ARC - organizing & finding parcels. Gutted Subaru outback.

[Hamparc]

I started my ARC position in November. I love this job. I'm in a no pressure office and, although it's a small station, we get a lot of parcels. With 26 routes 8k parcels was minimum during peak and it's not let up.

I'm doing much better now but I still struggle with organizing my vehicle.

I lay down the parcels on the parking lot by street and number low to high. I mark those with multiple parcels with a red number on the label and where I marked the parcel on the end or wherever. I also put a yellow highlight on the address. I can fit 2 blue buggies in the Subaru but I invariably "loose" parcels and I find them later. Pisses me off big time.

Any fine tuning I can do?

Thanks

 

[jaymacgthree]

If only delivering parcels static routing can help you number them in order and then try to group them as closely as possible depending on size. If smaller parcels are a problem use trays or buckets to group them so they can’t slide around or fall between larger packages. Unfortunately vehicles rarely give us all the room we would like to best organize and POVs often are the hardest to cram big loads into. We frequently sacrifice organization while playing parcel Tetris. Don’t be hard on yourself, you aren’t the first person to miss a parcel!

 

[hockey94]

Perhaps you can organize them by sections of the route ? When you get out to deliver a package, have the next few for delivery easily accessible. I cannot STRESS this enough DO NOT block your windows ! Good luck !

 

[Shannonboy]

I started my ARC position in November. I love this job. I'm in a no pressure office and, although it's a small station, we get a lot of parcels. With 26 routes 8k parcels was minimum during peak and it's not let up.

I'm doing much better now but I still struggle with organizing my vehicle.

I lay down the parcels on the parking lot by street and number low to high. I mark those with multiple parcels with a red number on the label and where I marked the parcel on the end or wherever. I also put a yellow highlight on the address. I can fit 2 blue buggies in the Subaru but I invariably "loose" parcels and I find them later. Pisses me off big time.

Any fine tuning I can do?

Thanks

Check your look a head at 5-6 primary spots, like you got suburbia over here, small range of businesses here, and rural over here....check it, and make sure, before you leave those specific areas, you drive less, costs you a little time, but there ain't no drive 80 miles the opposite side of your rt. You follow me?!! And if shows got one, and you cant find it, call it in, because sometimes itll be on your lookahead, but in another city.....
Also I mark mine on what row they are, like first row, A1, second B1, C1, then row 2 I'll mark it A2, B2, C2. and so on in a concentric order. I also use markers in case with written address number on marker, I'm really fast, but I almost never miss a package....if you have a B1 package, and you just delivered a C1, stop and see what you missed, itll be close by. I also move my packs from the back to my second row, I'll have all my A1's usually in my front seat on my dps, and myB1's, and c1's right there behind me....it keeps it simple....hope those tips help...
Shannonboy

 

[jaymacgthree]

Check your look a head at 5-6 primary spots, like you got suburbia over here, small range of businesses here, and rural over here....check it, and make sure, before you leave those specific areas, you drive less, costs you a little time, but there ain't no drive 80 miles the opposite side of your rt. You follow me?!! And if shows got one, and you cant find it, call it in, because sometimes itll be on your lookahead, but in another city.....
Also I mark mine on what row they are, like first row, A1, second B1, C1, then row 2 I'll mark it A2, B2, C2. and so on in a concentric order. I also use markers in case with written address number on marker, I'm really fast, but I almost never miss a package....if you have a B1 package, and you just delivered a C1, stop and see what you missed, itll be close by. I also move my packs from the back to my second row, I'll have all my A1's usually in my front seat on my dps, and myB1's, and c1's right there behind me....it keeps it simple....hope those tips help...
Shannonboy

Excellent advice to utilize the locations on the case

 

[btdtret]

Hamparc -- [ organizing parcels in a POV ]

-- Most everyone eventually finds a "system" that works best for them - and you will find yours.

-- As an up-front disclaimer, I cased DPS, etc and had an LLV. This is the system I used in the pre-RRECS time frame, so I never had the "look ahead" option on the scanner.

-- I used a deck of 5x7 index cards - marked a number on one side and plain on the other.

