DPS to Street
- Thread starter Maillady2024
- Start date
I've worked in a number of offices, and visited maybe 30 others.
Taking DPS out or not is dependent upon the individual situation. Where I am now we have multiple coverages, lots of DPS, parcels, LLV, upscale suburbia with easy no blockage curbside mostly. I realize most rural routes have much less DPS and far more boxes than we do. If I had 500 DPS and 1000 stops, I'd take it out. But with 2500 DPS and 400 boxes, with coverages WSS or Boxholders that make tremendous dividers, it's far faster for us to case and deliver -- as the only time advantage we get is maybe longer EOS time if we throw everything from taking it out into a pile and slow sort when we get back. ( actually I believe if we case DPS we are allowed to take the pile of crap out of the office and sort when we return, so no real lost time there) In our case, "fast" doesn't harm us under RRECS. We do have several in each office who take it out, but if truth be known, they do so in order to stop longer at each mailbox and customers are used to meeting the carrier for a bit of social talk, what the carriers call "customer service"
Having worked city as a dual for five years, I'm very comfortable taking it out, that's not the issue as it might be for some. However, by casing inside, there's far less sorting and work in the vehicle while on the street, and this seems to make operating safer because our eyes are on the road and mirrors, not looking at mail and flats.
We can STILL deliver deliberately, taking time to be sure to perform every function for credit. (My current route is residential, but about ten home businesses on it, and every one is a "customer pickup" and "prepaid acceptance" scan)
Now, since maybe 90% take it to the street, (little difference than city carriers) go ahead and blast away at me!!
Taking DPS out or not is dependent upon the individual situation. Where I am now we have multiple coverages, lots of DPS, parcels, LLV, upscale suburbia with easy no blockage curbside mostly. I realize most rural routes have much less DPS and far more boxes than we do. If I had 500 DPS and 1000 stops, I'd take it out. But with 2500 DPS and 400 boxes, with coverages WSS or Boxholders that make tremendous dividers, it's far faster for us to case and deliver -- as the only time advantage we get is maybe longer EOS time if we throw everything from taking it out into a pile and slow sort when we get back. ( actually I believe if we case DPS we are allowed to take the pile of crap out of the office and sort when we return, so no real lost time there) In our case, "fast" doesn't harm us under RRECS. We do have several in each office who take it out, but if truth be known, they do so in order to stop longer at each mailbox and customers are used to meeting the carrier for a bit of social talk, what the carriers call "customer service"
Having worked city as a dual for five years, I'm very comfortable taking it out, that's not the issue as it might be for some. However, by casing inside, there's far less sorting and work in the vehicle while on the street, and this seems to make operating safer because our eyes are on the road and mirrors, not looking at mail and flats.
We can STILL deliver deliberately, taking time to be sure to perform every function for credit. (My current route is residential, but about ten home businesses on it, and every one is a "customer pickup" and "prepaid acceptance" scan)
Now, since maybe 90% take it to the street, (little difference than city carriers) go ahead and blast away at me!!
tonsillitis
Active member
i case raw mail and just pull it towards my dps and crisscross it at the same time. if you put a marker on the case, you can still pull it towards your dps. i have done that before. give it a try
i dont rubberband tho and i just pray to the lord of mail to help me not drop my tray.
i wont work on two separate mail of trays + tray of sprs on my pov(straddling).
i dont rubberband tho and i just pray to the lord of mail to help me not drop my tray.
i wont work on two separate mail of trays + tray of sprs on my pov(straddling).
Straddling. Now that’s a term I haven’t heard in ages
Kudo to you still doing it. All of our routes are postal vehicles now. Most subs just freak out hearing us said how we used to deliver mails.
All Saints Day
Member
Best way to do it imo. A lot of time is saved doing it this way. I used to mark my parcels back in the day when the volume was much lighter. When the amount of parcels went up to the point where it felt like i was putting a marker in every address I stopped doing it that way. It will be rough the first few days when you keep having to backtrack for parcels you forgot but memory is like a muscle, if you exercise it and work it every day it will get stronger and stronger. Also you can use the package lookahead on your scanner as a tool to help. Just check it periodically throughout your route.
