Case DPS or take it to the street?

wolfound · Jan 28, 2017

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">indmorcoffee said 

I am shocked that your head does not literally explode from all of your self righteousness. I think you need to mind your own business. No one has to report to any other carrier how they carry their mail. I take mine to the street and could care less what the others do, they don't sign my paycheck and I don't sign theirs. </blockquote>
self rightous. huh? because I care ? because I do what i am paid to do? because I try to fulfill my duty as a mail carrier? geez.......

Joe Reeser · Jan 28, 2017

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">LouSainus said

That is the point of casing the mail in office is so you just throw the bundle in the box just glancing at the top address. Without a full coverage some carriers use letters as wraps or do a cross pull down to split each address. </blockquote>
I have asked a couple of people who case their DPS whether or not they look at the mail prior to delivery and they have all said yes but I remain skeptical. I understand one can pull out all of the missorts and forwards and whatnot but that really doesn't seem to me to be worth the time it takes to go through it twice.

The first time I saw anyone pull down and crisscross their mail was just a few months ago when an RCA from another office ran the Aux I used to do. That seems designed for two things: 1) maximize office time and 2) never look at the mail on the street.

But whatever floats your boat I guess. <shrug>

Rt2mailman · Jan 28, 2017

Everyone's route is different and the way they handle their DPS,parcels ,or letters is their choice. Do they do it "wrong"? Maybe for me or you it would be wrong, but it could be right for them. If they aren't killing themselves or others, and not contrary for the rules for "safe" delivery whatever they do is fine, unless they consistently work over their evaluation and can be proven to work over their 2080, near the end of the guarantee period.

You carriers that think your way is the best and should be followed by all carriers sound like "potential" managers, like those I've have dealt with during my career. If you had to deliver other routes with the same personal body and vehicle as the "wrong" carrier, you would most likely find your "right" way is now "wrong" for you also. Let each other do what you do, we are all carriers not "God's gift to humanity" managers. However, please continue to describe your ways of doing things on your routes,(in a non-authoritarian way) so the newbies can experiment and see what works for them, but my way or your way is not the right way for everyone.

wolfound · Jan 28, 2017

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">Rt2mailman said 
Everyone's route is different and the way they handle their DPS,parcels ,or letters is their choice. Do they do it "wrong"? Maybe for me or you it would be wrong, but it could be right for them. If they aren't killing themselves or others, and not contrary for the rules for "safe" delivery whatever they do is fine, unless they consistently work over their evaluation and can be proven to work over their 2080, near the end of the guarantee period.

You carriers that think your way is the best and should be followed by all carriers sound like "potential" managers, like those I've have dealt with during my career. If you had to deliver other routes with the same personal body and vehicle as the "wrong" carrier, you would most likely find your "right" way is now "wrong" for you also. Let each other do what you do, we are all carriers not "God's gift to humanity" managers. However, please continue to describe your ways of doing things on your routes,(in a non-authoritarian way) so the newbies can experiment and see what works for them, but my way or your way is not the right way for everyone. </blockquote>
I was in no way slamming or berating anyone's way of casing or not. I do not care how others do their mail...you're right..NMB...I resent being told by mgmnt that I MUST when I do everything in my power to limit misdeliveres, carry everything given to me, and make dispatch, because someone somewhere decided it must be so with never having done the actual work. everyone has their system...I wholly agree with that....what works for you might not work for me. I was taught by an RCA that kicks ass, and I strive to maintain her standard of excellence. but I have developed my own system. my only point here was why is mgmt suddenly decided everyone must follow the "norm" of DPS to street and why IMHO why I don't like it. I certainly meant zero offense to anyone and apologize for the raised hackles......

