How to get faster

[postmanzach]

And not using a trolley helps a lot.

No it doesn't.
This is singularly the worst piece of advice I have ever seen on this forum.
The trolleys were introduced for a reason. A bloody good reason - to take the weight off the postman/woman.
Off the back, the shoulder. the hips. the knees and the feet.

The reason most posties end up with foot problems is not simply because they walk a lot, it is because that weight they are carrying is ultimately supported by the arch of your foot and little by little it puts an excessive strain on the foot and you get problems. Heel spurs/plantar/fallen arches etc etc.
Not using a trolley is a recipe for (more) long term health problems.

FairPlay each to their own. I personally have had no back or feet troubles in 12 years as a postie. I carry bags every day. I found the trolleys extremely heavy to push up hills. I believe the problems with backs in down to lack of core strength, little bit of training outside of work and the physical side of the job is easy.

The OP is talking about a HCT job. How can you do that without a trolley? Yes I know you can chain up and take small bags etc but you can’t do the whole job without!

Ok fair enough if it can’t be changed. We had a few hct rounds now we have 0 in our office. Why because they seemed to slow people down. We Made the loops smaller and use bags. If it’s not possible stick to doing way your was just my opinion.

[postmanzach]

0

[NewPostieUK]

We had a few hct rounds now we have 0 in our office. Why because they seemed to slow people down.

Slow people down from what? A duty was created. . 'planned' . . and an HCT used. It was based on a certain time scale. If people couldn't do it in this timescale, during the bedding in period, it should be tweaked by the planner.

You can't just discard the trolley and decide to do it a totally different way.

[postmanzach]

You move slower pushing a hct agree?
So if you can, modify the walk so you no longer need it, as we did.

[clashcityrocker]

Once assigned the use of delivery methods will be mandatory.
No national agreement ever suggested modifying the walks to suit yourself.

If the HCT is slower - then a HCT duty would have, for example. 900 delivery points while the "faster" modified duty would have 1200?
Why don't we just slit our own throats and have done with it?

[greengiant]

Once assigned the use of delivery methods will be mandatory.
No national agreement ever suggested modifying the walks to suit yourself.

If the HCT is slower - then a HCT duty would have, for example. 900 delivery points while the "faster" modified duty would have 1200?
Why don't we just slit our own throats and have done with it?

[jd9442]

I’ve found I’ve got much quicker doing these things :

Arrange packets in order in bag so find them quicker, also label T for tracked SD for speacial and S for small when marking letters for parcels (don’t turn for them wastes time turning letter around lol)

Label all your bags and put them in order in the runner before loading

For parcels knock loudly and start writing card straight away (date and time first so not wasting cards if they answer)

Make small bundles! And ‘turn for’ or ‘mark up’ any even slightly thick packets even if there small, as a bundle with packets falling out and a bundle that sways around makes it hard to carry.

Obvious one here, but wear your bag so it’s facing you, and not outwards so you can see better when rummaging for small parcels. Obvious I know. Took me 6 months to realise this ...

folk recieving parcels, for future reference ask permission to leave in safe places and ask where safe to leave

DONT SCAN CHINESE UNTRACKED, as 50% of the time if you don’t notice the ‘untracked’ and you scan it will want a signature!!

Doorstep parcels if people stick there heads out of top floor windows and say 2 mins when they mean 10!

If grass looks uncared for, it probably is, so cut across it

If it’s terrace housing, lean over and do the neighbouring house if you can reach

Door to doors for addresses with no mail write house number and save for another day

Always walk fast, ALWAYS. if you get blisters wear thick socks or double up.

swing gates closed walking out (not your problem if latches don’t work or not lined up

and don’t mess about at the van when grabbing your next bag!

JUST REMEMBER - do not kill yourself doing this job. They are called walks for a reason. This is simply if you NEED or WANT to be quicker for any reason. Not saying these work for everyone, but they do for me.

Lol you should probably tell new starters that this is a joke post m8

[NewPostieUK]

You move slower pushing a hct agree?

No. It doesn't make sense.

Slower than what?

If the job is pushing an HCT then the time it takes is the time it takes.

You could say you move slower carrying a bag, so why not chuck the bags away? The bundles of mail will slow you down, why not chuck half the mail away?

My van slows me down, I think I'll just stop using it.

[azza30]

I’ve found I’ve got much quicker doing these things :

Arrange packets in order in bag so find them quicker, also label T for tracked SD for speacial and S for small when marking letters for parcels (don’t turn for them wastes time turning letter around lol)

Label all your bags and put them in order in the runner before loading

For parcels knock loudly and start writing card straight away (date and time first so not wasting cards if they answer)

Make small bundles! And ‘turn for’ or ‘mark up’ any even slightly thick packets even if there small, as a bundle with packets falling out and a bundle that sways around makes it hard to carry.

