts, no direction. I just do it. Experience and training matter. Leaving the pre loaders where they are and no moving them around also matters.

Also our unload is pushing out 8000 pph in a building built for 5500. We get creamed EVERYDAY. I haven't caught a bad slap in months because I have no time. I am never wrapped by start time and have to decide which of my drivers I like the least that day so I can choose which one has to driver wrap.

It's all about that damn effeciency number. Gotta get those stock prices up.

Well said. Even with PAS/ED, the preloaders can be spread too thin. You reach a point where you just can't do any more than you're doing. I came in Monday and found the loader at the end of the belt trying to load 5 trucks. He said two other loaders were given the day off, and everyone else was stretched thin. There is no way anyone could handle 5 trucks that day, given the volume, even at the end of the belt. The misloads he had that day were not his fault.

 

[Random_Facts]

Is it just me or have the quality of the loads gone downhill since the implementation of PASS? My loader never uses any of the methods when loading my car. No numbers written on any of the pkgs. Pkgs never loaded in any kind of numerical order. Labels never facing forward on shelves , or up and out when on floor. Multiple pkg stops are never kept all together. I mark load as unexceptible on DIAD every night but apparently nobody reads those things. Is this happening all over. Anyone know how to fix the problem? Preloaders........ did training go out the window with PASS? HELP!!!!!!!!! Imgonpostl

Where you ever a loader? Just out of curiousity, don't take that the wrong way if you weren't. The driver I used to load for a few years ago, never loaded a truck in his life. Yet if one box was loaded incorrectly. He'd literally chuck everything back out and start over. Talk about frustrating. How do we get less misloads? Start sooner. Starting at 4:30am is just not helping at all. That'd be like telling your driver to start at 10am and say goodluck.

But to answer the question on training. they used to do a pretty good job, now they just throw the new guys on the belt, and say these are your routes. GOOD LUCK. lol. Seriously that's all they do, then they wonder why so many guys/girls are quitting the positions. As far as marking each box with a 'crayon/marker'. No shot in heck would you catch me with a marker in my hand. Not with the volume of flow we get. I pull on average 1200-1300 in 3-4hours. Spread out on a 4 truck pull. while the guy next to me maxes out 600 boxes on a 3 truck spread.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Rather than writing "unexciptable" every night why not offer constructive criticism to your loader? We have gone back to the old blue misload cards in my center. Grab one of those and write down your concerns and offer suggestions as to how to fix it. I know that if I busted my ass every day and all I got was "unexciptable" I would be less inclined to care about the quality of your load.

I was never a preloader so I cannot appreciate just how hard the job can be. I was lucky for several years to have the best loader in the bldg. He is gone and now I have one of the worst. I will work with him and with time he could become one of the best. How do I do it? Positive reinforcement and suggestions for improvement.

 

[hdkappler]

Speak to you sup about production and how this is having a negative effect on it. To much time being spent re-sorting packages. Is the preload doing load quality audits if not request that this pre-loader be audited.

if volume is down in these centers put a few more drivers on and have a drivers sort.won't have to resort any packages you would have fewer misroutes,misloads.no more complaing about loads.etc.keep a few preloaders to unload trailers.nice to know were the packages are.

 

[Norma]

I'm considered an amazing preloader simply because my loads are in a logical numerical order. Some sups actually teach people things like "anything beginning with 2 goes on this shelf."

Normally I keep to myself and do my job. This past year they put out a memo about slowing the belts down and giving us extra cars. Anyone with half a brain knew where this was going. Anyway I figured "I can take it if you can" (a takeoff on a TL Zone episode). I naively thought the belt would crash and burn. Turns out the belt still runs but only because the sup is working 24/7 but never on my cars. He's a good guy, but terribly misguided. I'm not going to be the D Bag who gets him fired. Yes, that's a weakness on my part.

Let's recap. More work per preloader. 10 minutes more per day to do the extra work. Pizz poor training if any meaningful training. Meaningless memorization of useless crap. I love to spout off HABITS whenever the safety fools come around. I always remembered T stood for tools.

 

[Re-Raise]

I was a preloader for a long time before I became a driver. Long before Edd/Pas.

I see a lot of areas for improvement. Most of the problems I see come from a poor use of space in the trucks and a lack of concern for how the packages will ride.