NorthernVA · Jan 28, 2017

I have been helping another office out and this route is just ridiculous. It is severely under evaluated and I have always cased all my mail and marked my parcels, however this route gets so much mail if I start at 7 or even a little before I am still casing 4-5 hours later. I have never taken dps to the street, however I am thinking I may try that. I am really sick and tired of being almost 2 hours over the eval time, I am always either close or under time and this route just plain sucks. Can anyone give me some tips for saving time?

btdtret · Jan 28, 2017

NorthernVA -- "Can anyone give me some tips for saving time?"

-- If you have never taken DPS to the streets, don't expect a big savings in time right off the bat ( like manglement thinks will happen when ordering carriers to take DPS to the street for the first time ). Best to take one tray the first time. Once comfortable, take a 2nd and so on. Just like when you first started as an RCA, it took a while to develop a "system" -- that also applies to taking DPS to the street. Easier to do in a LLV than a POV -- IMHO.

kdog2521 · Jan 28, 2017

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">wolfound said 
First of all, I fail to understand the whole DPS to the street thing. The idea is that if you stay and case it , it will delay your "expected" delivery time to the customers. How much longer does it take to sit beside the road at each box and sort thru the DPS, (picking out the all the 3ms and separating them) sorting thru the flats, the sprs and the parcels...?? I am guessing it delays the customers expected arrival time by more minutes than casing it does....not to mention all those misdelivered 3ms that we might overlook in our haste. I find the whole idea ridiculous. Case in point......6 routes in office...5 ks and one J. Monday......I was ordered to take it to the street when morning truck was 140 minutes late. NO NO and NO. I defied OIC direct order and cased it (i didnot care if OIC had a fit or wrote me up...so tired of being brow beaten by MGT) I run 80.8 mile 48k daily eval at 9.8/day largest in office. No one else cased DPS. I was 3rd to leave for road. Then my LLv broke down, and waited 90 minutes for loaner to arrive. I STILL BEAT EVERY CARRIER( but J route who pulled in 5 minutes before me) BACK TO OFFICE by minimum of 35 minutes.(no one made dispatch) OIC reaction........ well....i'll let you guess . Thus being said, You cannot tell me DPS to street is more efficient or wiser or better for anyone concerned. I will not take it to the street.....they can write me up a million times. The whole thing is absurdly obtuse. </blockquote>
Agree to disagree here, we should all have the choice but to me what is absurd is taking hours to case mail that's already in order only to then spend almost another hour pulling it all down again just so you can work off one bundle but take 2-3 more hours to get the customers their mail and finish your day because you choose to be inefficient.

The bottom line is to each his own but in most cases, taking it to the street will save a lot of time and customers will be thankful to have their mail earlier and with less mistakes.

LouSainus · Jan 28, 2017

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">Joe Reeser said 

I have asked a couple of people who case their DPS whether or not they look at the mail prior to delivery and they have all said yes but I remain skeptical. I understand one can pull out all of the missorts and forwards and whatnot but that really doesn't seem to me to be worth the time it takes to go through it twice. </blockquote>
Well you look at it when you case it in the case. If you plan on looking inside each bundle at each letter on the street I see no reason to case the mail. The route I first subbed on was mostly mounted and I ran a two bundle system everytime. Case up FSS so you have FSS/Raw in one grey tray and run the DPS to the street. Small parcels in a tub on the floor next to seat. Larger parcels next to dps tray. This was before amazon/UPS where we have 3x the physical volume of parcels.

POV mounted I dont see how you can take it to the street in a 3 bundle system unless you have a built in shelf in your POV and run a RHD. 3 bundle systems are much much less effienct than a 2 or 1. Having 3 different mail locations(FSS one tray Raw one tray DPS one tray) plus parcels sitting around is very very hard to keep track of unless its an NBU LLV route working out of the rear.

My advise if you try to take it to the street is. You must have an LLV and is non full coverage day(advos redplums w/e you call them in your area). Case up all flats verticle just bent over face same direction not taco and pull it all down so its like normal FSS in a tray. Load LLV dps in front most area then flats in middle and parcels in 3rd spot and keep a tub of small parcels on the floor next to seat. As you deliver you pick up DPS from front tray finger it glance at flats/raw tray grab what you need toss in box. Set dps down in front of middle FSS tray where you have 4-5 inches of room in front. Drive to next box repeat... 780 times.

boxstuffer · Jan 29, 2017

Long but might help someone.....