-- For a large parcel, it was marked with the number on a 5x7 card and the card would go in front of the mail for the address with the number facing out.

-- For smaller parcels, a card would go into the address slot with the plain side facing out. I'd put the smaller parcels in the case above the address and would pull them down, putting them in order in a tray. The tray sat on the floor between the seat and the mail platform.

-- I'd use pink cards for something that needed a signature. Numbered on one side and plain on the other. Yellow cards for certs, reds, or Express Mail

-- I'd try to put the parcels in something of delivery order, but running over a curb or hitting a pot hole usually was enough to scatter the parcels, so having the number of the parcel helped find the correct parcel at the correct address.

-- You can try to put parcels for one segment of the route in one location in back, etc.

-- Good luck and keep the positive outlook!

-- Being good at Tetris helps!

-- Sure it does take time to mark the parcels, but it may save some time hunting for the right parcel out on the route.

 

[gotstamps]

Am I the only one seeing that the OP is posting as an ARC & not an RCA?

Some of these answers ONLY work if you are working on a single route like an RCA.
ARCs are not to serve a route except on Saturday only & only after all other Leave Replacements have been utilized.
The rest of the week, it is only running parcels which can be difficult as Parcel Lookahead doesn’t work.

 

[Rt2mailman]

Arc's running parcels during the week should have access to the look ahead and it should work unless the clerks did something wrong while distributing the parcels.
Arcs can use "load truck" which gives a # order of each parcel (which many write on the parcel) and can be checked throughout the day to see if any were missed. The delivered ones will be highlighted in green, the ones that were scanned into "load truck" will have a green check mark, then will be highlighted in green once delivered. Ones not scanned into load truck will have a red x next to them, those most liked were not even sorted to you that day.

 

[gotstamps]

Arc's running parcels during the week should have access to the look ahead and it should work unless the clerks did something wrong while distributing the parcels.
Arcs can use "load truck" which gives a # order of each parcel (which many write on the parcel) and can be checked throughout the day to see if any were missed. The delivered ones will be highlighted in green, the ones that were scanned into "load truck" will have a green check mark, then will be highlighted in green once delivered. Ones not scanned into load truck will have a red x next to them, those most liked were not even sorted to you that day.

Often the LoadTruck does not scan parcels that were in the last dropped load so is useless for them when this happens (almost daily occurrence here). Definitely a pet peeve for me as I tend to use it for Oversized pkgs only.
Also, our parcel runners (same task as ARC) have multiple routes’ packages to deliver & don’t/won’t shift between routes to use the Lookahead feature when taking them all at the same time.
Unfortunately, it is not realistic to expect a carrier to know when to shift routes much less which route unmarked (no route marking) parcels belong to to shift to that route.
Best is always for the pkgs to be Static-routed but that rarely happens here.

Make a List if needed & check it twice.

 

[Rt2mailman]

Parcel runners are specifically SUPPOSED to switch routes when handling parcels. That loading time belongs to each route that they are loading and neglecting to switch routes when loading can cause the routes being carried to lose a lot of loading time. The most I've seen parcel runners take is parcels from 3 routes. Switching between three routes is not much of a hassle and should be a requirement

 

[Hamparc]

Check your look a head at 5-6 primary spots, like you got suburbia over here, small range of businesses here, and rural over here....check it, and make sure, before you leave those specific areas, you drive less, costs you a little time, but there ain't no drive 80 miles the opposite side of your rt. You follow me?!! And if shows got one, and you cant find it, call it in, because sometimes itll be on your lookahead, but in another city.....
Also I mark mine on what row they are, like first row, A1, second B1, C1, then row 2 I'll mark it A2, B2, C2. and so on in a concentric order. I also use markers in case with written address number on marker, I'm really fast, but I almost never miss a package....if you have a B1 package, and you just delivered a C1, stop and see what you missed, itll be close by. I also move my packs from the back to my second row, I'll have all my A1's usually in my front seat on my dps, and myB1's, and c1's right there behind me....it keeps it simple....hope those tips help...
Shannonboy

My office isn't set up for static except for Amazon Sundays. I've used static before and it ran me around my rear to get to my elbow so I go by the addresses and the route sheets we have.
I'm intrigued by the sectioning idea. Do I put my first stops next to me and then load the vehicle by section? I only have a drivers seat and I can average 70 parcels which would include a few larger boxes like the ones Amazon will put a single nugget of dog food in.
I don't have look ahead or load truck available on the scanner.

