<blockquote class="spPostEmbedQuote"><strong>pot hole dodger said </strong>
You only get paid evaluation for the route, even when you are ordered to start early. Some of these routes are severely over burdened, and EVERYBODY (the regular carrier and management) knows it. But the RCA has no influence on that whatsoever, so they are just stuck with working their ass off on an overburdened route that stays that way due to someone else's decision.
Then when, and if, you get finished early, you have to go out and help the other routes on a green card, some of which are ALSO OVERBURDENED, with regular carriers that are either too stingy, too stupid, or too chicken shit to have them cut. </blockquote>
There is one place where a sub has some influence... that's during count! Most subs don't want to be bothered with learning how to "count" or know but don't think it matters. It can take 3 good days of count to make up for 1 bad day. If the mail volume is there but the sub "forgets" to be timed/counted... well that doesn't just screw the Reg, but the sub also.
Also, the Regs don't have much influence once a route comes back under-evaluated. Some under-evaluated routes are as such due to the cuts/adds that were forced after the last count. I've been cut due to growth more times than I remember and it never fails that mgmt will not take my suggested cuts and WILL cut a low-volume section leaving the carrier with a heavy route & an incorrect volume #. It's not up to a Regular on whether their route gets cut. A route is flagged as overburdened when the eval hits 47K. My 44K acts like a 47k but I won't be cut since it is essentially a 44k. Each hour cut from a route is a HUGE $$$$ loss.