44H/48K seasonal LLV DPS non FSS. My case has 1" per address separations (except for the 2"-3" "special" customers who get every damn catalog there is).

For a good Day.....

We show up at 8AM and everything is at office.

The Clerks have already brought our DPS to our cases and the Supervisor and PM are nowhere to be seen.

My case is empty to start.

I check that the truck starts and no new scratches/flat tire(s).

The CRAP

I grab the hot case stuff, start on that. I get 4"-12" of that. Usually find a few new hold cards....Make those tray up.

Next onto the bundle (or tray) of 999 mail (the DPS pullouts). I get about 18" of that a day.

Then I work on the bundle of "Residual" crap. Not sure what this is, but get about 6"-8" of it.

DPS

Now I grab the top tray of DPS. I case all of that then grab the next one, etc.

I like it when the trays are for different areas of the case so I can move around a bit.

FLATS

Once I have DPS up I start casing the coffin of flats at the case. This can be anything bundled/raw/2nd/3rd/etc.

Flats go behind (to right of) DPS in the slots. I prefer to case flats spine down, label front (or left) as I find it easier to slide them in when raw. I don"t care where label is when delivering

Then I work on the tub(s) of 2nd class flats. Next the 2-3 tubs of 3rd class flats. I generally take everything everyday.

I make 5 pullout piles on my case shelf and ledge. FWDs, NMRs, UTFs, IAs (and other), and Missorts. UBBM is a bucket at my left foot.

Properly dispose them in MMM case.

PACKAGES

I grab the Pumpkin full of parcels. (In season I get 2-3 pumpkins)

Ours have a clip on tub that the clerks generally put the smalls in.

I mark parcels by putting a card in front of (left of) the mail for each delivery. At CBUs I put all the markers at the first box.

I made up my own marker cards from poster board 4"x7" in Red and Blue. I have about 200 of each. They are tall enough that they are taller than the case dividers so I can see them if no mail for that slot.

The office supplies those yellow plastic ones but I find them too slippery and use my own.

I mark the big packages with a Red marker card and stack them as they fit at the end of my case on floor and in the coffin.

I pay no attention to delivery order, I do that loading the truck.

Next I grab a regular empty DPS tray and mark the smalls with a Blue card. For me, smalls are anything that will fit in mailbox less than 2" thick.

These do go in order in the tray. If more than 2" thick I consider it a large.

I don't case SPRS so anything with a bar code goes in tray. I rarely miss a scan.

Once done, I place the tray (or two) of smalls in the bottom of pumpkin and then load it with the bigger packages playing Tetris to get them all in one load (if possible).

I stack two tubs for collections, my 1/2 tray, my Bag of mail shit (pens, Stamps, 3849s, FWD packs, Hold cards, Vacant cards, gloves, hat, etc,) and my coffee and radio in the clip on tub at front of pumpkin.

ACCOUNTABLES

At some point the accountable cart comes by. If a parcel, I put in a marker and I tape a blank 3849 to the parcel.

For Certifieds/Express letter size I wrap a blank 3849 over them with an elastic or tape one if large envelope. These I place in front of parcel markers in the case slots. These act as flags when delivering.

I mark accountables with blank 3849s as usually I get sigs on the scanner. If I know the customer is not usually home during day I will fill it out in office. I try to not have to fill it out at the door (in the rain/wind/snow etc.) I do keep a blank one in my pocket if I find a "Sig Required" surprise.

LOADING

I take the cart to the truck.

I divide my truck into 3 sections. All parcels for the last 3rd of the route go on the right side (behind driver) out of order I'll re-arrange these later.

We have shelves so I use those too if needed.

Anything for the middle of the day go in order (front to back) on the left side.

