Btw, people should time themselves stopping for gas. 4.5 minutes isn't cutting it out here. At the new station with fast pumps it averages about 5:20 for me. Longer if I need to walk in for a receipt. But we have the auto vacuum hoses that shut off every half gallon due to vapor loss. I'm sure in GA you could fill 11 gallons in 4.5 minutes.
Drats! The New Vans!
- Thread starter Bukowski
- Start date
Jiminy Christmas
Well-known member
Maybe the cage is held in by just a few bolts .... it would be a shame if they had a manufacturing defect where the bolts just fell out without warning one day... 
I think it would be fascinating to get an actual factual answer from the union!!!
From your work here, it looks like there's not much difference. And yes, the process Bukowski described above, all two hundred steps for each mail drop or parcel, is what we all go through every day in an LLV.
So...with these new vehicles is management liable to fix any repairs? What about flat tires?
If this is the case, my office will not get them.
Office A has just a PM and clerk working (sometimes just one person especially Saturdays) They also have nobody there from 1230 til 2 during the week and after 1130 on Saturdays.
Office B is worse. Everyone is gone by 1145 during the week and after 930 on Saturdays.
Nobody to run us a backup vehicle. Nobody to come change my tire (lol). If the rules are the same as LLV we will not get these fancy cars here
If this is the case, my office will not get them.
Office A has just a PM and clerk working (sometimes just one person especially Saturdays) They also have nobody there from 1230 til 2 during the week and after 1130 on Saturdays.
Office B is worse. Everyone is gone by 1145 during the week and after 930 on Saturdays.
Nobody to run us a backup vehicle. Nobody to come change my tire (lol). If the rules are the same as LLV we will not get these fancy cars here
DB.Cooper
Well-known member
They might contract with a garage in the area... like maybe a AAA garage.... they do flat repairs and so forth....
Voglio-il mio
Well-known member
Just to clarify the DPS time standard is actually a decease (in time) not an increase. Its a decease of about 1/3 for that piece of your evaluation! As for the Fueling if you don't have a gas station on your line of travel (I don't) make sure you also get the additional mileage for your (typically LLV) two refuels a week! For me its only about 4 miles, but that adds 48 minutes a week based on our current standards of 12 minutes a mile, it all adds up resulting in pushing you into the next higher evaluation!
I'm currently in offices which are suburban/office deliveries, with VMF 15 miles away, so they make regular visits to our office for repairs. If repairs are needed, the Vehicle Repair Form is completed, submitted to supervisor, and it's electronically entered for que and repair or tow. That's for all our PO owned vehicles. Any repair is covered and done by VMF, no matter how small or insignificant. I have worked in the past using POV just as reference.
I thought all repairs were fully covered for ANY PO provided vehicle?
The offices I'm in contact with where winter driving chains are sometimes necessary, and tows from stuck vehicles, the PO provides the service, through contracts with local garages and tire stores. All the employee needs to do in circumstances is call in to the supervisor and it's set in motion for remedy. Even the offices with mix of LLV and POV they provide chain and tow help to both. (perhaps because it's an outside contract and the district can't determine whether it's PO or POV??)
Chime in fellow brain surgeons, educate me! I don't know what I don't know.
I thought all repairs were fully covered for ANY PO provided vehicle?
The offices I'm in contact with where winter driving chains are sometimes necessary, and tows from stuck vehicles, the PO provides the service, through contracts with local garages and tire stores. All the employee needs to do in circumstances is call in to the supervisor and it's set in motion for remedy. Even the offices with mix of LLV and POV they provide chain and tow help to both. (perhaps because it's an outside contract and the district can't determine whether it's PO or POV??)
Chime in fellow brain surgeons, educate me! I don't know what I don't know.
Yes, any fuel deviation is added to mileage. The DPS calculation for right hand drive GOV is a 57% decrease over POV. The routes given promasters or other left hand drive GOV do not take the DPS hit. My llv needs gas every 60 miles. It can't go 100 miles without running dry well before that point. I do hope the nrlca considers DPS handled on the street is not fuel efficient and as such, we shouldn't be compensated at half time elements for fueling. When rca's drive my vehicle with one bundle mail it still won't go past 75 miles before running out of gas. The 100 mile formula is a crock.
