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The unknown of DM26

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
FirstPost
Posts: 645
Joined: 16 Aug 2018, 09:37
Gender: Female

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by FirstPost »

toonshola wrote:
14 Jun 2026, 20:40
Perseus wrote:
14 Jun 2026, 18:06
There's a herd of elephants in the room with DM26.

How's about who the work really filters down to in order to make this work/save money.

The rural singleton drivers that are only doing 50/50 and 'helping out' - no.
The person sitting in the passenger seat in the shared van? - not really.
The single driver in the pod? - again, not as much.
The shared van driver - BINGO!
Bang on. Be an absolute stampede for the single jobs followed by the passenger job in a shared when each office has a repick. You would be off your head to voluntarily pick the driving side of a shared van.
Why?
A2B
Posts: 1852
Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 19:34
Gender: Male

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by A2B »

FirstPost wrote:
14 Jun 2026, 21:46

Why?
I can't work out that logic either
postslippete
Posts: 4100
Joined: 14 Jul 2014, 16:27
Gender: Male

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by postslippete »

FirstPost wrote:
14 Jun 2026, 21:46

Why?
You mean why people prefer not to drive on van shares?

Because drivers on van shares carry more responsibility. And it's not just the responsibility of making sure the van is roadworthy and driving the van safely when RM have trackers installed. But also making sure the van is loaded up right when there are literally hundreds of parcels to deliver, taking the large parcels and that Specials are delivered before 1pm. Drivers on busy urban van shares are often taking out nearly double the number of parcels than those on the singletons, and its not necessarily that they have more work to do - just that the van gets rammed.

For drivers navigating unfamiliar areas this can be quite stressful and if DM26 increases parcel volumes while expanding the geographical area being covered, I can see a lot of people preferring to ride shotgun.
On the face of it, shareholder value is the dumbest idea in the world.
A2B
Posts: 1852
Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 19:34
Gender: Male

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by A2B »

I get the extra responsibility of being a driver but that applies to single van drivers. The rest of it is down to the pair actually working as a pair, the driver doesn't have to do all the stuff you have listed on their own, they may have a preference to how they load the van but that doesn't mean they have to do all the loading themselves.

Also aren't the pairings supposed to alternate drivers? That's obviously only possible if you have enough drivers
Chelseablue
Posts: 2158
Joined: 19 Aug 2013, 14:33
Gender: Female

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by Chelseablue »

postslippete wrote:
14 Jun 2026, 22:25
FirstPost wrote:
14 Jun 2026, 21:46

Why?
joke post

You mean why people prefer not to drive on van shares?

Because drivers on van shares carry more responsibility. And it's not just the responsibility of making sure the van is roadworthy and driving the van safely when RM have trackers installed. But also making sure the van is loaded up right when there are literally hundreds of parcels to deliver, taking the large parcels and that Specials are delivered before 1pm. Drivers on busy urban van shares are often taking out nearly double the number of parcels than those on the singletons, and its not necessarily that they have more work to do - just that the van gets rammed.

For drivers navigating unfamiliar areas this can be quite stressful and if DM26 increases parcel volumes while expanding the geographical area being covered, I can see a lot of people preferring to ride shotgun.
Chelseablue
Posts: 2158
Joined: 19 Aug 2013, 14:33
Gender: Female

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by Chelseablue »

A2B wrote:
14 Jun 2026, 22:47
I get the extra responsibility of being a driver but that applies to single van drivers. The rest of it is down to the pair actually working as a pair, the driver doesn't have to do all the stuff you have listed on their own, they may have a preference to how they load the van but that doesn't mean they have to do all the loading themselves.

Also aren't the pairings supposed to alternate drivers? That's obviously only possible if you have enough drivers
Driver/ walkers share sorting the load out. Both working hard to get the duty done. Not sure what kinda office the poster earlier works in. !
postslippete
Posts: 4100
Joined: 14 Jul 2014, 16:27
Gender: Male

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by postslippete »

Chelseablue wrote:
15 Jun 2026, 21:20

Driver/ walkers share sorting the load out. Both working hard to get the duty done. Not sure what kinda office the poster earlier works in. !
A real one

Even if you have a regular van share partner that helps out, there will be the odd day in the week and weeks where you are paired with somebody different.

