• Everyone, please help make our jobs easier and choose the correct category. Thank you

Dps to the street and parcel marking

Boxholder said:
I do something very similar. Have all the routes I run on paper in route order and just circle each house number I have a parcel for. Works great. Might cost me a few pennies to print a new sheet each shift but I've always been more than happy to create a tool on my own dime if it makes the work day go easier. I checked once at some of the print shops and figured it would cost me about $120 for the year if I asked for a years supply. Very worth it to me, especially because of our crazy volume these days.
Click to expand...
Ask to print on office machine. Do double sided. 15 copies a month. After all its job related. You could even put in a plastic sleeve and use a wipe off marker
 
Lloyd Christmas said:
Markers are a huge time waster... Have you tried numbering your parcels by sequence number of the mailbox? Then if you're running the route in order just follow the next one in sequence. Also makes putting SPRs in order a snap.
Go to load truck from the main menu and scan the packages.

Otherwise label the packages where they are in the case... (and no markers) e.g. 1A 3B 5D ... but I like to add an extra notation of where in that section the package is using L C R (left center right) so my numbers will look like 1AL 1AC 1AR 1BL 1BC 1BR .... etc then it's easy when you have 10 parcels in section 1A, you know the 1ALs will come before the 1ARs.

But then you still have to keep up with bigger packages and SPRs, where as if you use the sequence number they're all the same.
Click to expand...
Try this nonsense in a POV with 300 packages after being forced to take dps to the street with 2 full eddm's. I'll stick to casing package markers up with street number and descriptive text about the package so I know what I'm looking for back there.
 
If markers work for you, cool. But it's still a huge waste of time... might be why you're forced to take DPS to the street, you've spent all morning casing and writing on markers.
 
Lloyd Christmas said:
If markers work for you, cool. But it's still a huge waste of time... might be why you're forced to take DPS to the street, you've spent all morning casing and writing on markers.
Click to expand...

If our employer wants us to deal with massive amounts of packages maybe its time for them to solve these problems, until then each their own. Just like DPS, some take it to the street others don't.
 
ks-hillbilly said:
There are lots of empty cells - kinda confusing out on the street - who gets the parcel?
Some write lists instead of parcel marking
Any other suggestions?
Thought about markers in the dps since I have less skipping of customers - anyone try this ?
Click to expand...
One time only because I use package loo ahead I asked for a print out of my package s and received one so I know they can do this
 
Morty said:
I've done all the above, I can go without marking. I think it's good to know many ways for different situations.

My comfort marking is this, as a regular:

Corresponding tubs to shelves on the floor. Pile of markers in 1 hand, other hand grab a spur, chuck it to tub, & mark it, put em on order.

Push cart of bigs outside to vehicle. Memo pad in 1 hand, pen in the other. I have 3 columns: beginning, middle, end of route. I see the address, put # only in the corresponding column, and load. Go back in and load up cart again & repeat or if enough room for mail will not load but will notate. Use the memo pad to mark...or not.

2 colors of markers. They can be the plastic ones or buy poster board and make your own.

I want my day to be brain dead. This is how I make that happen.

I also had to train my clerks via grievance. #4) Due to 2080 and leave time constraints, should the clerks place spurs in tubs for quicker sorting and to help the carrier stay under 2080?
Click to expand...
Here's a link to the cards. All different colors and not too expensive. (0.39) each.

If you're office is anything like mine, take them home at the end of the day.

N1001237-CSBCS/DBCSCARDS, MULTI-PURPOSE (SEPERATOR/MARKER), AZURE, 5-3/4" x 9", N1001237

N1001237-CSBCS/DBCSCARDS, MULTI-PURPOSE (SEPERATOR/MARKER), AZURE, 5-3/4" x 9", N1001237
www.postalproducts.com www.postalproducts.com
 
Every carrier claims they're doing it the best or only way and everything else wastes time. The REALITY is some things work better for some carriers, some other things for others. We are all not mentally the same so do what works for YOU. Don't be afraid to try different techniques, usually on a slow day. Sometimes you find using lists on busy days and not on fewer parcel days works too. Depends on your route, your vehicle, your parcels, and other requirements like forcing DPS to street.

I've worked in many offices, some with 50 routes, doing a different one each day. I'm now regular, but have found what works for ME. I tub chunks by section of the route. I use an excel spreadsheet with every address of the route in order top to bottom. As I load I list what doesn't fit into the tubs, then folding in half on visor. This serves two purposes. First, it helps me memorize what I have for the day. Second, when there are two, five, seven to one address, and I've got 300 in the LLV, I search until I get all of them and don't have to go back, which is lots more costly time wise than the little time it takes to list on load. I've tried marking parcels, doing nothing but with the volume I've discontinued both. Handling the larger ones once but listing them as I load is the fastest consistently for ME.

