Who works harder than us?

[Shorts365]

I've been pursuing the $170,000 clickbait article comment sections. Not surprisingly, there's no shortage of people that don't realize how much work being a UPS driver actually is. I suspect this is because their perception of us is limited to the time they see us approaching their own front door or office. Not only do they not realize that their only witnessing the tip of the iceberg, they also don't know how many icebergs we have deal with daily, not to mention all the flatpack furniture icebergs. Good news is I don't give a rat's ass what dummies on yahoo comments think.

What I do think is funny is that while the public thinks they know how hard we work, any driver that's been here long enough and has covered a few business heavy routes has a pretty good idea how hard other occupations have to work. In my very, very scientific survey I have concluded the following jobs might work as hard or even harder than us:

Garbage men
Private construction trades
Nurses

Long list, I know.

 

[MECH-II]

I feel like a portable fork lift

 

[JL 0513]

I've been pursuing the $170,000 clickbait article comment sections. Not surprisingly, there's no shortage of people that don't realize how much work being a UPS driver actually is. I suspect this is because their perception of us is limited to the time they see us approaching their own front door or office. Not only do they not realize that their only witnessing the tip of the iceberg, they also don't know how many icebergs we have deal with daily, not to mention all the flatpack furniture icebergs. Good news is I don't give a rat's ass what dummies on yahoo comments think.

What I do think is funny is that while the public thinks they know how hard we work, any driver that's been here long enough and has covered a few business heavy routes has a pretty good idea how hard other occupations have to work. In my very, very scientific survey I have concluded the following jobs might work as hard or even harder than us:

Garbage men
Private construction trades
Nurses

Long list, I know.

While it's hard work, it has continually gotten easier over the years through tech and how much nicer the package cars are.

Newer guys have no idea how huge of a difference a 2023 package car vs a 1985 package car is. Before that it was even way worse. A time when shelves were made of wood and you would get splinters by simply grabbing a package. When the PC's had no power steering, a high step, manual keys you had to switch from ignition to door at every stop, and a crude 4 speed gear box, and a flat seat with a half back rest made the driving portion of the job just as hard has a 250 piece pickup. Now driving is the break between the actual "work". Now we have fans and in the future, AC to come.

From a tech standpoint, today's DIAD coupled with stop by stop nav eliminates a large portion of the thinking previously required. Stops on paper and scrambling with tiny print paper maps added a whole other level of stress particularly when you didn't know the route.

Not to mention much more comfortable uniforms. It was torture wearing those no flex, polyester shirts in the summer heat. There was also a time when shorts weren't allowed.

Not trying to sugar coat the job but if we're being honest, it's simply way easier than it used to be and there's many jobs that are harder.

 

[Emergency Conditions]

My first job was a commercial fishing deckhand which I did for a few seasons and it has made everything I've done since feel quite tolerable by comparison. That's not to say UPS isn't a challenging job, it's certainly more of a marathon day in day out all year long but even during the heaviest days in the worst weather I have been more miserable, more tired and for much longer periods of time while fishing than is legal under DOT regulations.

 

[MECH-II]

From a tech standpoint, today's DIAD coupled with stop by stop nav eliminates a large portion of the thinking previously required. Stops on paper and scrambling with tiny print paper maps added a whole other level of stress particularly when you didn't know the route.

unfortunately this has de-valued our job and makes UPS think every driver as replaceable.

NOTHING WAS MORE VALUABLE TO UPS THAN COLD HARD DRIVER AREA KNOWLEDGE

 

[JL 0513]

unfortunately this has de-valued our job and makes UPS think every driver as replaceable.

NOTHING WAS MORE VALUABLE TO UPS THAN COLD HARD DRIVER AREA KNOWLEDGE

Yes, I often think about that. They could essentially get Amazon grade drivers to get the job done if they had to. If ever unemployment is high in a contract year, we will have no bargaining power.

 

[Shorts365]

My first job was a commercial fishing deckhand which I did for a few seasons and it has made everything I've done since feel quite tolerable by comparison. That's not to say UPS isn't a challenging job, it's certainly more of a marathon day in day out all year long but even during the heaviest days in the worst weather I have been more miserable, more tired and for much longer periods of time while fishing than is legal under DOT regulations.

Fair enough, I don’t deliver to any fishing boats but I have seen the reality shows and it looks gnarly as hell! I also forgot migrant farmers, whom I also don’t interact with but know have a truly harsh job.

Incidentally I do deliver to some tugboat companies and I think I would enjoy working for them. Not saying their job is a cakewalk but 7 on 7 off sounds appealing.

 

[Analbumcover]

No one works harder than my center manager.

I am always amazed how he gets so much work done so efficiently that he is able to leave and be at Chili's by 3pm.

 

[Shorts365]

While it's hard work, it has continually gotten easier over the years through tech and how much nicer the package cars are.

Newer guys have no idea how huge of a difference a 2023 package car vs a 1985 package car is. Before that it was even way worse. A time when shelves were made of wood and you would get splinters by simply grabbing a package. When the PC's had no power steering, a high step, manual keys you had to switch from ignition to door at every stop, and a crude 4 speed gear box, and a flat seat with a half back rest made the driving portion of the job just as hard has a 250 piece pickup. Now driving is the break between the actual "work". Now we have fans and in the future, AC to come.

From a tech standpoint, today's DIAD coupled with stop by stop nav eliminates a large portion of the thinking previously required. Stops on paper and scrambling with tiny print paper maps added a whole other level of stress particularly when you didn't know the route.