The poor preloaders will stack the packages on top of each other on the shelf rather than moving the largest box to the floor making room for the packages on the shelf to be lip loaded facing forward.

Having never driven they also stack everything right up to the bulkhead door because it makes it easier for them to get in the rear door when they load.

They don't realize that we need to get through the truck from the front and the first corner we take all the packages stacked on top of each other on the shelf will fall to the center of the truck.

Most of the problems are simply a lack of effort. If the packages are in the truck some preloaders couldn't care less about what the high paid driver has to do with them.

 

[jalnar]

Each facit of the operation cares only about there numbers. Even though we work for the same company one part of the operation could give two ****s about anyone else. The reload is dying in our building because drivers are getting in much later but the time commitments that feeders follow are still the same. If every part timer demands 3.5 hrs everyday that will kill there bs. WE ARE OUR WORSE ENEMY and with a management philosophy liike we have we will fail .Pay me 45 dollars an our and send the 8.50 dollad employee home before the job is done.

 

[stoni24]

We preloaders are stretched thin but if your loader cared he can still do a better job. Sometimes when I got 4 cars or even 3 heavy ones, I will have 1 or 2 "junky" cars after the sort. Any loader can turn that "junky" car into a good load in 5 minutes. Very seldom that I don't have at least 10 minutes to straighten out my cars after sort. Your loader probably does too but he's already on his way home.

 

[brownedout]

Really awesome posts by just about everyone. Well it seems that the Preload Assist System has not worked as the higher-ups had hoped. Load quality will always be a matter of personal responsibility. If the loader has an ounce the driver might have a chance. If not, lots of upset drivers (like me) PAL can say ANY ROUTE # 2000 SECTION but there is absolutely nothing to stop any loader from putting that package in the 7000 section (reason doesn't matter at this point); if even on right truck at all. I'm not sure how much training is needed to not block in our FL sections. After repeatedly telling said loaders about this issue. FL1,2,3,4 RDR RDL these are just load positions to loaders with no personal responsibility. They wouldn't bat an eyelash about blocking any of these packages with later work. In slight defense of preload about this last issue I'm fully aware that preload sup s want loaders to not double handle packages. One of those sup s was there in the 80's when I was a loader and he always griped to me about grooming my loads. The worst thing PAS has done is every St. is now just a number. Even our bulkiest stop, just a number. The loader almost has no feel for just how much comes in for this stop and how much space to allot. No clue that on the 3rd Thursday of every month Mrs. Doe at 1 Any St. gets 8 banded Avon packages. PAS just brings to mind the old adage about camels "You can tell the loader where the package goes, But you can't make him load it there. And the very worst thing about loaders with no personal responsibility: THAT BULK HEAD DOOR, I NEED TO WALK THROUGH IT!!

 

[UnconTROLLed]

Sorry, but to all the selfish drivers out there, no preloader is "your" loader.

He or she may load the car you are taking out that day, but by design, the preloader is not YOUR loader.
The preloader is a UPS preloader.
The preloader typically does not care what face is taking out the truck that day. The preloader has no care in the world how long you have been on that route.
The preloader is not interested in making your day easier.
The preloader understands that their day is not made easier, only more difficult.

The avg preloader is given 600-1200 packages to load in 4 hours, minus a 10 minute break; add/cuts which are time consuming and are NOT accounted for in PPH.

Old news but guess what: preloaders have time studies too! And guess what else, there's lots of walking and working preloaders do that is NOT accounted for in those time studies!.

The preloader does not give a damn what the cars look like because in the end, it is often and usually impossible to make a great or near-perfect load, and make anyones day that much easier.

The preloader is simply in it to get packages in and get trucks out. Sure there are exceptions, but overall the preloader does not give a rats ass if a driver is happy or not when THEY THEMSELVES are not happy.

The preloader COULD care about the load quality if there was actually time allotted to dedicate to quality. However, since that is not profitable in the companies eyes, the preloader will never be a DRIVERS preloader but a UPS preloader.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Call me selfish--I don't care--but the preloader for MY area is MY preloader and I will work with him to ensure that he becomes the best loader in the building. This will not only benefit ME but will benefit MY cover drivers.

The delivery area that I bid is also MINE and I will work to do the best job that I can for MY customers on my area.

That's just how I roll.