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The most aggravating things about being a driver

28. The two run maximum rule.


This is a gripe with management. Some managers won't allow drivers to take more than two deliveries at once. The reason is to have drivers return to the store more quickly, such as in under 20 minutes.

The rule destroys driver efficiency. There is usually a third house only a block away from one of the other two in my route. All three orders are ready to go. The rule prohibits me from taking all three. I must return to the store and then run back to the third house I left behind. This happens all the time. The third delivery is still on the shelf when I return.

Also, there might be three or four deliveries going to one area on the map and the rest go in other directions. The rule sends two drivers to the same area or subdivision instead of just one. This is a waste of a driver. The second driver ought to be free to take deliveries in other directions. Additional labor is not necessary to compensate for a three-minute longer drive time. The rule encourages wasteful overhiring.

It is faster to take three or four at once. The drive time may increase by three minutes, but it's far more economical than making another trip to the store and back out again. When you look at the larger picture, such as deliveries per hour, taking three or four at once results in more deliveries taken in an hour and in the entire shift.

The only reason for this rule is to get drivers to return to the store in under 20 minutes. This is an arbitrary number. Twenty minutes is silly when the delivery time is 60 and the rule makes delivery times longer. Also, some drivers can take three or four and return in 20 minutes. Some triples are much shorter than others. We recognize that drivers should not spend long times on the road. However, an inflexible rule such as this does not work all the time. Drivers should be free to gauge how many deliveries to take, routing their runs based on location and time and also by how many drivers are working. Experienced drivers do this. The rule stifles even a relatively new driver.

The rule makes pizzas late and even doubles the delivery time because it's very inefficient. We encourage all drivers under this stupid rule to tell customers why the pizza was late, that you were a block or two away 20 minutes ago and could have delivered it then but the store would not let you take three. If they don't like it, ask customers to complain to the manager. If you are a customer and the driver alludes to a two run max rule, I hope now you will understand.


Last updated: August 8, 2008

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