All parcels for the beginning go around driver (basically in order) and in drivers wheel well. If too big to fit it goes at rear of truck.

My LLV has the DPS shelf that has 3 sections under it.

In the front section I put the Tray of smalls. If I have a second tray it goes in back of truck for later.

The middle section has my Letter size collection bucket.

The back section has Flat collection bucket. I get a lot of flats.

On the floor in front of dead space I have a 1/2 tray for Mis-sorts (and my mistakes) and marker cards. I also keep my "Make the dog mad spray" and gas card in there.

My coffee cup goes in the scanner holster mounted to the dash. And my radio goes on the top of dash in front of the holster.

I keep my scanner in front of (closest side to me) the forward DPS tray on the shelf. Always having it in same place makes it faster. I carry it to each door.

PULLING DOWN

I go back in with empty cart and start pulling down. It takes me about 15 minutes to pull down.

I double up trays (sucks when a single tray folds on you with a full load of sorted mail, you only do that once!)

I Helicopter (Criss-Cross) the mail for each address. I pack them tight and only use elastics for CBUs.

What works for me is to place empty DPS tray pair on case shelf. Grab first slot of mail with right hand and place it so the mail is facing left and the bottom of first address is closer to me ( I call this "Up") in left hand. The next slot goes with address down (er.."Down") . Repeat Up-Down till you have a good handful then place in tray all the way to the left. I always end a handful with the addresses Down and start a handful with them Up. This way the Criss-Cross is continuous.

Once a tray is full I write its # on the first piece of mail. I place the tray in pumpkin and start the next. I generally have between 4-8 trays.

LOADING PULL DOWN INTO TRUCK

When done I bring them out to truck. Trays 1-3 go on the DPS shelf anything else goes to rear of truck generally in order.

On shelf tray #2 is front, #1 (Or the one I'm working out of) is in center, and #3 is at rear.

As I empty a tray I slide the next one into the center section and put the empty tray where it was. Otherwise they slide when you brake.

Next I bring cart back in, visit the small room, scan out and hit street.

Usual day takes me 2 hours of office time to be ready to leave from when I get to PO. Fictional leave time on time card is 10AM.

OUT ON STREET

I pull the #1 tray up over the shelf ledge about 3" to get it closer to me. I keep the sliding shelf pushed back all the way.

99% of my route is Box on Post so I just drive up grab the helicoptered bundle....switch it to my right hand.

In one motion with right hand put down flag (if up), open box, slide mail in and grab outgoing, close box, throw collected into bucket.

Grab next bundle with left hand......Wet/rinse/repeat.

When grabbing the next bundle I look at that address and the one behind it. This ensures I don't make a "double pull"

For parcels on first 3rd of route I grab them from around me.

For second third of route I grab them from the back left. Using an occasional power slide to move them up.

I have a spot on the route where I pull over to re-organize the parcels and move fresh trays up onto shelf.

I load the truck and trays so this is a good break point.

Usual road time is 3 hours (off season) 4-1/2 if heavy (in season)

I usually beat evaluation by hour or more. I guess I'm just fast/accurate enough. No complaints from Mgmt.

They do watch my edit book like a hawk so I know I'm not (gaming) the system.

CONCUSION

This is a good day.....there are always those Bad days when nothing is ready when we get there and the trucks are late with heavy mail volume. Plus its raining/snowing, truck breaks down, or we get 3 EBDM flyers and those damn RH catalogs.

This works for me. It has evolved over 4 years or so and I'm always looking for tips/tricks to get faster.

Regular that trained me years ago said "Seconds Count" so I try to shave seconds everyday.

Casing DPS and Helicoptering/Grab and Go is fastest for me.

I tried DPS to street but with my case being so broken up with seasonal pull outs it makes it hard/slower.

I will also not mark parcels if they are light. I had 30 total parcels one day last week (made an early day).

Everyday is a bit different but repetition of skills makes it instinct.

Hope this helps someone. Be safe.

