Telematics=Management Scam

     Telematics is the new management scam. The company spent millions to implement Telematics just so they caI'm the Hotdogger From Hell n keep the fear of the “Lord and Master” in all the drivers. When they implement Telematics in a center, they usually make a big scene singling out offending drivers for seat belt issues, or excess breaks in their day. The idea being the drivers will cower in fear, and keep the idea that the “Lord and Master’s” constantly watching.
     Usually the end result is a major drop in “stops per on road”. When they feel that the drivers are sufficiently fearful, the managers go back in to their hot doggers and whisper, “don’t worry”, I’ll look after you. “Do it the way you always have!” The driver will breath a sigh of relief, and return to their humping and dumping ways, thinking they are immune from prosecution under Telematics. The managers breath a sigh of relief because their production shows a steady increase.
                                            But Wait!
     What most managers, and drivers forget is the trusted Minion of the “Lord and Master” can watch the Telematics printouts of any center, anywhere. They constantly look for gaps in time, excessive break, no seat belts, excessive backing, all the things that Telematics can report. A report is e-mailed to the center manager with a demand for the driver to be disciplined. The Minion has no “deal” with the driver, and doesn’t care if he or she is the “hotdog from hell” of a delivery person.
     The Minion of course is on his own “death watch” and has a “MAR” requirement issued by the “Lord and Master” to kill off a certain number of drivers a week. The center manager, who is also under “constant death watch”, must also respond to the Minions demands for discipline, or he will be removed for lack of management ability, and ineffective management.
     Usually it’s the hotdoggers that get caught under Telematics because they are playing games with the system. They often will split stops to improve performance, or play games with air commit times, or throw packages anywhere to speed up the delivery process, along with driving like idiots, and failing to use their seat belts, etc.
     After the implementation of Telematics in our building, 5 drivers were Terminated, and 3 never returned. All were humper dumper’s, one was even a scab from the strike days.
     The drivers that follow the methods fall from view of the Minion and live “happily ever after”. Of course that’s happily ever after with brown, where you never are “happily”, and “ever after” never seems to come.
                    “Ever after may never come to the hot dogging, humper dumper, now with Telematics!