FYI -- I typically case everything, as flat and letter volume is strong in our offices. "Tacos" daily with EDDM, backers, etc. Every home gets mail every day, except those on vacation or temp vacant between owners or tenants -- and those no deliveries I mark with an old "vacation hold" card so I don't have to look at the mail during delivery. Yellow card means skip that box. Again, carriers, try stuff and do what's best for you. BEST may mean almost the fastest way BUT less mentally stressful. Best of luck.
 
I'm old school I let the mail do the work. I look over the mail when I come through the door, then decide how I work it that day. If no boxholders and flats are normal I case all flats and then mark all parcels. I use different color markers for big and small. Then I go get dps since there is the mail for everyone. Then I start at the top of case pull out flats and markers in order and put it down in the dps where it goes. If I have boxholders I always case everything them days so I only have to work off boxholders. I've never scanned parcels in office to load nor write on markers, sticky notes or the package itself. Everyone has their way I know, but this new stuff to me makes no sense double triple working on the same items, expecally when we aren't paid to use that scanner twice on same packages or pen to paper markup credit for writing on anything. It's bad enough we don't get paid for all these extra parcels and longer loading times! That's just my thoughts, don't make any matter.
 
I made a list in Excel, or LibreOffice, of the boxes on the route by name and in order.

I made it into multiple columns. I printed it out and put it in a a piece of plastic that is something like a photograph or document holder. They run about a dollar a piece but each one lasts me 6 or more months.

I then use wet erase markers of different colors. Small parcels that are organized get a red dot after their name. Big parcels that will most likely be in the back get a blue dot. Anything else gets a green dot.

This method even allows you to look way ahead on the route and see who's got what coming up when.

I attached a picture that I intentionally resized to blur the names.

IMG_20210209_52201.jpg
 
I can see that working. I just don't want an extra step in the process. I would only use that in second trips but for that I just jot down the address. That's a good idea though.
 
She mails rural said:
I can see that working. I just don't want an extra step in the process. I would only use that in second trips but for that I just jot down the address. That's a good idea though.
Click to expand...
It’s a good idea, cause you can roll your hamper of parcels to the truck and mark and load right there. It eliminates multiple touching of packages. And then you only have to case the dps in between the flats (or vice versa like someone else said) because there is no marking in the case. That’s the advantage. The whole picture.
 
Ok yep I truly get it and I'm glad that works for you but myself don't like loading parcels in extreme heat for to long nor cold for to long rain, wind etc then go back in to work more before I load again. Plus my real benefit is my mail always goes in first so I can insure I can access at ease and not work around parcels. Parcels delivery for me is a secondary function, my mail is first priority. I guess cause that's the way I was trained and taught, many many moons ago lol. No way is the best way, its just all our own ways that works best.
 
Old Fart said:
Every carrier claims they're doing it the best or only way and everything else wastes time. The REALITY is some things work better for some carriers, some other things for others. We are all not mentally the same so do what works for YOU. Don't be afraid to try different techniques, usually on a slow day. Sometimes you find using lists on busy days and not on fewer parcel days works too. Depends on your route, your vehicle, your parcels, and other requirements like forcing DPS to street.

I've worked in many offices, some with 50 routes, doing a different one each day. I'm now regular, but have found what works for ME. I tub chunks by section of the route. I use an excel spreadsheet with every address of the route in order top to bottom. As I load I list what doesn't fit into the tubs, then folding in half on visor. This serves two purposes. First, it helps me memorize what I have for the day. Second, when there are two, five, seven to one address, and I've got 300 in the LLV, I search until I get all of them and don't have to go back, which is lots more costly time wise than the little time it takes to list on load. I've tried marking parcels, doing nothing but with the volume I've discontinued both. Handling the larger ones once but listing them as I load is the fastest consistently for ME.

FYI -- I typically case everything, as flat and letter volume is strong in our offices. "Tacos" daily with EDDM, backers, etc. Every home gets mail every day, except those on vacation or temp vacant between owners or tenants -- and those no deliveries I mark with an old "vacation hold" card so I don't have to look at the mail during delivery. Yellow card means skip that box. Again, carriers, try stuff and do what's best for you. BEST may mean almost the fastest way BUT less mentally stressful. Best of luck.
Click to expand...
Do....what...is...SAFE....not necessarily the most convenient..js
 

Share this page

New Media

IMG_6889.jpeg
B679D973-BCBD-4724-8345-6775F1EE86B0.jpeg
1000002893.gif
1000002887.jpg
IMG_6632.jpeg
IMG_6632.jpeg
IMG_6632.jpeg
1000003305.jpg
20240411_141451.jpg
590DF2D6-0DFB-4053-89DB-88DB368B0E65.jpeg
Screenshot_20240404_122857_Google.jpg
Screenshot_20240404_122947_Google.jpg
Back
Top