BS

Joe Reeser · Jan 29, 2017

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">LouSainus said 

Well you look at it when you case it in the case.</blockquote>
I would certainly hope so lol

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">If you plan on looking inside each bundle at each letter on the street I see no reason to case the mail.</blockquote>
It's not so much planning on looking inside the bundle as that's what we're supposed to do. One reason our time standards keep getting cut is that so few people actually follow all of the procedures mandated - including me. I rather doubt I even know them all much less follow them all.

One must case the raw to put it in delivery sequence. All of the mail is supposed to be checked prior to delivery into the mailbox - at least that's the way I read the PO-603. I don't do that all the time myself but I do as long as I'm not running extremely late.

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">POV mounted I dont see how you can take it to the street in a 3 bundle system unless you have a built in shelf in your POV and run a RHD.</blockquote>
I did it for years subbing on two 48K routes and running a small Aux. We all have LLVs now.

I ran a 1990 Buick Lesabre with regular LHD. I ran it from when I was hired in '05 until I got an LLV in '09. I did all of my own maintenance except for replacing the transmission once.

I wish I had a pic of the setup but I never took any. I removed the center armrest that swiveled up between the seat backs. I always hated that thing anyway. I replaced it with a small shelf I made that used the same mounting points and would also swivel up between the seat backs when not in use. That small shelf was configured to hold a half-tray at an angle and sit on top of my left leg when I was delivering. The shelf had a non-slip covering and edges so the tray would not move during any normal vehicle maneuvering. I worked the DPS directly out of that tray - I never picked up handfuls. Flats I worked out of a tub that sat in the rest of my lap. I would pick up my DPS, go through the flats, and place them in the box. If I had boxholders they went in the driver's seat. If I didn't have boxholders then SPRs went in the driver's seat instead. Medium sized parcels went in the back seat. Large parcels went in the trunk. (I mark my parcels)

I really can't imagine delivering all of these Amazon parcels out of a POV.

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">3 bundle systems are much much less effienct than a 2 or 1. Having 3 different mail locations(FSS one tray Raw one tray DPS one tray) plus parcels sitting around is very very hard to keep track of unless its an NBU LLV route working out of the rear.</blockquote>
The more bundles you have to work from the more difficult it is to keep track of - undoubtedly. I have worked four bundles a few times (two full-coverage mailings) and I despised it. We don't have FFS here.

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">My advise if you try to take it to the street is. You must have an LLV and is non full coverage day(advos redplums w/e you call them in your area). Case up all flats verticle just bent over face same direction not taco and pull it all down so its like normal FSS in a tray. Load LLV dps in front most area then flats in middle and parcels in 3rd spot and keep a tub of small parcels on the floor next to seat. As you deliver you pick up DPS from front tray finger it glance at flats/raw tray grab what you need toss in box. Set dps down in front of middle FSS tray where you have 4-5 inches of room in front. Drive to next box repeat... 780 times. </blockquote>
I do have an LLV now - a 41J with about 600 stops in 35 miles. I have a large subdivision that's about a fourth of the route. Everything else is farm country.

I case my flats with the address in. I don't care where the spine goes as I stand my flats up. I have my case set up so there are a few blank slots at the beginning of every shelf so I don't have to roll any flats. Every address has a 1" cell except for a few very high volume customers. I case all my presort/shrink-wrapped flats first, then the regular raw flats. I then case fletters and then raw letters. I sort my parcels into small, medium and large and mark them with three different colored markers. I pull down into rubber-banded bundles with four or five going into a two-foot hard tray. I put my DPS trays in order and pull out the holds. About half of my holds never get held out even though they're processed.

In the LLV, my cased mail in the hard tray goes to the front of the shelf. My first tray of DPS goes in the middle. A tub of medium parcels goes at the back. The remaining trays of DPS sit on the floor just behind the tray where I can reach them and pull them up without leaving the seat once the current tray is empty. I work DPS directly out of the tray without picking it up first.

