IamA UPS Driver, AMA!

When someone marks "Fragile" on a box, do you guys just take it as a challenge or what?

I treat them all the same. I don't get paid extra to handle something that says fragile.

Also people assume the driver is the bad guy for breaking stuff. 99% I'd bet on the warehouse staff causing the problems

Warehouse staff here. It was like that when it got to me. Honest.

After working preload and whatnot I'm surprised most people's stuff isn't broken lol.

Not hating on you guys, that stuff sucks in there man. Been there, them trucks ain't unloading themselves.

When you come across a damaged throughout your day and take it back to the building do you sheet it as a missed delivery or as a damage?

I take it you are a driver? If I think something is truly damaged, I sheet it damaged. You can't always know though.

Why do you sneak up and leave a "sorry we missed you" note on my door when i have been waiting all day and never left the house?

Because you didn't answer the door.

I would try knocking on the door myself throughout the day, still made a noise, also tried ringing the doorbell many times, maybe i broke it, then it fixed itself when i tried it again later :)

Well, since you think we're out to make your life hard, have it delivered to a UPS store or your work.

Do you live in an apartment?

it was a house at the time, it happened a bunch when i was working from home, now i get everything shipped to the office, so packages show up after hours:)

I don't think you are out to make my life hard, i think that a lot of drivers like to make their life easier, by not waiting for some wanker to answer the door, i don't know man, i waited for packages that never came, and when i look out the door i see that damn notice.

I would say out of 200 packages for houses, only 1 require a signature on average. So I don't know what the problem is. Everything else is driver released, meaning I leave it on your porch.

But sometimes I wait until you get up to pee.

Would you rather deliver one horse-sized package or 100 packages the size of a duck?

one horse sized package for sure

Ever have sex with a customer on your delivery route?

I never kiss and tell.

no

Did the show the King of Queens accurately describe your job?

Not really. He was never in a hurry. But to be fair, I've never watched the show besides a few episodes here and there.

Why do you put "package undeliverable-fence locked" when I don't even have a fence?

I feel like that would've been hysterical to read the first time you had that error.

Oh I've had better ones than that from these idiot UPS drivers. They once claimed my address didn't exist then sent a post card to said non-existent a address for me to come pick my package up from the depo. I know what the problem is. The driver is lazy and I'm out of the way. I will pay extra for FedEx. They actually do what I pay them to do.

Hey I'm sorry that has happened to you. I would complain and escalate the problem past the local center. Almost every driver I know is very proud of what they do. It's not the most glamorous, but we know what is expected of us and enjoy our jobs. So having a bad apple just sucks for everyone.

I've heard from Reddit that UPS drivers are actually paid well. How true is this?

Very

I hear that UPS drivers get discounts from a lot of places they deliver to. Is this true?

It's encouraged you be super friendly and build relationships with the customers. I usually get free stuff wherever I go. Wendy's, 7/11, but there are no official perks

What would you do in the event someone tried to steal your van?

You let them have it.

What do you do when you cross paths with a FedEx truck?

Drag race every time

Do you get lost ever?

Nah, it only sucks if I'm running country stuff opposed to neighborhoods or tight business areas and my phone dies. And it's dark. Then you get sad because it'll be a loooooong day

How is the competition between you and FedEx or other companies? Do you feel satisfied at your job or ever consider switching sides?

I haven't had any bad experiences with FedEx employees. We usually wave to each other. I see it just like anywhere else. McDonalds employees don't hate Wendys. I love my job, and I wouldn't switch. UPS has a lot stricter policy on how we act and what we do, I think it's for better.

For the packages that require a signature or someone to answer the door, what's the approximate ratio of successful deliveries to unsuccessful (i.e. leaving a note that says "we missed you")?

Typically people are at work, so I'd say like 25% of the time it gets delivered.

What can brown do for me?

Prolly ship something idk what you need

What are your thoughts on oatmeal cookies?

Chocolate chip or bust

A driver (different company) forged my signature on a delivery (that required a signature), and left it outside. Is that a common thing, or is he way out of line?

I imagine there is a lot of pressure from above this time of year to make deliveries, which is fair enough, but not knocking (when I'm home) and forging a signature is a bit over the top

As the other commenter said, UPS handles this very seriously. I have personally seen drivers lose their jobs and be charged for this. And usually the situation was harmless like they know the guy for 10 years so any other time he would be fine with it,but the package just so happened to be stolen so now there's a problem.

Ballpark, what is your paycheck like? I hear driving for UPS is a high demand job because of how well it pays. Having being in the beverage distribution business, many drivers have left to join UPS.

After 4 years hitting cap pay you'll be right at 6 figures. Benefits are all paid for as well.

How often do you make left turns?

3 rights make a left

Do UPS drivers ever steal packages? I've heard stories of drivers stealing certain things and marking them as "delivered" to the buyer. One case specifically was over a pair of yeezys (a popular shoe that resells for around 600-800 dollars) and the ups driver marked the package as delivered but apparently drove off with them.

My question specifically is, have you ever witnessed/heard of another driver stealing packages or someone claiming you/another driver stole packages?

Not that I have known. I'm sure it's happened. Nothing I'm delivering is worth losing my job security, my salary and benefits over.

Most things I have no idea what they are anyways. Normally just brown boxes you know?

Have you ever accidentally run over an animal while on the job? If so, how did you feel or react?

I haven't, luckily. Hitting a pet is a punishable offense. I would feel destroyed mentally. I love my doggos

If I'm not home at 3pm at the first delivery attempt, why do you insist on redelivering at the same time the following day?

My route is the same every day so it's a good chance I'll be in the same area the next day at the same time.

