Why can't UPS even bother to ring the door bell anymore? (credit, theater)
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What Badfish said.....applies to Fed Ex as well (not sure on the union part) but all the rest applies
FedEx drivers are not unionized and are not paid as well as UPS drivers. FedEx's business model is also very different. They are split into many different divisions, many of which are almost like entirely different companies. For example there is "FedEx Home Delivery," "FedEx Express," "FedEx Custom Critical," etc... Some of the drivers operate more like independent contractors and own their own trucks and are responsible for maintaining them.
FedEx drivers are not unionized and are not paid as well as UPS drivers. FedEx's business model is also very different. They are split into many different divisions, many of which are almost like entirely different companies. For example there is "FedEx Home Delivery," "FedEx Express," "FedEx Custom Critical," etc... Some of the drivers operate more like independent contractors and own their own trucks and are responsible for maintaining them.
Exactly!
When I have a choice regarding the method of home delivery, I opt for UPS or the USPS, and I only accept FedEx if there is no other choice. This is as a result of consistently bad home delivery service from FedEx, and consistently good service from the other two services. As but one example, the local FedEx guys seem to think that it is appropriate to leave goods sitting in my driveway, even on rainy days, despite the fact that I have a large covered porch.
By contrast, UPS always leaves my packages on my porch, and they do ring my bell.
FedEx's crappy service even extends to their terminals. On three occasions, at two different FedEx terminals (Branchburg and Avenel), the attitude of the people at the counter could best be summed up as, "What the f*** do you want?".
The staff at the Branchburg terminal screwed-up delivery of computer equipment to such an extent that I had to go there on three consecutive days in order to get boxes that were all shipped at the same time. At Avenel, I had to wait about 20 minutes while they decided what everyone was going to order for their take-out lunch that day. They did not even acknowledge my presence until they were done with their business.
I don't understand why UPS can't even bother to ring the doorbell anymore when they deliver packages. Are they really that lazy?
Last week, I was sitting in my living room and saw the UPS truck pull up outside. I live in a condo/town home community, so there are about a dozen units that are right around me. I'm expecting several packages but wasn't tracking them. My doorbell didn't ring, so I assumed no delivery for me.
The next morning, I went out my front door, and the package was there. I tracked it online, and it was delivered exactly when I saw the UPS truck. So, the package sat out all night, could have gotten stolen, ruined, etc. If they would have just rang the bell, there wouldn't be an issue!
So annoying!
probably a management decision to help shave seconds off each delivery. those things look awesome when you run them in a spreadsheet and take a fraction of a second off each transaction and then see how much it swings your gross revenue for the month.
who cares what the customer says? shareholder value baby!
LOL...as the son of a retired driver I have to chime in here. They most certainly are. The electronic boards that drivers carry monitor everything these days from how fast the truck is moving to how fast they are moving (on foot) to where they are at any given moment. The UPS/Teamsters relationship is probably about as ideal as it gets in terms of labor and management going to head to head constantly and the end result being reasonable compromise for everyone involved. UPS drivers make VERY good money for a job that does not require anymore than a high school diploma and a good driving record. The Teamsters also provide excellent benefits and pensions. The job is also VERY tough. I never saw my dad before 7:00 p.m. on a weeknight, and he was always dead tired at the end of the day. He has had one knee surgery (and will probably need the other one done soon) and one back surgery as a direct result of on the job wear and tear.
Interesting factoid about the knees-UPS figured out (and they are brilliant at analyzing data and using it to create efficiency/save money) that drivers were constantly blowing out knees as a result of the high step from the truck to the ground. They redesigned their trucks, lowering the step, and saw that they were paying much less for knee surgeries. Likewise, they figured out how to eliminate left turns from routes (which cause the driver to wait while cars going straight pass by) which saves a huge amount of time as well as fuel to the tune of something like $60 million a year. All in all, yes, the union does take care of the drivers (which is, after all, the point), but the union and the company spar constantly. Sometimes the company wins, and sometimes the union wins, which is the way it's supposed to be. When management wins every time, or when labor wins every time, there's a problem.
