When can I NOT use a hard trolley?

[Bopper]

My office has had park and loop put in place for the best part of 12 months and my walk (which was timed over 4 hours) was paired with a lesser walk. However now the planning team have gone I've been told by my line manager that I have to go it alone and either use a hard truck (walk 0.8 miles to my start point) or carry the bag weight on my back and use unofficial bag drops. As a non driver my ex partner has our van on his own (doing a 3 hour delivery).

What I want to find out is if the following is true.

1) hard trucks can only be used IF your walk is a certain distance from your office? How far?

2) how long can you leave your trolley unattended?

3) how much booking time I.e. returning specials and recorded deliverys are you entitled to?

4) can your manager even scrap the planners work and take matters into his own hands ? I.e split the walks up and make you go alone, without unofficial bag drops?

[RoyalSlave69]

I'm in a similar situation. Been doing a shared van round for some time. Now been told that the manager wants to split up the two rounds, so me and my partner deliver our own rounds in our own vans. I'm really up for this change. But it's apparently up to some planners on whether this change will go ahead.

[newtimes]

"1) hard trucks can only be used IF your walk is a certain distance from your office? How far?"
Can not find post, I think its 1 mile, but there are limit with gradients, where I work there has been a long delay to introduce HCT for no safty audit has been carried out.

[Bopper]

According to Google Maps I am 0.6 miles away from the nearest point of my walk from my office, the only reason my walk wasn't a stand alone walk in the first place was because I have 4 or 5 apartment blocks that take more than 15 minutes each and the planner told me I was unable to leave my trolley alone for x amount of time!

If I was to agree and take my walk out using a trolley then say my finishing time is 3pm then surely I can take 20 minutes meal relief at the end of my shift plus 11 minutes walking back time and 10 minutes booking undeliverable items which means I have to cut off at 14:19?!?!

But I'm sure the line manager can't just force me to work alone anyway as the planner would've arranged this for my walk already!!

[shepherdess]

Your walk must start and finish within a mile of your office. How long you can leave your hct depends on the area, it has to be risk assessed. As for Sd, s you bring them back in time for your finishing time. And no your manager can't just make changes any problems see your rep.

[chrisj]

In terms of organisation, it makes things easy for the manager and the office if they can find a non-driver an HVT job. However, having your partner doing a mere 3-hour delivery with a van, on his own is rather wasteful but mega-super for your ex-partner.

I will take an extra 30mins on a my walk if I get to work on my own with a man - its so much easier to organise oneself, smaller loops and one can whizz around in a van, if need be.

As long as you are not working beyond your time - (you also gain from working on your own). The issue of leaving HCT is neither here or there - people did that in the past; as long as mail is secure and the area is safe enough.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

The issue of leaving HCT is neither here or there - people did that in the past; as long as mail is secure and the area is safe enough. Unoffical bagdrop - the same! If the manager is happy, why worry?

Because if it breaks the security rules (and an unofficial safe drop does) and you leave a HCT unattended beyond the rules, its a sacking offence. I am pretty sure unless its in writing, if its between the manager fallling on his sword or throwing an OPG to the wolves we all know what the outcome is.

If the manger wants you to do this then get them to put it in writing, even if they do, still approach the Aread Delivery Rep as its not a 100% effective shield.

[chrisj]

Revised

[Bopper]

My point of creating this topic is
A) I don't want to work alone and have to carry the weight on my back.

B) I don't want to be responsible for organising official bag drops (surely this comes under managers duties)

C) surely what the planners says goes! My manager seriously cannot estimate how long he thinks a certain post round (one he has never done in his life) and change the park and loop system without planners coming in to do so!!

D) I seriously have to restrain myself from killing my line manager as he is one of the most patronising idiotic bully's I have ever come across in my life!!

E) my union rep is s**t and has never saved anyone from anything plus makes the manager brews!!

Maybe I should resign!!

[chrisj]

I have to revise my earlier post. I thought you were told to use certain so-called unofficial bag drop. You should not have to arrange the bag drops (that will set you for possible problems).

Well, you can always use the HCT to avoid bag on shoulder.

You can also use the LWT (2 bags) to get to your first delivery point and then use official bag drops.

But I dont think you should even be considering resignation over this issue (on its own)... So why is your Rep not helping?

On the issue of Planners - I dont' know whether they have the final final say on how an office is run. The plan but they manager will have to implement upon evaluation. Things do change from the original plans - walks are still be changed and loops redefined at my place. And Planners did not even revise anything (not even the pilot rounds) based on local info - so it was up to our manager...

[Barbel]

I'm on a new walk I'm unfamiliar with which is a mile from the DO and takes me 20 minutes to walk there and 20 back with a hard trolley. I worked 2 hrs over my time today as I'm still learning where the addresses are and some of them are a nightmare to find so end up wasting time up and down looking for them. I had to bring mail back to the office again as I couldn't find some address and some were flats so had to leave trolley out of sight for a few minutes. I've been told I can take a van tomorrow so hopefully it will be a bit easier and I'll finish somewhere around 2pm instead of 4.

[celerycelery]

Depending on security the longest you can leave it unattended is 10 mins. If you leave it for any length of time you have to take all specials with you and if you leave it longer than the 10 mins you have to empty the HCT (so carry everything in it with you).

[newtimes]

My point of creating this topic is

Maybe I should resign!!

If you are thinking of resigning this could be due to stress. Take time off and think about what you really want to do. Then make a decission when you have recovered. Stress can make people ill, under those condition rest may be the only cure.

[twobags]

[1] 1 mile of office

[2] there are 3 risks ive been told high med and low, 2 mins unattended , 5 mins, and 10 mins, always better if postie is visable.[N.B if trolley is to be left unattended longer than allowed it should always be emptied] had to alter my route because of that one more dead walking]

[3] there should be official bag drops for you to use , you should not have to take out the trolley fully loaded h&s

[4] we have to ring in by 2 the latest on state of specials.

thats what ive been told in last few weeks push trolley around duty do not use as mobile bag drop as people are shown. if you do it properly by the book as i am you will more than likely have to cut off.