Which route would you prefer?

Which route?

  • Business heavy, but familiar area

    Votes: 4 13.3%
  • Mostly resi, new area

    Votes: 26 86.7%

  • Total voters
    30

SLW

Well-Known Member
Would you rather have:

1) A business (ie pickup & 1030 commit) heavy route, farther away from your center, but an area you know like the back of your hand

2) A mostly resi area, closer, but in a new, very confusing area

Assume your trying to qualify and it's peak. I know it's not something you get to choose, but I like hypotheticals.
 
Would you rather have:

1) A business (ie pickup & 1030 commit) heavy route, farther away from your center, but an area you know like the back of your hand

2) A mostly resi area, closer, but in a new, very confusing area

Assume your trying to qualify and it's peak. I know it's not something you get to choose, but I like hypotheticals.
A
Bathrooms, coffee pots and got looking women.
 

Analbumcover

ControlPkgs
Would you rather have:

1) A business (ie pickup & 1030 commit) heavy route, farther away from your center, but an area you know like the back of your hand

2) A mostly resi area, closer, but in a new, very confusing area

Assume your trying to qualify and it's peak. I know it's not something you get to choose, but I like hypotheticals.


Residential area. Like @Indecisi0n said, commercial stops are killer. Sitting on the dock, waiting for the dock to open, waiting for receiving to acknowledge you're there and on a schedule, having angry semi drivers hollering at you because they think you're taking too long. ORION time allowances for commercial heavy routes are a joke. Yeah lemme hand cart this 30 piece bulk stop into a multi-suite office complex in under 5 minutes.
 

margaritaville

Well-Known Member
I don't know why people think heavy biz routes are better on your body because less in and out steps. The truck is still just as full. You step down probably just as much loading up your hand cart. One stop you could go in and out your truck multiple times. Plus handcart and bulk head door cant be good on your back.
My ideal route is a 190ish stop tight resi route. Only thing you can possible make sore is your knees but just use 3 points of contact. Extended routes = risk or tier 3+ since potential drunk or texter crossing over your lane 55mph. 100 stop biz = bad for all parts of your body but knees.
A 170-210 tight res route = low chance of high tier crash and low chance of wrecking your back. Maybe when im hitting final years ill want extended though.
 

Analbumcover

ControlPkgs
A 170-210 tight res route = low chance of high tier crash

Most of the accidents in our building come in residential neighborhoods. Dodging kids on scooters, oblivious moms relying on their backup sensor to indicate something's behind them, parallel parked cars on the streets cutting out in front of you.

Actually had a mom in her minivan plow into one of our drivers because she was "relying" solely on her backup camera. Didn't bother to look, gunned it in reverse out of her driveway and cut to the right, smashing into our guy who was parked clear of her driveway. Hit the truck so hard she blew out her back window.
 

Netsua 3:16

AND THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE
I actually like being a cover and getting to do a little bit of everything. It’s nice to do quicker condensed resi and business routes, good exercise get the blood pumping. But after a few days of 350+ pieces with bulk you definitely feel it. Then you go ask one of the p5 old guys if they want a day off and you just cruise listening to sports radio and barely move the whole day. I actually go out of my way to tell my OC “I want to cover that when he’s on vacation” or option days.....and he usually makes it happen. I figure it’s easier for him to just plug the hole and forget about it.
 

JustDeliverIt

Well-Known Member
Would you rather have:

1) A business (ie pickup & 1030 commit) heavy route, farther away from your center, but an area you know like the back of your hand

2) A mostly resi area, closer, but in a new, very confusing area

Assume your trying to qualify and it's peak. I know it's not something you get to choose, but I like hypotheticals.

Resi route IMO. Businesses have commit times and pickups. The routes I've liked the most have been some to no business, done with them in the morning with resi's the rest of the day. No breaking off for pickups, you can just keep emptying your truck.
 

rod

Retired 22 years
I had the perfect route. Forty-five minute drive to my delivery area --deliver a small town and the surrounding area-- start pickups about 3:30--finish residential and rural stuff and a half hour drive back to the center. My usual week was about 45 to 50 hours. A hundred to 125 stops- 110 to 125 miles- 17+ pickups. It was brutal.
 

oldngray

nowhere special
I had the perfect route. Forty-five minute drive to my delivery area --deliver a small town and the surrounding area-- start pickups about 3:30--finish residential and rural stuff and a half hour drive back to the center. My usual week was about 45 to 50 hours. A hundred to 125 stops- 110 to 125 miles- 17+ pickups. It was brutal.
Now they would have you run somebody else's air on the way to your route and half the time residential stops miles away from your own route to deliver on your way back to the building.
 

ManInBrown

Well-Known Member
Resi all day. Heavy business routes blow. Heavy pickup routes blow. Its always “can you pick me up early today, im closing at 2” or “just a heads up today im shipping out 300 boxes instead of 4” the resi is a no brainer. What do you mean by confusing area? What area is confusing after you do it for 3 days?
 

oldngray

nowhere special
Resi all day. Heavy business routes blow. Heavy pickup routes blow. Its always “can you pick me up early today, im closing at 2” or “just a heads up today im shipping out 300 boxes instead of 4” the resi is a no brainer. What do you mean by confusing area? What area is confusing after you do it for 3 days?
Business routes used to be better. There were good allowances for commercial stops. Now its a joke.

They are still good if you like more of a break from the weather and convenient bathrooms.
 

cosmo1

Perhaps.
Staff member
I had the perfect route. Forty-five minute drive to my delivery area --deliver a small town and the surrounding area-- start pickups about 3:30--finish residential and rural stuff and a half hour drive back to the center. My usual week was about 45 to 50 hours. A hundred to 125 stops- 110 to 125 miles- 17+ pickups. It was brutal.

My last route was nicer even than that.

5-8 industrial stops first thing, a few small businesses across the river then out into farm country the rest of the day. 110-125 stops and one pickup.
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
Residential all the way. I run 150-160 stops in subdivisions all day without any pickup accounts. I might pickup two Amazon Call Tags on a heavy day.
 
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