Correct. To be fair, they do get overtime, but as you can imagine, a driver that is getting overtime a lot because he's not working fast enough is going to get a lot of scrutiny from management.
They call that the safety meeting, because that's part of the purpose, but James E. Casey, the founder of UPS always did it that way and it definitely helps to set the tone and culture of the company. At one time UPS drivers were not allowed to have facial hair at any time. They are still not allowed to have any visible tattoos or piercings. Guys with full sleeve tattoos or leg tattoos must wear long pants or long sleeve shirts. You also cannot wear anything but UPS issued uniform items (hats, jackets, etc...all must be UPS issue-exceptions are made for gloves and boots).
Managers will also go out on spying missions watching drivers.
They get a lunch break-my dad would typically find a parking lot to sit and eat lunch in. If he had a particularly heavy day he might work through lunch. The speed at which a driver completes his route is also heavily dependent on his loader. Loaders work 3:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. putting packages that came in overnight onto trucks for delivery. A driver a loader must work together so that the loader knows where to put certain things so that the packages for the first stop of the day are always loaded toward the rear of the truck so they are the first to come out and so on. Days when my dad's loader was sick or out for some reason and an unfamiliar person loaded his truck were always days he was later getting home. Working as a loader is the best way to get your foot in the door to become a driver one day.
they are literally a text book example of identifying efficiencies in business school textbooks, mostly for what you described here.
My dad works for a utility company and they have the no-left turn rule also (unless it's unavoidable). it's statistically one of the most dangerous driving actions you can take. also - parking rule...always back into a space. first move forward is safer and it saves time.
FedEx drivers are not unionized and are not paid as well as UPS drivers. FedEx's business model is also very different. They are split into many different divisions, many of which are almost like entirely different companies. For example there is "FedEx Home Delivery," "FedEx Express," "FedEx Custom Critical," etc... Some of the drivers operate more like independent contractors and own their own trucks and are responsible for maintaining them.
I'm talking regular fed ex not the home delivery etc and I know my son once worked for them
UPS drivers are not timed. Their union takes care of them.
Total BS by yet another uninformed poster. Anyone with half a brain can figure out that they are times. Every time they scan a package it's being timed. They know when the truck starts and stops. Software and easily compute they efficiency. In fact the gps software can enable numerous parameters and sound a alarm. leave their assigned area, speed and others can be tracked.
If you want them to ring your doorbell, pay for signature required service. Otherwise why should they waste their time only to find that no one is home. No doubt you would complain about the time it takes to get your delivery but don't factor in the time to ring a bell and wait several minutes for a answer that never comes.
Four years ago, I was on chemotherapy - the oral type - and my pills came to me mail-order. I was temporarily living in a townhouse development; no steps, no porch, just a short walk from the main sidewalk to the front door. I received a shipment of medication every three weeks. Imagine my surprise when the first shipment arrived and was left on the sidewalk next to the front door. No ring, no knock.
I realize that the shipper has the say as to whether or not a signature is required, and I suppose they pay more in that case, but in the matter of medication, I would think it a no-brainer. Couldn't blame the UPS guy, he doesn't know what's in the package. But for six months, I watched very carefully on the day I knew my "poison" was due to be delivered. Just once during that time was the bell rung.
I often wondered, if a child, or a thief, had consumed the contents of that package, who would have liability?
I realize that the shipper has the say as to whether or not a signature is required, and I suppose they pay more in that case
Recently, as a result of being the victim of credit card fraud, my brother received two replacement Discover cards--obviously with new account numbers. He was very impressed that Discover managed to get the new cards to him within 48 hours, but he was much less impressed that the FedEx driver simply left the large envelope with those credit cards on his doorstep, and never rang the doorbell or asked for a signature.
While I suppose that it is possible that Discover didn't require a signature, I doubt that they would be so slip-shod when it comes to new cards for someone who has already been a victim of credit card fraud. While I have no proof of it, I suspect that the FedEx driver forged my brother's signature on his electronic device in order to save a few seconds of his time.
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