Not to mention much more comfortable uniforms. It was torture wearing those no flex, polyester shirts in the summer heat. There was also a time when shorts weren't allowed.

Not trying to sugar coat the job but if we're being honest, it's simply way easier than it used to be and there's many jobs that are harder.

Not trying to take anything away from the old timers (the high steppers are a war crime, the manual transmissions hurt my elbow in the few times I had to deal with them) but it is my understanding that we do very many more stops per hour as result of the technology.

I was gonna say I’ve never seen the wooden shelves but then I realized I see them every peak in the back of rentals.

There’s definitely jobs harder than ours, no doubt, but ours is definitely up there.

 

[Automaton]

While it's hard work, it has continually gotten easier over the years through tech and how much nicer the package cars are.

Newer guys have no idea how huge of a difference a 2023 package car vs a 1985 package car is. Before that it was even way worse. A time when shelves were made of wood and you would get splinters by simply grabbing a package. When the PC's had no power steering, a high step, manual keys you had to switch from ignition to door at every stop, and a crude 4 speed gear box, and a flat seat with a half back rest made the driving portion of the job just as hard has a 250 piece pickup. Now driving is the break between the actual "work". Now we have fans and in the future, AC to come.

From a tech standpoint, today's DIAD coupled with stop by stop nav eliminates a large portion of the thinking previously required. Stops on paper and scrambling with tiny print paper maps added a whole other level of stress particularly when you didn't know the route.

Not to mention much more comfortable uniforms. It was torture wearing those no flex, polyester shirts in the summer heat. There was also a time when shorts weren't allowed.

Not trying to sugar coat the job but if we're being honest, it's simply way easier than it used to be and there's many jobs that are harder.

You can say technology has made the job easier, but the tradeoff is they expect us to do more stops. Routes that used to go out with 150 stops every day are now going out with upwards of 190. And even with all the time savings we get from the technology, it's still a human body that has to do those extra stops.

 

[Thebrownblob]

No one works harder than my center manager.

I am always amazed how he gets so much work done so efficiently that he is able to leave and be at Chili's by 3pm.

@Dragon ?

 

[MECH-II]

This job would be a hell of a lot easier if we just got out of the damn building at 8:00am

 

[542thruNthru]

I've never worked a hard day at UPS. Only runners think this is hard work. I'm supplied with tools and methods to make this job easy. Only way it's hard is if you're not using them.

 

[Thebrownblob]

I've never worked a hard day at UPS. Only runners think this is hard work. I'm supplied with tools and methods to make this job easy. Only way it's hard is if you're not using them.

I don’t find a job that difficult, but…..

They pay me $10 an hour to do the job

The other $30+ dollars an hour is to put up with their BS.

 

[SaladTosser]

I worked in a soda factory before. It was absolute hell, worse than loading trailers.

 

[JL 0513]

I don’t find a job that difficult, but…..

They pay me $10 an hour to do the job

The other $30+ dollars an hour is to put up with their BS.

...or $10/hr to do the job, $30+ to not get into an accident or have an injury. When it comes down to it, those 2 things are a UPS driver's biggest challenge during over 2,000 hours a year on the road.

 

[Fido]

Imagine being able to start earlier and finishing most of your deliveries and end your day with pickups. But that makes too much sense

 

[Mr.Blonde]

Yes, I often think about that. They could essentially get Amazon grade drivers to get the job done if they had to. If ever unemployment is high in a contract year, we will have no bargaining power.

Not as long as surepost is still pumping through to usps. That can fill some of the void.

 

[worldwide]

I've been pursuing the $170,000 clickbait article comment sections. Not surprisingly, there's no shortage of people that don't realize how much work being a UPS driver actually is. I suspect this is because their perception of us is limited to the time they see us approaching their own front door or office. Not only do they not realize that their only witnessing the tip of the iceberg, they also don't know how many icebergs we have deal with daily, not to mention all the flatpack furniture icebergs. Good news is I don't give a rat's ass what dummies on yahoo comments think.

What I do think is funny is that while the public thinks they know how hard we work, any driver that's been here long enough and has covered a few business heavy routes has a pretty good idea how hard other occupations have to work. In my very, very scientific survey I have concluded the following jobs might work as hard or even harder than us:

Garbage men
Private construction trades
Nurses

Long list, I know.

Workers on oil rigs
Roofers in the summertime
Miners
Loggers

 

[muthatrucka]

I've been pursuing the $170,000 clickbait article comment sections. Not surprisingly, there's no shortage of people that don't realize how much work being a UPS driver actually is. I suspect this is because their perception of us is limited to the time they see us approaching their own front door or office. Not only do they not realize that their only witnessing the tip of the iceberg, they also don't know how many icebergs we have deal with daily, not to mention all the flatpack furniture icebergs. Good news is I don't give a rat's ass what dummies on yahoo comments think.

What I do think is funny is that while the public thinks they know how hard we work, any driver that's been here long enough and has covered a few business heavy routes has a pretty good idea how hard other occupations have to work. In my very, very scientific survey I have concluded the following jobs might work as hard or even harder than us:

Garbage men
Private construction trades
Nurses

Long list, I know.

It’s so hard UPS supervisors couldn’t even handle the work. Think about that, they put a tie on bc they thought it would be easier to get yelled at constantly by the next guy up who also couldn’t do the work that hourly employees have to do.