There must be a reason why the seniors in our office picked out the singleton duties in the last re-pick? Can't think why

All I know is some people don't drive and some don't want to drive on a shared walk and have a tendency to gravitate towards the passenger seat while others end up taking responsibility for the van, loading, navigating and sorting out problems when things go wrong.
On the face of it, shareholder value is the dumbest idea in the world.
Thommo44
Posts: 262
Joined: 10 Nov 2018, 13:00
Gender: Male

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by Thommo44 »

postslippete wrote:
15 Jun 2026, 22:17
Chelseablue wrote:
15 Jun 2026, 21:20

Driver/ walkers share sorting the load out. Both working hard to get the duty done. Not sure what kinda office the poster earlier works in. !
A real one

Even if you have a regular van share partner that helps out, there will be the odd day in the week and weeks where you are paired with somebody different.

There must be a reason why the seniors in our office picked out the singleton duties in the last re-pick? Can't think why

All I know is some people don't drive and some don't want to drive on a shared walk and have a tendency to gravitate towards the passenger seat while others end up taking responsibility for the van, loading, navigating and sorting out problems when things go wrong.
Agreed, there’s also a reason why the majority of people leaving are off a shared van town round or a reserve on one
Chelseablue
Posts: 2158
Joined: 19 Aug 2013, 14:33
Gender: Female

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by Chelseablue »

postslippete wrote:
15 Jun 2026, 22:17
Chelseablue wrote:
15 Jun 2026, 21:20

Driver/ walkers share sorting the load out. Both working hard to get the duty done. Not sure what kinda office the poster earlier works in. !
A real one

Even if you have a regular van share partner that helps out, there will be the odd day in the week and weeks where you are paired with somebody different.

There must be a reason why the seniors in our office picked out the singleton duties in the last re-pick? Can't think why

All I know is some people don't drive and some don't want to drive on a shared walk and have a tendency to gravitate towards the passenger seat while others end up taking responsibility for the van, loading, navigating and sorting out problems when things go wrong.
What is a real office !? Most ppl share the graft , youve obv worked with a few bad uns. Youlle survive.
Racingpostie
Posts: 94
Joined: 23 Jun 2021, 15:49
Gender: Male

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by Racingpostie »

Chelseablue wrote:
16 Jun 2026, 17:53
postslippete wrote:
15 Jun 2026, 22:17
Chelseablue wrote:
15 Jun 2026, 21:20

Driver/ walkers share sorting the load out. Both working hard to get the duty done. Not sure what kinda office the poster earlier works in. !
A real one

Even if you have a regular van share partner that helps out, there will be the odd day in the week and weeks where you are paired with somebody different.

There must be a reason why the seniors in our office picked out the singleton duties in the last re-pick? Can't think why

All I know is some people don't drive and some don't want to drive on a shared walk and have a tendency to gravitate towards the passenger seat while others end up taking responsibility for the van, loading, navigating and sorting out problems when things go wrong.
What is a real office !? Most ppl share the graft , youve obv worked with a few bad uns. Youlle survive.
Out of curiosity what size office do you work in ?

The offices I've been at all 100+ duties nearly every non driver even if they are the duty holder have a weird tendency to shirk all responsibility, know nothing of the drivers loops and certainly are happy for the driver to take care of anything that isn't posting a letter safe in the knowledge they are always paired up every day of their working life. Unsure if it's a larger office thing as I imagine smaller offices prob more willing to help one another and most folk know one another etc.
world class male
Posts: 899
Joined: 03 Jul 2013, 15:29
Gender: Male

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by world class male »

Racingpostie wrote:
16 Jun 2026, 21:48
Chelseablue wrote:
16 Jun 2026, 17:53
postslippete wrote:
15 Jun 2026, 22:17
Chelseablue wrote:
15 Jun 2026, 21:20

Driver/ walkers share sorting the load out. Both working hard to get the duty done. Not sure what kinda office the poster earlier works in. !
A real one

Even if you have a regular van share partner that helps out, there will be the odd day in the week and weeks where you are paired with somebody different.