Regarding repairs, if a vehicle becomes inoperable on the route they contract with local tows to return it to USPS office for voma to repair. When the llv's were new they were pretty reliable except for torque converters on hill routes. And of course the USPS was shocked at how often the brakes needed to be replaced. Those of us who had been replacing brakes every three months laughed hard. Maintenance cost enough on a personal vehicle you actually try to conserve life span on. Give us essentially a rental car and it's going to be driven like we stole it.?
Regarding repairs, if a vehicle becomes inoperable on the route they contract with local tows to return it to USPS office for voma to repair. When the llv's were new they were pretty reliable except for torque converters on hill routes. And of course the USPS was shocked at how often the brakes needed to be replaced. Those of us who had been replacing brakes every three months laughed hard. Maintenance cost enough on a personal vehicle you actually try to conserve life span on. Give us essentially a rental car and it's going to be driven like we stole it.?
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Just a little tip for those new to GOV - check your vehicle every morning as soon as you arrive for work. Any repairs need to be notified as soon as possible to hope you can use your route vehicle on any given day. A simple tire or battery replacement can usually be repaired that day. But anything requiring specific parts may take 24 hours or longer. If a vehicle starts acting hinky on the route call your manager and have them notify for repairs or you will have no vehicle tomorrow and will be waiting to share someone else's.
Gotrope recommends what we do in our daily lives but the PO rarely does, plan in advance, get a jump on problems. It's our survival. We all do first thing vehicle checks, and if there's an issue, VMF can possibly get it fixed while casing our routes.
Skierstmoritz
Well-known member
Our office, all llv, has a contract with a small local garage. Garage has a guy who is a whiz on llvs. Can fix most anything and they have parts in stock. Garage services 2 or 3 other officiEs as well. Nearest vmf is @ 75 miles away. Pm calls local garage , they show up for any llv issue. Saved us many a time. We are fortunate
MiddleOfNowhere
Well-known member
not all time increases are good. anyone with a 46k route, that has an hour increase, would likely be cut. i can still remember having a rear wheel drive in the late 70's, and how they handled on ice and snow. no thanks... maybe they'll be buying chains for the tires, and teaching rural carriers how to put them on. they used to put chains on some things. was it the llv's, or the really old jeeps they had?
realroutecarrier
Well-known member
I think we might be over thinking the cage thing a bit! We in LLVs already do stop the truck, pull the brakes, curb the wheels, unbuckle and get out of the truck! How else do we deliver the packages? ? we already should not be twisting around into the back from the seat, the cage will only stop that part! But let’s think of the good parts!
air conditioner, heat, they should drive like a dream not a one horse wagon,your going to get a gas card, so free gas! And when ur transmission is out u won’t have to use ur vacation days while they fix it!! It’s going to be great! You will never miss that ema money it will look different but it won’t be different!
flash
Well-known member
The LLVs do have chains, we even have them here, and it snowed about 4 years ago, and occasionally ice storms.
Not sure if they’re actually IN all the LLVs, but the safety office does have them and will train you how to use them.
I never learned how to do chains or cables(which are better) when they came off I called in, if i needed them while i was out on the route they came and put them on or towed me to a garage and put them on, not in my job description. Be sure you ask who is going to take care of repairs and maintenance and flats and chains....NOT YOU! Even if they pay you.
flash
Well-known member
Ok,
Sorry.
Wasn’t trying to tell you that you had to do “work” for free.
Just stating that in our district they are available even though they would be needed about once every 5 years.
Guess I’m too used to a POV where I change flats, do maintenance on the fly, and yes, I have chains and know how to put them on. And have, on occasion, had to be pulled out a ditch or two. Just saying.
DB.Cooper
Well-known member
I'm in a remote area as well.... no nearby VMF.... a few years ago, they put LLVs on several rural routes at a nearby PO... I saw lots of them on the back of a flatbed tow truck from a garage right down the street from the PO, I was told they had a contract with this garage for towing and minor repairs.... for major repairs they probably sent them off to a VMF... I doubt there is only a one size fits all solution for PO vehicle maintenance and repairs....
DB.Cooper
Well-known member
It's such a shell game.... give it here, and take it away over there..... I ain't skeered.... give me a brand damned new Mercedes-Benz.... try to scare me like that.... make my day....
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