Have it delivered to your work or to a UPS store, that's my best advice for you.

How often do you mess up your addresses?

Not too often. Normally, especially in the peak busy times, if I had like 4 houses that I would do in one stop. I might sit the piece for house 22 on 24 or something.

9/10 I catch it before I leave that area, because I notice on the next box that something is wrong. The other 1/10 the customer will usually just take it to their neighbor, but not always.

Thanks! Asked because we had three incidents over Christmas!

It happens man. Especially in the heavy residential areas. Having to get rid of 500 boxes in a day, when you left the building late already is stressful. Then its dark at 5 and you're out til 9:30. It sucks. Best you can do for us is just take it to your neighbor. We'll come get it and make it right if you can't.

Did you find anything from the Reddit gift exchange?

I don't get to open the boxes on my truck anymore so I don't know if I did.

What do you mean anymore? You used to be able to open anything you want!?

a joke that I usually use when people dumbly ask me what it is when I bring them a box. Or that I forgot my tape so I couldn't look. They're all just boxes

What kind of pressure does the company put on the drivers in regards to time spent delivering packages?

Are drivers encouraged to speed?

What are the consequences of speeding tickets?

We have a preset time that our days work is equated to. It doesn't really matter if you do better or worse as long as you aren't hours over. Safety is the number one concern, the speed is second.

No, never encouraged.

UPS delivery guys do a great job - I appreciate it. Does your truck start automatically when you put your foot on the gas like a gas golf cart or do you have to turn the key each start/stop?

There's a push to start button on the dash, push once to accessory and then again to start. Same button cuts it off and opens the door. Have to have the keyfob that we have too.

I was a seasonal driver's helper briefly. Is it common for drivers not near a public restroom to poop into a plastic rain bag in the back of the truck, then leave it the next customer trashcan they find? Or did I just have a particularly bad driver?

Gotta do what you gotta do. I have pretty good body chemistry I'd say so I get that done in the morning, but I've peed in many a cup and bottles

I used to work in IT at UPS and was asked during the holiday season to take week to be a helper for a driver. I got there on Monday morning and the driver stormed out yelling "I don't need any help." What's the deal wouldn't you want someone to help you out during the holiday peak time?!

I went through two helpers this peak. The third I didn't care for either. You're there to help me, I'm not training you. So if you aren't doing things the way I want, quickly, then I'm getting rid of you.

I was thinking about a package handler ama a few days ago!

When I worked in fast food most if not every package handler that came to drop off supplies was a well built 6ft+ tall

My question is how tall / fit are you? What does your diet look like? How do you manage to move heavy boxes around all day?

I've always been small and cant seem to gain weight so i thought you might be able to help me out with some of your life experience.

Thanks a bunch XD.

I'm about 5'11" pretty skinny. Barely 150lbs on a good day. We have some small dudes on the team, as well as some women (if you are worried about lifting weight, since typically women aren't as strong as men) who do the job perfectly fine. My diet sucks ass because I don't eat all day and if I do I snack. You have to be able to handle a 150 pound package, and it does happen. You just wrestle them around til it's there. But if you really need help they tell you to ask the customer or ask before you leave the building so they can have someone meet you to help.

The hand cart is your friend too.

Is there a company policy against smoking in your vehicle? My packages show up smelly and it pisses me off.

I'm really not sure, I hate when I get a different truck and someone has smoked in it. So I feel your pain, and I apologize for it.

How long do you wait after ringing a doorbell before coming to the conclusion that the customer is not at home and then leave?

What the other guy said it's what I do. If I see no cars around the house that's a good indication. I know it's not fullproof but if there are cars or I expect kids to be home from school I will stay a tad bit longer, but not very long. I see people say we are too fast. It takes me like 10 seconds to get to my door from anywhere in my house. If you can't open your door by then, I can't help you. I have a job I need to get done. If I learn it's an elderly person with walking issues, I'll wait longer

Another tip is that if you happen to just miss us, get in your car, I'm probably right up the street.

My UPS guy is deathly afraid of dogs. One time he was in the driveway, which he backs down because it's super long and narrow, and I was out back with the dogs, and he left with my package because he heard us out back. The tracking info showed that he tried to deliver but no one was home, which is total bullshit since no sig was required and he didn't even ring the fucking doorbell. That's not the only incident, but it was the most annoying.

We go out of our way now to make sure the dogs don't freak him out when he comes, but if he pulls that shit again what can I do in terms of speaking to his superior?

We are allowed to sheet anything as a non delivery due to a dog if we want. Ups doesn't want us to get bit. Everyone says the same thing "oh he doesn't bite!" No he doesn't bite the people he knows and feed him.

one thing that always bugged me, is the openness of the driver's seat... when it's cold and/or raining, how do you not get catch a cold?

You can shut the doors, but it's a pain to open every stop. You just deal with it. Part of the job

Do you guys deliver to adresses alphabetically? Or the ones nearest to you?

We have a predetermined route that is based on geographic order. Knowledge of the area allows you to do it in a way you feel better

Do you judge people who come answer their door for a package at 3pm or later clearly just having woken up and still dazed from having their sleep disturbed? I'm a student and I'm pretty sure my mailman either feels sorry for me or really judges me

Not that I care too much but just curious thanks!

I might think look at this guy just at home all day but then I wish I was too. Or that you work nights or whatever.

I read on some reddit, regarding pc hardware and other stuff and how badly it gets handled by UPS. Even a former UPS staff backed it up. Also, a UPS guy stole some valuable but got scared when the sender started raising serious questions with him. Care to share some info?

Not sure what you're asking.