Two tubs of SPRs go on the floor in front of the tray legs. A third one goes behind the tray legs to be cycled once the first two are empty. Any other tubs of SPRs go in the back. A tub for collection mail goes between the tray legs. A half-tray for missorts/forwards/whatnot goes between that tub and the seat. A tub for parcel markers and other supplies/misc goes between the third SPR tub and the seat. Additional trays of flats go in the back.

I'm sure my system is more complicated than it really needs to be but it works well for me.

kdog2521 · Jan 30, 2017

G

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">haygrrl said 
welllll here we go again

26 yr career carrier...i will never sort mail behind the wheel of a vehicle whose transmission is engaged in drive, while vehicles are flying by me on back country blind turns or in culdesacs where children are playing. Sorting mail on the street reduces the carriers ability to secure and maintain a safe working perimeter around his or her vehicle. No supervisor can do a better job if they move their desk and computer onto the street- although THAT would be entertaining! It also increases fuel costs, wear and tear on an aging vehicle fleet(gov) and increases exposure to safety hazards...ill take wear and tear on my hands over running over a kid at a mail box any day...imho </blockquote>
Give it a break and stop being so dramatic, so instead of pulling from one bundle, your pulling from 2 at most 3 , you're not out there sorting mail , stop with the self righteousness and realize your way isn't the only right way ...

mrsreese · Feb 5, 2017

Hello I'm a new RCA I started in Dec. 2016, and I'm worried because I'm always the last to get back. I can drive the route with my eyes close but it takes me forever to case because the route gets heavy mail and packages. I think the evaluated time is 9.8 and it is a K-5 day heavy route, 44 hrs and 31 miles. How can I get better at casing or should I take my dps to the street?

Nebcarrier · Feb 5, 2017

I find that it is easier to take DPS to street when you don't have a lot of flats and raw mail. But beforewarned, you should know the names on the case as PARS doesn't always catch forwards and still have lots of MMM in ours.

gotstamps · Feb 5, 2017

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">mrsreese said 
Hello I'm a new RCA I started in Dec. 2016, and I'm worried because I'm always the last to get back. I can drive the route with my eyes close but it takes me forever to case because the route gets heavy mail and packages. I think the evaluated time is 9.8 and it is a K-5 day heavy route, 44 hrs and 31 miles. How can I get better at casing or should I take my dps to the street? </blockquote>
Depends on the type of route & if it has an LLV. Also, what day of the week since some days are HEAVY and others can be super-light.

If you have a lot or all CBUs, taking the CBU DPS to the street does save time in office & case only the Curbs (if any). This works regardless of LLV or POV.

If it's all or majority curbs, then taking it to the street will take longer at the boxes in an LLV but I wouldn't do it in a POV. Maybe someone with curbs & POV can pipe in with tips, it just never worked for me.

csparks · Feb 5, 2017

I imagine this is the "tastes great-less filling" debate for rural carriers. My PM convinced me early on to try taking DPS to the street. For me, as an RCA, it was a great time-saver and learning tool.

I have a very rural route, and I think that lends itself to taking the DPS out with you. In a typical mile run down a gravel road I encounter anywhere from 2-3 to at most 8-9 boxes, so I can kind of stay ahead of the game. I guess volume and terrain are the big deciding factors.

Still, now that I know the route well, there are days I've thought maybe I should try casing, just so I'm not constantly working out the next stop. It can be a bit tiring, distracting. Obviously, safety and attention to driving are big factors that probably favor casing.

csparks · Feb 5, 2017

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">mrsreese said 
Hello I'm a new RCA I started in Dec. 2016, and I'm worried because I'm always the last to get back. I can drive the route with my eyes close but it takes me forever to case because the route gets heavy mail and packages. I think the evaluated time is 9.8 and it is a K-5 day heavy route, 44 hrs and 31 miles. How can I get better at casing or should I take my dps to the street? </blockquote>
On the DPS issue, you'll get various replies based on what the individual likes. All I can say is that when I was getting started, I felt that taking the DPS to the street was a very good thing. It got me out on the route faster, and provided a bit of a road map. Still, it requires lots of concentration, and could be tough/hazardous if you travel busy roads....

