Bag weights how can new way of working support it

[yellowbelly]

Fact is, you shouldn't be carrying the 3-4 bundles in the first place. At the very least split them right down.

My first reaction to that is, where the hell are the packets? If you have space in your bag for three bundles like it's 2006 then that surely displaces all the packets, of which there are 300% more than back then.

Secondly, how can someone have that many bundles in this era? Surely that's not a loop, because with the decline in callrates that would have been ten bundles when P&L was introduced. That's more like an entire duty.

This cannot be standard working. What it sounds like is people are clearing multiple days of rollovers with a support driver covering the packets. Yet instead of having the driver run bags to them, they're just loading it all into one bag like before pouch boxes were invented

3-4 bundles can be a loop - depends on how big your 'loop' is doesn't it? What's the definition of a loop size?
If 3-4 bundles is an entire duty in your office I'd like to have a duty in your office......

[yellowbelly]

Aren't LWT primarily designed to be pulled rather than pushed?

Pull it, push it - whatever feels comfortable.
But I have never needed to keep stopping to cock the handle.
I don't even know what that means or why you would do it.

If twoloops has got 4/5 days of mail as per their post, I'd rather that be carried by a trolley than on my shoulder.

'Cock the handle' - perhaps they just mean pushing it down slightly to get the supporting leg off the ground to get going again. The only issue I've had with a LWT is when the handle doesn't click into the main body of the LWT frame. Got a new one.

[Gary55]

How many bundles depends on how many days of mail I'm taking

[Mr Rush]

3-4 bundles can be a loop - depends on how big your 'loop' is doesn't it? What's the definition of a loop size?
If 3-4 bundles is an entire duty in your office I'd like to have a duty in your office......

If there's a loop so big you have 3-4 bundles that suggests an LWT is expected to be used. If not, again, where are the packets? DPRs can't have taken all of them.

Yes, 3-4 bundles is an entire duty here if the walk is clearing daily (callrates being what they are) but of course we've got to fit the packets into each loop. Most days that would be a quarter of a bundle (roughly speaking) in hand and a bag load of Tracked. That's the limiting factor.

[hans solo]

I have stopped using the trolly because my driver started taking this piss with large packets in trolly

[Perseus]

Fact is, you shouldn't be carrying the 3-4 bundles in the first place. At the very least split them right down.

My first reaction to that is, where the hell are the packets? If you have space in your bag for three bundles like it's 2006 then that surely displaces all the packets, of which there are 300% more than back then.

Secondly, how can someone have that many bundles in this era? Surely that's not a loop, because with the decline in callrates that would have been ten bundles when P&L was introduced. That's more like an entire duty.

This cannot be standard working. What it sounds like is people are clearing multiple days of rollovers with a support driver covering the packets. Yet instead of having the driver run bags to them, they're just loading it all into one bag like before pouch boxes were invented

It does seem absurd.
The way we work in general is 1 bundle of mail per ‘bag’.
If it’s 2 days mail that becomes 2 small bundles, 3 days mail becomes 2 regular bundles, or split it halfway using the van as a mobile pouch box that can change points from day to day.

[SMS1969]

If you’ve got lots of mail and packets, use 2 bags- one for mail, one for packets.

[funkflex55]

On my recent walks it's generally 2 bundles maybe 3 for each loop and that's with 1 day of mail. Think that highlights the variation in mail across the country and I don't know if RM have considered this for ODM26.

[Thommo44]

Sure I’m not on my own but I find it harder to push a trolley than carrying a bag, to keep stopping & cocking the handle to push plays havoc on my lower back, especially when you have 4/5 days of mail 🥹

Aren't LWT primarily designed to be pulled rather than pushed?

And there is the reason why if you get injured, you will win any claim. You are using a tool without sufficient training, simple as that

[SpacePhoenix]

Sure I’m not on my own but I find it harder to push a trolley than carrying a bag, to keep stopping & cocking the handle to push plays havoc on my lower back, especially when you have 4/5 days of mail 🥹

Aren't LWT primarily designed to be pulled rather than pushed?