Obvious one here, but wear your bag so it’s facing you, and not outwards so you can see better when rummaging for small parcels. Obvious I know. Took me 6 months to realise this ...

folk recieving parcels, for future reference ask permission to leave in safe places and ask where safe to leave

DONT SCAN CHINESE UNTRACKED, as 50% of the time if you don’t notice the ‘untracked’ and you scan it will want a signature!!

Doorstep parcels if people stick there heads out of top floor windows and say 2 mins when they mean 10!

If grass looks uncared for, it probably is, so cut across it

If it’s terrace housing, lean over and do the neighbouring house if you can reach

Door to doors for addresses with no mail write house number and save for another day

Always walk fast, ALWAYS. if you get blisters wear thick socks or double up.

swing gates closed walking out (not your problem if latches don’t work or not lined up

and don’t mess about at the van when grabbing your next bag!

JUST REMEMBER - do not kill yourself doing this job. They are called walks for a reason. This is simply if you NEED or WANT to be quicker for any reason. Not saying these work for everyone, but they do for me.

Yeah, lets get quicker and quicker everyone, then RM can say longer walks are necessary to make up for less mail because the Actuals prove the job is getting easier and quicker. Nice one.

[Postie45]

RM has proven time after time that the only party that will benefit by you getting faster is RM.
Cut corners, dont deliver to neighbours, rush around, get back to office sooner = sooner or later you`ll be asked to go back out with lapsing, a failed duty or eventually a street added to your delivery.
Use your common sense, do the job as instructed following the health and safety advice we are constantly reminded of (which of course they dont actually want us to follow but they can shift the blame by informing us).
This job is as easy or hard as you make it, and the more you rush around the more work is coming your way.

[postmanzach]

You move slower pushing a hct agree?

No. It doesn't make sense.

Slower than what?

If the job is pushing an HCT then the time it takes is the time it takes.

You could say you move slower carrying a bag, so why not chuck the bags away? The bundles of mail will slow you down, why not chuck half the mail away?

My van slows me down, I think I'll just stop using it.

Someof you guys..
I was just speaking from my personal experience, pushing a heavy hct up a hill is harder for me and slower than walking with a Bag. I have a big loop on my round that some guys use a trolley to Do, I just break it down into two loops if it’s heavy and carry bags as I personally don’t like to use trolleys.
Obviously if it’s a hct round that you can’t change then you have to make do. In our office we found the hcts were slower so less efficient so we don’t have any any more.

[HTPostman]

I've mentioned this on another thread, but I number each bundle in a different way to most.

Bag 1: I number the bundles 1A, 1B, 1C etc
Bag 2: 2A, 2B etc
And so on....

I also number the parcels the same way, so if there's a parcel for the 2nd bundle on your round, I put 1B on it. Parcel for the 4th bundle in your fifth bag? That's 5D. It means if things get tossed around in the van or in the trolley, you can still find everything.

It means everything is in order, parcels are in order of address in the bag and I'm not wasting time looking for things. Learned my lesson a few weeks back on a van share, I'd only ever done the walking part, but then I was given the driving part while a newbie did the walking, and after dropping my van partner off on X street I was wasting time looking through the van for the right bag.

[robbertwhitton]

Just cut corners and don’t do the job safely,securely,and properly you’ll be like a racing snake,good luck,

[Blinkboy44]

Telling people to Doorstep, Not to scan packets, walk across grass and don't shut gates properly.

Great idea.

I said only doorstep if customers stick their heads out of their windows and say they will be down shortly, despite what they say, it’s usually at least 2 minutes or longer. Whilst your delivering the next few houses, you can keep an eye and make sure the parcel gets collected. Cmon that goes without saying !

I said only walk on grass thats uncared for. chances are, customers won’t care if you do!

I said don’t scan saying that says untracked or appears to not need scanning. If it says untracked, take it on face value..

It’s common sense. my points were taken out of context. I do my job correctly and I’m only trying to help newbies or anyone who struggles to finish on time, not help people finish early.

We all know how if feels when your new or working with a runner who pressure you makes you feel like a slow git

I always finish on time, not early. Just trying to help ...

[Blinkboy44]

Telling people to Doorstep, Not to scan packets, walk across grass and don't shut gates properly.

Great idea.

Dont forget to run!

I said always walk fast if you want to be quicker.. And not to kill yourself doing this job