There must be a reason why the seniors in our office picked out the singleton duties in the last re-pick? Can't think why

All I know is some people don't drive and some don't want to drive on a shared walk and have a tendency to gravitate towards the passenger seat while others end up taking responsibility for the van, loading, navigating and sorting out problems when things go wrong.
What is a real office !? Most ppl share the graft , youve obv worked with a few bad uns. Youlle survive.
Out of curiosity what size office do you work in ?

The offices I've been at all 100+ duties nearly every non driver even if they are the duty holder have a weird tendency to shirk all responsibility, know nothing of the drivers loops and certainly are happy for the driver to take care of anything that isn't posting a letter safe in the knowledge they are always paired up every day of their working life. Unsure if it's a larger office thing as I imagine smaller offices prob more willing to help one another and most folk know one another etc.
i can drive, but i'm the none driver if that makes sense?
but i always make sure my half of the pairing is well set out for delivery in the van
thefox
Posts: 1146
Joined: 24 Aug 2010, 20:09
Gender: Male

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by thefox »

world class male wrote:
16 Jun 2026, 23:00
Racingpostie wrote:
16 Jun 2026, 21:48
Chelseablue wrote:
16 Jun 2026, 17:53
postslippete wrote:
15 Jun 2026, 22:17
Chelseablue wrote:
15 Jun 2026, 21:20

Driver/ walkers share sorting the load out. Both working hard to get the duty done. Not sure what kinda office the poster earlier works in. !
A real one

Even if you have a regular van share partner that helps out, there will be the odd day in the week and weeks where you are paired with somebody different.

There must be a reason why the seniors in our office picked out the singleton duties in the last re-pick? Can't think why

All I know is some people don't drive and some don't want to drive on a shared walk and have a tendency to gravitate towards the passenger seat while others end up taking responsibility for the van, loading, navigating and sorting out problems when things go wrong.
What is a real office !? Most ppl share the graft , youve obv worked with a few bad uns. Youlle survive.
Out of curiosity what size office do you work in ?

The offices I've been at all 100+ duties nearly every non driver even if they are the duty holder have a weird tendency to shirk all responsibility, know nothing of the drivers loops and certainly are happy for the driver to take care of anything that isn't posting a letter safe in the knowledge they are always paired up every day of their working life. Unsure if it's a larger office thing as I imagine smaller offices prob more willing to help one another and most folk know one another etc.
i can drive, but i'm the none driver if that makes sense?
but i always make sure my half of the pairing is well set out for delivery in the van
I help load up the van as well but as for navigation of the van or taking responsibility for the van then no I'm not the driver and I didn't sign for the van.i do help mu driver with doing oversize though.
Perseus
Posts: 959
Joined: 21 Feb 2024, 16:45
Gender: Male

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by Perseus »

This isn’t anything to do with people who don’t drive for Royal Mail, as is their right, it’s the simple fact that the driving job on a shared van has gotten the to the stage that people will leave the job if they have to do it - happens all the time in ours. It’s the closest thing to how the job used to be - in our office anyways.
Everyone that has left ours over the past 3 years has been a shared van driver. Many of our shared vans have 2 people that can drive but the senior one always chooses the passenger loops. Most won’t help with large packets even in a quieter day, often doing their 6-8-10 loops and that’s it, job and finish on the street.
I firmly believe this is why offices are having to sort out DM26 for themselves and why it’s going to be such a big problem due to not working as a team/pairing.
WalkerX
Posts: 393
Joined: 20 Feb 2021, 22:31
Gender: Male

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by WalkerX »

I`m astounded at some of the things I`ve read here. I have a regular partner who is F/T. I`m P/T so she preps the frames and loads the van with the oversized. We both then do the drop bags, bundle up and then load the van. I drive, but my partner (who loaded the van) plots the route, but we work together and help each other all the way back to the office. Why wouldn`t we? I`m with a different partner each day this week, and we work the same way.
Rommagic
Posts: 1459
Joined: 10 Sep 2007, 16:52

Re: The unknown of DM26

Post by Rommagic »

Some moan they given large but run round and get it done they also had chance too pick another duty.