And there is the reason why if you get injured, you will win any claim. You are using a tool without sufficient training, simple as that

Did you have to sign anything when they were brought in? If you did then RM might well have their ass covered.

[matthew68]

We’ve had several people at our place end up with bad backs due to carrying in every loop. I don’t get it and what is the hurry, when you carry it you have to negotiate awkward drives with cars parked in it plus low level letter box’s bending down with a bag on your shoulder and then rummaging through the pouch to find a packet. I started using trolley a while ago and it is actually easier, no more bad back and it’s not slower if use it properly, I’m always amazed at all these heroes coming in early work for free and carry heavy bags on their back, they then go off sick without pay! There is no hope really with people like this still working fo royal mail

[raXor]

We’ve had several people at our place end up with bad backs due to carrying in every loop. I don’t get it and what is the hurry, when you carry it you have to negotiate awkward drives with cars parked in it plus low level letter box’s bending down with a bag on your shoulder and then rummaging through the pouch to find a packet. I started using trolley a while ago and it is actually easier, no more bad back and it’s not slower if use it properly, I’m always amazed at all these heroes coming in early work for free and carry heavy bags on their back, they then go off sick without pay! There is no hope really with people like this still working fo royal mail

Some of the loops aren't suited to a trolley though. Often walking through muddy or uneven surfaces. I think overall a trolly is generally going to slow most people down, at least that's what I've seen from the various duties I've done where my partner uses one. The same holds true when a lot of the parcels are being delivered from the van when a lot of them should be in the pouch on the walk.

People are under pressure to get as much out as possible, even if that means risking injury from heavy bags. Not many people can mentally allow mail and D2Ds to build up on their frame when they look around and see others clearing, or at least in a much better position than themselves. Ultimately, if your duty is always in a right mess, you're going to get the blame. It happens to be not fair that some people get a really easy duty, and others, typically heavy town-based van share duties get stitched up every single day.

[norris9]

1. Trolleys slow you down and unless you have an easy duty, or a decent manager, or like doing overtime, then there's no way using a trolley is going to work as you will inevitably be harassed by management for bringing mail back each day.

2. It's really not that hard to halve each loop you do so your bag is light, or at least significantly lighter....

+ as others have said....if you are doing large loops which cause your bag to be filled with bundles of mail, you are not going to be able to fit all the small/medium parcels in that bag, so you will have to drive round doing them after. Makes much more sense to cut the loop in half to make the bag lighter and fit the parcels in.

[Thommo44]

Sure I’m not on my own but I find it harder to push a trolley than carrying a bag, to keep stopping & cocking the handle to push plays havoc on my lower back, especially when you have 4/5 days of mail 🥹


Aren't LWT primarily designed to be pulled rather than pushed?

And there is the reason why if you get injured, you will win any claim. You are using a tool without sufficient training, simple as that

Did you have to sign anything when they were brought in? If you did then RM might well have their ass covered.

A good solicitor would fight this on the basis that the training was insufficient, simply signing a sheet to say you had received the equivalent of a toolbox talk would not be enough. This goes for all of the huddle talks, they are communication not training

[norris9]

This is one reason I hate van sharing....everyone has a different way of doing things....

Some people I've worked with load up a trolley for me with as much as they can. I hate it as it is slow, inefficient, annoying to have to walk back to the trolley to go forwards again.

Some people hand you a heavy bag which is awkward, bad for your back and joints, and put small packets you can't see at the bottom of the bag, which you may miss or you can't even take out easily as you have ten tonnes of weight on your shoulder and bundles and parcels in the way.

Where is the logic in working this way?

How hard is it to reduce a 60 call loop to a 30 call loop. Generally I think 40 calls should be the maximum you do on any loop, unless it's apartments (which tend to get less mail).