Not enough time to complete the workload in

[cpsteve]

Long term they might need to go for high-sided sprinters fitted out with shelving

Found this example: https://www.syncro-system.biz/A-Sprinte ... or-a-tiler" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The shelving might not end up the same but it illustrates the idea.

Blokes up here would have a nervous breakdown if they were told they had to drive something that big, the struggle with the car sized combos as it is an bash them up on a regular basis.

It wouldnt look like that for long we have vans with 10,000 miles on the clock that look like scrappers

[CharlesSpooner]

Spent first 3 hours of the day doing IPS on packets, prepping mine into some semblance of order, taking my break and queuing up for then loading the van - the sheer number of small tracked is a pain.

Expected to do 2 duties worth of packets (anything that can't be slotted into the frame!), specials and all tracked regardless of size. Managed the tracked and specials and some large....about a york full of everything else came back. Monday should be interesting.

Sore back at the end of it all though. These vans aren't suitable at all for getting in and out of constantly.

[Seymour Buts]

Identical at our office. Was expected to do two walks worth of packets, I told them it was impossible with volumes so took the specials, tracked and oversized. There was a bag of untracked parcels left on both walks. Tomorrow is gonna be shite and if they refuse to pay overtime like Saturday will be leaving stuff again.

[blacov]

Don't bother trying to sort parcels in order at the start.

Sort your tracked first, then other parcels sort by street.
Take a couple of bags with you for shorter stretches where you have a few smaller parcels.
Have a set street you start at and have that nearest the vans back door.
Head out to starting street (you should know which will be your first address), and deliver whatever parcels (sorting into order as you go).
As you finish a street, pull your next street nearer the door and sort it into some kind of order (or bag it up if appriopriate).
If you're getting pushed for time, forget anything that isn't a special or tracked.
If you don't know the round, then consider doing all tracked first, then going back doing other parcels if you have time.

It must be said though that the vans the majority of us use for transporting mail to our walks are not fit for the purpose of pure parcel deliveries. They don't have enough space for some of our current volumes (it's damned hard finding stuff you know is there until you've cleared a lot of it), and getting in and out every few seconds isn't doing anyone any good (hence the occasional stroll with a bag of parcels that are in a small area).

Last thing (and most important): you can only do what you can do. Don't rush, and don't panic about not getting finished.

I agree that vans are not fit for purpose. Not big enough for most walks given current volumes of parcels. I must strongly disagree with not putting things in order. I believe and it worked many times that extra 10-20mins in the office getting your delivery read saves a lot of time while you're out on your round. I must stress that its is especially important with parcels. Once you know what you got then load your van in sections. If you have to make another layer ( early drops on top) and work your way through the lot. Knowledge of the area certainly helps but even if you have to prioritise tracked and SDs at least try to put untracked for the same street close by or if you have multiple items for one address tie them up together.

I'm not talking of completely unordered parcels (in case you got that impression). I just sort them into boxes by street in the office, and sort my first street into some sort of order. I then go through a street at a time as I deliver (including cul-de-sacs as appropriate) by pulling the appropriate boxes forward with the oversize.

I don't get too hung up on it all being sorted because the oversized and special parcels will be a bit disruptive to whatever order you sort the smaller stuff into.

That said, I'm on a walk where I don't even have time to sort all the parcels in the morning so usually end up pulling out all the tracked/oversize and leaving a large number of parcels behind. If I put more time into ordering it I'd never even get out of the office, and have no way of completing even "just" the parcels on my walk, let alone the other walk I need to do the tracked/oversize/specials for.

Obviously I'm really looking forward to tomorrow given that I've been unable to do more than a loop of mail a day by stopping back a bit just to get some mail done, doing 3 days a week, now with only 5 days a fortnight the mail and untracked parcels are going to pile up that much quicker.

I tend to group smaller items into trays too but regardless of what system you have it is worth writing down parcels. I did indeed get an impression that you went out with little to no organisation

I would note at least these smaller streets where you get an odd parcel here and there because doing longer, busier streets you can just drop it all and organise it into sections if you are short of time and then deliver one and on the way back to the van pull another drop into cab. Often you should be able to park sort of in the middle and deliver 2-3 drops without having to move the van and walk too far. A lot quicker.

When I used to do courier work on narrow streets if parking is limited I just park in the middle with hazards on. Saves loads of time in the longer run. I feel sorry for the lads who aren't really used to these volumes of parcels and they find themselves covering new parcel duties or in fact any other driving duties where you help hct duties with packets and oversized.

[Pumpernickel]

I would note at least these smaller streets where you get an odd parcel here and there because doing longer, busier streets you can just drop it all and organise it into sections if you are short of time and then deliver one and on the way back to the van pull another drop into cab. Often you should be able to park sort of in the middle and deliver 2-3 drops without having to move the van and walk too far. A lot quicker.

When I used to do courier work on narrow streets if parking is limited I just park in the middle with hazards on. Saves loads of time in the longer run. I feel sorry for the lads who aren't really used to these volumes of parcels and they find themselves covering new parcel duties or in fact any other driving duties where you help hct duties with packets and oversized.

I do like parking in a "middle" spot and walking for a bit: gets really tiresome getting in and out of the van every few minutes so a short walk between drops feels like a bit of a break (hence I take a couple of bags so I can grab the opportunity as it arises).

I did also start parking in the middle of the road on longer stretches of double parked cars (on backstreets obviously) given there is almost nowhere to park in some places while everyone is home, though I'm noticing more people seem to be heading out again now (whether to work, or to shop/exercise more) so there is a bit more room to park. It is a handy tip and I'm not used to anything like this, just winging it and saying what I've been finding the easiest and quickest ways of working on a parcel heavy walk (I did try a few things early on that didn't work well at all).

As for writing parcels down, I just do that for specials ATM (with a marker for the 9 oclockers so they stand out). I might try it for more on Wed. I've been concerned with getting too bogged down given that I can't even go through all parcels in the office properly (leaving quite a few small parcels in the office that I've merely ensured aren't tracked) whilst heading out with enough time to deliver.

[Cluaran]

I cannot see it working not even for 7 weeks. It was pretty much the same at our office.

You just come in and work your time and go home. No OT being paid anyway.

No OT being paid, I can see management saying as we are only working a 4 day week but getting paid for 5 we OWE RM those hours!

[Navalron]

Got told that my hours (part-timer) would be from today:
Start: 9:30am
Finish: 14:15pm and that I will be delivering parcels (including oversize) for 2 duties.

Had 6 packet bags in total (3 per walk), each full to the brim, so in total, well over 80+ packets to deliver plus 5 specials. I didn't actually start delivering until around 11am due to faffing around, trying my best to put each parcel in order.

Managed to get rid of roughly 60 packets, might have been able to do more but as I had no idea where I was going on both duties, I was pretty much blind. Had to cut off at around 2pm and bring back well over 30+ packets, some were tracked but the majority were normal ones.

I'm sorry, but how on earth are Management expecting people to deliver that amount in such a short time?

they can expect what they want but back in the real world , don't worry about it and just do what you can within your hours and then go back , we all knew that there great plan was going to be a nightmare so what doesn't get done is there problem not ours.

WORKTOTIME.=EXACTLY, mate.you've a start and end time. Take your breaks, don't run around like a clown, do what you can/your best in the hours given and go home, switch off and chill out. There doing the exact same thing in the civil service only its the other way. The overtime is their and you can work as many hours as you want. Going to be a bit announcement in about 2 weeks regarding certain emergency benefits payments. Lot of people in for a big shock.