Personally, another trick that helped me a lot was a set of "casing stickers". My carrier happened to have a new set of the stickers that you place on the cases with the name/address. I took these, and marked them to help me follow how the case ran in my mind. By that I mean I'd mark off 1-Left, 1-Center, 1-Right along these stickers to show where the addresses were on each row of the actual case. Hope that makes sense.

I also made cheat sheets for the roads based on E/W or N/S. I'd list the road, then which hundred blocks and where that area appeared on the case. You'll think of something that clicks with your study pattern. Basically, you've just got to study some at home to help yourself out.

noluv4llv · Feb 5, 2017

I started out using my own vehicle (I now sub on a llv route) and I think it would be very hard to take dps to the street in your own vehicle. Plus there is a better chance of it sliding around or spilling. I switch up my routine depending on mail volume and whether I'm in my own office or another one. If the mail is really heavy in my own office I will case half or a little more of my dps and take the rest to the street, but I case all my flats and "other" mail and pull down the part that I'm taking to the street in a separate tray. If I am in another office and they are finicky about times I take it to the street just to get out of there, but it does not save me any time, it just gives me a break from being nervous or being watched. I will always like to case all my mail, it's what has worked best for me and no matter which way I do it, I finish about the same time. Casing takes longer in office, but taking it to the street takes longer on the street. Also, you mentioned you're the last one back, I would not worry about that all. 9.8 hours is a big day and it's probably the biggest or one of the biggest routes, just do your best, that's all you can do. Kudos to you for caring enough to try to better your situation too!

csparks · Feb 5, 2017

<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote">noluv4llv said 
I started out using my own vehicle (I now sub on a llv route) and I think it would be very hard to take dps to the street in your own vehicle. Plus there is a better chance of it sliding around or spilling. I switch up my routine depending on mail volume and whether I'm in my own office or another one. If the mail is really heavy in my own office I will case half or a little more of my dps and take the rest to the street, but I case all my flats and "other" mail and pull down the part that I'm taking to the street in a separate tray. If I am in another office and they are finicky about times I take it to the street just to get out of there, but it does not save me any time, it just gives me a break from being nervous or being watched. I will always like to case all my mail, it's what has worked best for me and no matter which way I do it, I finish about the same time. Casing takes longer in office, but taking it to the street takes longer on the street. Also, you mentioned you're the last one back, I would not worry about that all. 9.8 hours is a big day and it's probably the biggest or one of the biggest routes, just do your best, that's all you can do. Kudos to you for caring enough to try to better your situation too! </blockquote>
You make a good point about the DPS spilling/sliding. I forgot to add that in "taking it to the street" I do quickly separate the DPs into small handfuls that I rubber band and then place into the small letter trays before leaving. I pull down all the cased mail into tubs, then wedge the small trays of DPS between the tub (on seat) and glove box. I then work the tub/DPS tray together.

gotstamps · Feb 5, 2017

Mrsreese- just realized... I think you mean 8.8 hrs which would be a 44K. There is no 9.8 since 49K doesn't exist. Still depending on what day it is, weather, & how many days you have actually worked the route, you're probably doing just fine. Working just ONE day a week can make it difficult to learn a route.

olewhatshername · Feb 5, 2017

<ul>
<li>I am trying to watch the FALCONS win the Super Bowl.....but as long as we can make the choice to case DPS or take it to the street on any given day I do whatever is most efficient for any given day. Some days it is inserting the raw and flats in the DPS trays, some days it is DPS/flats and raw (two bundles) and some days it is single bundle system. </li>
<li>Changing it up keeps it from being boring to me. </li>
<li>I do feel the one bundle system is safer.</li>
<li></li>
</ul>