 

[oi veh.]

@Hamparc - welcome to the forum.

we do have rules here and i know you haven't had time to read them...one of them is regarding language (read swearing). please edit your post #11 so you are in compliance.

thanks so much!

 

[hockey94]

My office isn't set up for static except for Amazon Sundays. I've used static before and it ran me around my ass to get to my elbow so I go by the addresses and the route sheets we have.
I'm intrigued by the sectioning idea. Do I put my first stops next to me and then load the vehicle by section? I only have a drivers seat and I can average 70 parcels which would include a few larger boxes like the ones Amazon will put a single nugget of dog food in.
I don't have look ahead or load truck available on the scanner.

If you have neighborhoods, put the first 3 or 4 easily reachable, and keep doing that. Since you have to get out numerous times, try to keep organizing as you go.

 

[Shannonboy]

My office isn't set up for static except for Amazon Sundays. I've used static before and it ran me around my @#%*&@ to get to my elbow so I go by the addresses and the route sheets we have.
I'm intrigued by the sectioning idea. Do I put my first stops next to me and then load the vehicle by section? I only have a drivers seat and I can average 70 parcels which would include a few larger boxes like the ones Amazon will put a single nugget of dog food in.
I don't have look ahead or load truck available on the scanner.

Yes....on the sectioning thing. It is helpful. You are an arc, so the other stuff dont really apply for now.....I never used static, I did use lookahead, back when it first came out, dont need it now. Do wish you well though....fyi too, we dont use curse words on this site, example up above. Good luck.

 

[Shannonboy]

Often the LoadTruck does not scan parcels that were in the last dropped load so is useless for them when this happens (almost daily occurrence here). Definitely a pet peeve for me as I tend to use it for Oversized pkgs only.
Also, our parcel runners (same task as ARC) have multiple routes’ packages to deliver & don’t/won’t shift between routes to use the Lookahead feature when taking them all at the same time.
Unfortunately, it is not realistic to expect a carrier to know when to shift routes much less which route unmarked (no route marking) parcels belong to to shift to that route.
Best is always for the pkgs to be Static-routed but that rarely happens here.

Make a List if needed & check it twice.

That's gotta be a real pain in the butt....

 

[Shannonboy]

@Hamparc - welcome to the forum.

we do have rules here and i know you haven't had time to read them...one of them is regarding language (read swearing). please edit your post #11 so you are in compliance.

thanks so much!

And to edit, go to the little dots on the left hand bottom corner of your message, select them, and edit or delete will pop up, select edit, then fix your comment.

 

[btdtret]

gotstamps -- "Am I the only one seeing that the OP is posting as an ARC & not an RCA?"

-- Good catch!

-- Maybe others can use some of the suggestions posted.

 

[Hamparc]

Yes....on the sectioning thing. It is helpful. You are an arc, so the other stuff dont really apply for now.....I never used static, I did use lookahead, back when it first came out, dont need it now. Do wish you well though....fyi too, we dont use curse words on this site, example up above. Good luck.

Thanks. I never knew anyone that felt a&s was a curse word. I'll do better.
Thanks

If you have neighborhoods, put the first 3 or 4 easily reachable, and keep doing that. Since you have to get out numerous times, try to keep organizing as you go.

So I should not bother putting all my parcels in address order? Or maybe just the 3-4 in order or just reachable?
Thanks

 

[hockey94]

Thanks. I never knew anyone that felt a&s was a curse word. I'll do better.
Thanks

So I should not bother putting all my parcels in address order? Or maybe just the 3-4 in order or just reachable?
Thanks

You need to find a system that works for you. See what other carriers do. Use some of the ideas on here. The key is being organized, you do not want to be in the elements, hot, cold, etc… Good luck.

 

[Hamparc]

Thanks