This branch is shit. Coolifts are a mess. Can’t check in yourself since management have a problem with that. So I gotta wait wasting more time. Plus I got “promoted” after 9 months when one former coworker quit. And I can see why. These routes are spread out like a mug. 9 stops will end up making you fall behind past 5pm (we start at 5am) and here’s the kicker. Overtime…is Chinese. The longer you’re out the less you make. This is obviously a flat rate salary.
I know other drivers who make more then me but what’s funny is that this occupation ain’t worth the long hours if overtime is depleting. I ended up working 12 to 15 hrs on a flat salary for coke. And me and a coworker were thinking the same thing. You have us working like this for long days. It’s should be four days on and four days off.
I’ve been exhausted. Every fucking week. Can’t even believe I’ll ever get off at around 3pm. I’m always out in the boonies. No signal and I gotta deal with management (the customer of the store) who complains to me that I have no control over. Always making the job difficult for us when it doesn’t need to be. And especially the sales rep and warehouse.
When I go past 8 hours. It’s a wrap. 12 hrs to 16hrs because of a technicality. For example.
1) My routes are spread out. 38 minutes out; driving.
2) Still exhausted from yesterday. Trying not to dose off while traveling to said destination.
3) Each route within each stop I get maybe 1 or 2 pallets to complete then the next stop is 5 or 7 pallets to do by myself (with no help) and stretched thin. Even with help; I would get 9 stops just for that.
So basically I’m driving pallets of beverages (that the warehouse can’t seem to get their pallets set up right) in a split time frame and I won’t be able to finish before 2pm or 3pm. I always either come back late around 5pm or damn near 7 or 8. That’s where this job is getting worse. And “check ins” also eat up the wait time. So there’s that. I came across so many issues.
A) Dollar stores (hate em’ all) and their scan guns and service malfunctioning.
B) Always a miscount or “phantom” beverage that was either substituted or not on the pallet.
C) Gotta fix the warehouse fucking mistakes when checking into stores by count. And having to bring back the “pick list.” But we get blamed and the brunt of it. So we gotta put on a fake smile for the annoyed customer.
D) Having to remember every stop and which product you brought back (unknowingly having read the wrong abbreviation off the draft).
E) Why do we have manual coolifts that push by hand? Especially going up hills…by yourself…with no help and good luck getting the people on the spot to come save you as you struggle getting them up there.
F) Working 5 days a week passed the 8hr day should be an indication that once you can’t take care of personal business during the day of said week when everything important shuts down (post office, dmv, bank, ect) and all you can get is the weekends off (that’s every reason to not work here).
G) Independent gas station owners tend to be reasonable or a pain in the fucking ass for no reason. As if we (the drivers) have something to do with your order. We just fucking deliver and stock (which they should be doing).
H) And there back stock full of beverages from last week are still there and new orders coming in from the same product for the back is redundant.
Some of you might say something like “ find another job” or “find somewhere that pays you more.” Or what have you. I am. But until then. I’m trying to thug is out. All it takes is one feather to fuck it up (Tom and Jerry reference).