hi ! work has been kicking my butt. office max has merged with office depot and because of that my boss is trying to legitimize his position by flogging the drivers. our performance is now guaged on stops per hour we do. this is a problem since 2 days a week i have 1 stop that takes 1 and a half hours by itself. the stops per hour also doesnt count stopping for lunch. so i have to skip lunch everyday so i can keep my numbers up. so 10+ hours with no break slinging 10,000lbs of merchandise...im tired when i get home! i do miss you guys. im wagon sick too. i tried swapping a friend of a friend for a clean 87 oldsmobile custom cruiser base model. he passed because my truck was a 4 cyl.
Hang in there Ian. I worked for a large company as a trucker. They decided we were just another assembly line. But seemed to forget assembly lines slow down in bad weather. Take your lunch. Keep smiling, and drive carefully. We'll be here when you have time to play.
Wow! Ian, that's horrible! Is it even legal to make drivers do that? I've had many friends over the years that were truckers and I've heard some horror stories about how they're treated and the expectations placed on them. Take care of yourself and like Denny said, "Take your lunch. Keep smiling, and drive carefully. We'll be here when you have time to play." Keys
Seems to me that's an illogical way to gauge a driver's efficiency. To be fair, you would also have to consider the size of the order at each store, and how much distance you are covering. For example, a driver that has 5 stores to deliver to in a metropolitan area is going to be done much quicker than a driver who has 5 stores in the outlying areas. Unless the bosses' rating chart has been put together from a verified efficiency study, it's meaningless. When I was doing damage appraisal, I was always being rated low because of my production figures. But I also had a low supplement volume. I took longer to write the original estimate, but usually got it right the first time.
Don't want to get into a trucker/company debate here. But now you see why truckers are no longer polite and drive like no one else is on the roads. Companies set up ideal route times and operate as if the driver is on an assembly line. They fail to allow for snow, ice, etc. or accidents and heavy traffic at times. To make it worse companies like ours made sure we drove the speed limits, 55 on highways then, and ran a clock that shows speed, stops, and starts. It's actually worse than many factory jobs as far as being watched. On paper, drivers have time for lunch and personal breaks. But like many jobs, drivers must give those up to get production. I'm just glad I had no accidents or killed Oney before retiring! Take this job and shove it! The singer who wrote that actually worked where I did for a short time. I'm sure it gave him inspiration!
I've been doing a lot of things. My computer crashed. Since I don't make a lot of money, I just lived with it. Finally got a new laptop from my sister, well, used but new to me and I forgot my password. In fact passwords to everything. I'm still buzzing around San Francisco and Oakland for work in my 1962 Buick Skylark. I remember getting an email from somebody here but it got sent to my spam box so I didn't see it for a long time after it was sent. Went to the final 49er game at Candlestick Park and I'm going to get a seat to bring home before they blow it up. My dad is 77 and isn't doing all that well so I've been tied up with his health issues.
Now that you're retired, Sir, I guess, you now have plenty of time to do everything you wish you would have done before retiring Yes, trucking isn't what it used to be. If you don't tow the line which the Big Shots set out, they just go around you and hire illegals. Here in Germany, they hire those willing to work for less and who can afford to work for less, because the cost of living in their own countries is substantially lower. They get around the law, through creating ficticious contractor entities
The very large company where I worked, which has been union for many years, followed others. We were replaced by another trucking company that was non union. Strangely our company was in control of that company and ran the offices...D'oh! As far as common sense.....what does common sense and management have to do with each other?
If that union you're talking about happens to be the Teamsters, it shouldn't be any surprise that they sold you out
I'v just had a hang over for the last year Been super busy at work-home stuff-keeping the wife happy No car stuff Rick
Okay, now it's time for wagon fun. A guy can only do so much work stuff and home stuff. As far as the wife tell her to get stuffed! After you get out of intensive care do some car stuff!