Shannonboy
Well-known member
Only time I dont take dps to the street is when I have a half tray or less....then I'll case it. I put markers in for packages yellow for bigs, red for smalls, write address on marker, like 1234, and if multiple packs, lll-1234, and that means 4 packages for that address. I always double rubber band dps, one band breaks, your good. NEVER take dps to street loose, it will bite you in the butt. Learned from experience. 
Addressed eddms, non addressed go to the street....oh yeah....your addresses fill up on your markers, use rubbing alcohol to wipe off, new marker....
Addressed eddms, non addressed go to the street....oh yeah....your addresses fill up on your markers, use rubbing alcohol to wipe off, new marker....
i have always done it this way since being hired because this is the way i was trained according to proper procedure.
perhaps i should have said i'm not paid to case it.
i still do. we call it riding the hump here.Straddling. Now that’s a term I haven’t heard in ages
Kudo to you still doing it. All of our routes are postal vehicles now. Most subs just freak out hearing us said how we used to deliver mails.
I started with a POV....our office rurals received LLV's over the next two years by route (40 routes)Straddling. Now that’s a term I haven’t heard in ages
Kudo to you still doing it. All of our routes are postal vehicles now. Most subs just freak out hearing us said how we used to deliver mails.
I did mostly CBU and business routes since I had a Suburban, Loaded the whole thing with tubs.
Maillady2024
Member
A lot of y’all mentioned End of shift duties. Well our postmaster tells us we have to make all separations on the street and should only take 5-10 minute when we get back. Yet we have a whole list of things we can do on end of shift duties. I’m so tired of all the ways they try to screw us and a union that continues to let them.
MadDog
Well-known member
Same. Cased for years and then when I had a couple days with low letter counts I took my dps to the street, haven't gone back since.
I mark my parcels but just on the package itself, not in the case. I just use the package look ahead feature. Parcels are marked by zones 1-6, with parcels for cbu's designated with a "+" 2+ as an example. This makes it much faster to locate parcels for those units. I do the same for large parcels while loading, I don't use the load truck feature, just mark and throw. I only case the smallest parcels, all others go in tubs sorted by zone and I keep the tub on the front tray with 2 dps trays stacked and 1 tray of flats.
Hope this helps.
MadDog
Well-known member
I don't use parcel markers anymore, but when I did, I had one little trick... if it was a small parcel that fit in a mailbox I'd put the marker up with the blank side out, large parcels were designed by a marker with the "parcel" wording out. So when I came to the marker I'd know what to look for.Maybe I am in the minority here, I like using markers. I can do any other ways too but I don’t want to use my brain when I am out on the route. My route is mainly curbside. No marker, keep going, no need to look at the scanner or think which house has this or that. If there’s a marker I know it got something. The look ahead is great and all until you get one with the wrong number and street. Then you waste time looking for it just to realize you have been screwed. I always told the subs, there’s no right/wrong ways to do things. Just use whatever suit you and you can do it the fastest.
As for taking DPS to the street, I always believe people that can do it are the fastest. However not everyone can do it. What I can see nowadays is most subs took everything to the street. Even for route they are on the 1st time. Why? Then when they are in need of help, the people that went to help are at a lost too. In the end they brought everything back. Managements are mainly to blame, I want you to be back by such and such. The way I see it, if you are not over your evaluation then they can’t force you to take it to the street. Let’s stop here before I bring the Union into this mess too.
Call your union DR and share your experience. You can get specific advice as to what and how you can grieve any situation regarding EOS duties.
excellent trick for those who do many different routes or new RCA or regulars....after doing the route often you don't need them any more, but for a crutch it really helps to prevent misses and saves time.
no, you let them.
the union did not agree to the benchmarking the PO is attempting to do through the scanner.
you do what you are supposed to do and don't be bullied.
and take @Old Fart's advice.
