When back to two in a van ?

[citypostie]

The sick squid as it's known was withdrawn precisely because the business moved to employing staff with driving and couldn't justify a pay differential any more.

I've been a driver for Royal Mail for over 30 years driving everything up to and including the 600s and driving a van is not a skill, it's not harder work.

It's just a different way of doing the same s**t, delivering mail and parcels. If you're working longer than a non driver that's a different issue but you're not working harder. If you follow the driving equals harder work logic surely a rural must be working the hardest as there's more driving so they should get more "driving" money.

If this topic had came up 15 years ago the majority of staff would have said the drivers have it easiest, lazy bastards who throw parcels back at the walkers then drive from house to house while the rest of us trudge round in the rain, sleet and snow with a bag on our backs.

It's funny how times change. Nobody called for a "walking" allowance.

You just perfectly described my old driving job which I got an extra £26 a week for driving a high top. Was the easiest job I've had at royal mail and I got paid more for doing it!

[WalkerX]

Just going back to single vs shared. It’s single duty all the way for me. 10 reasons if you can be bothered to read them:

Reasons against van share:

1. I can do the round exactly how I want. No arguments, no ‘we’ve always done it this way.’

2. I can load the van how I want - it’s amazing how we all set the van out differently.

3. I can work at my own pace.

4. I can take my break when I want. Mind you I do anyway, I don’t care if someone is on a flyer.

5. Less stuff in the back - 7 bags instead of 14, parcels for 1 side instead of both.

6. If I want to do OT I’m not dependent on my van partner saying yes too.

7. I can keep the van as tidy as possible. Nothing worse when you’re one of those who likes a nice clean cab seeing your partner chucking litter all over while playing on their phone.

8. I can quickly change things around (say if the road is blocked) and do that loop next via dropping off that parcel on the way to doing that special without having to explain everything to numbnuts in the passenger seat who still doesn’t understand and spends the rest of the day telling me how their usual partner never does that.

9. I can tie up the round how I want, turn for packets if I want. I rate and trust my own prep accuracy - on average I misprep one item a week. If I’m working with Stevie Wonder I can be taking back a whole bundle of mispreps each day.

10. I’m not under pressure and told to put my foot down or leave the parcel on their doorstep or just sign for that cos Bob always does. I’m on my own, no peer pressure, every decision I make is mine.

Reasons for van share:

1. If you don’t know the area hopefully your partner does and can give you a few pointers. That’s it.

I`m a newbie reserve, so have known nothing else than single van life, and enjoy it for the reasons outlined. I`ve covered on shared routes, and had to rush back from delivering outsized first, then rushing on unfamiliar loops to be back in time for my partner, not because they`re horrible, but because they`re decent people and I do n`t want to let them down. I hope it stays the way it is, (and that goes for Specials and Signed fors on PDAs too).

[SpacePhoenix]

How viable would it be for RM to send a van or 2 out early just doing all the SDs for the DO, meaning no time pressure for normal deliveries later in the day?

[citypostie]

How viable would it be for RM to send a van or 2 out early just doing all the SDs for the DO, meaning no time pressure for normal deliveries later in the day?

Part of my old driving job was doing all the specials for the section,, well half because there was 2 van duties. The walking men used to go straight home so we did them all. It was 12oclock then as well but the numbers where alot smaller than what they are now

[Alexei]

How viable would it be for RM to send a van or 2 out early just doing all the SDs for the DO, meaning no time pressure for normal deliveries later in the day?

My office actually facilitates this. We have drivers going out with oversized, so if there's a special on one of your later loops they're being lenient and taking it off you IF you request. Although it may just be the certain obstinate folk they're appeasing