Calvin

Deaf drivers reach proposed settlement with UPS

Deaf drivers reach proposed settlement with UPS

Let's see what happens down the road.

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Deafness

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shel90

Why does one have to hear to drive?

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Shel~

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

Calvin

They are anal about safety, they are worried if they can't hear and they will get into accidents.

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diehardbiker

Hope they're giving a go ahead. Once go ahead and wait one year, then we can ask them to come up with proof that Deaf drivers has greater risk of accident than Hearing drivers. WATCH, they will NOT be able to prove this, which in turn may expand to heavier vehicles.

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Calvin

Right, so let's hope they will comply, so wait and see what happens. I work for UPS over 13 years so I know how they are.

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shel90

They need to be educated about deaf people and driving big time.

Good for those deaf people who fought back!

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Shel~

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

JClarke

-- Seriously, deaf people are better drivers than they think. Hope they will go well and give the opportunity for the deafies who work for USPS.

Buffalo

Those hearing drivers can have accidents when they are arguing with someone over cell phone. I just think that deaf drivers are better at driving because they use eyes more than the hearing drivers. The deaf drivers better not be texting while driving!!

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It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is that they can't see the problem.
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shel90

I don't think hearing drivers would use the cell phone while on the job. If they do, then I hope they get fired. Same goes for deaf people texting/driving while on the job.

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Shel~

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

rjcon88

They do... and text also. I've watched many of my drivers from my center talk on the phone and a few of the younger ones text while I was with them as a driver helper.

VamPyroX

Yeah.

They should actually be doing research on the percentage of accidents caused by deaf and hearing drivers on jobs involving driving.

I've heard lots of stories of Fedex, UPS, and DHL drivers having accidents... and they were hearing. Never heard anything with deaf people.

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Buffalo

I won't be surprised if they (both deaf and hearing) use cell phone on the sly.

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It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is that they can't see the problem.
- Gilbert Chesterton

Em903

The only thing I could possibly think of this being a situational thing is having to hear for shipment moving around in the truck? Idk, I have friends who work for FedEx and it's pretty dangerous with all that cargo moving around pretty quick. Even if that is the case (in terms of having to hear if something has shifted) that would be pretty lame. Like unless it were chemicals or something potentially hazardous...

Weird but at least strides towards a better future, yes?

Frisky Feline

interesting. I remember I took a road test. I made a few mistakes in my own road test. Oh I forget what's it called for the person who observes me to see if i can pass the test to get a license. anyway this person from dmv gave me a pass and told me that he knew deaf people drives real well and he saw me doing by looking around very careful. He said to me that i just need to work on wheeling that i can get better in no time and no reason why i should fail for it. He approved that i passed it. I never forget how he wrote on the paper telling me that he stated "deaf drivers do drive well than hearing drivers." I felt good about it because he is well edcuated about deaf people's skilling abitlity in driving vehicles.

Buffalo

Don't they have a 'cage' dividing the cargo from the driver to protect the driver??

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It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is that they can't see the problem.
- Gilbert Chesterton

Calvin

There is a bulkhead door that comes between the driver and cargo. The driver has to close the cargo door while they leave the truck to deliver packages. They also have to close the door when the truck is moving. What UPS is anal about safety is, if they can't hear horn, siren or any kind of noise surrounding. If the children playing around the package car without driver knowledge, and if they run over and if driver can't hear screams etc.

They are just worried about the liability bs. Hearing drivers do get in accidents and it had happened in my UPS location which totalled a couple of UPS trucks in the past.

It not just about deaf drivers, its hearing drivers also have safety issues too. Also UPS is part of federal company and is with DOT rules same as postal service. Independent company probably would be different and let deaf people drive, such as floral delivery, pizza delivery, etc for example.

Let's hope in the long run they will resolve this and at least give deaf drivers a try for those drivers job. Like I said earlier it's wait and see situation.

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Foxrac

I would like to see any law that allows deaf people to drive on semi-truck.

I love to drive alot.

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purplecatty

I second that!!!!!!!!!!

I works for USPS and I drives LLV (Grumann Long Live Vehicle) and I am planning to apply CDL license to drive 1 ton truck in the future. Post Office didn't have issue for deaf Carriers to drive LLV or Flex Fuel truck (replacement for LLV).

Catty

purplecatty

Do they have convex mirror on back of UPS truck (mirror mounted on top side or side of truck)? (similiar to what you saw at Convenience store or Grocery store for clerk to see what their customers are up to at back end of the store) This allow driver to see what's behind the truck while backing up. Do they have two mirrors on driver's left or right side, one large rectangular mirror adjusted that driver can see convex mirror on back side of truck and upper surrounding area and 2nd mirror is a "fish eyed" view mirror to see everything on side of the truck??

Most important thing is to back up SLOWLY!! Not just normal backup. Also must have Emergency flasher on while backing up. It's driver's responsibilty to keep eye on Convex mirror looking what's around the rear bumper. Also newer trucks have rear camera to allow them to see and back up safetly. (some backup camera have "fish eye" view to see almost everything behind the truck.)


For kids, It is driver's responsibility to check AROUND and UNDER the truck to be sure no kids are are around the truck. If you see kids playing near the truck, you simply tell the kids to move as far as possible. But it's best that you park where you DON'T NEED TO BACK UP unless Absolutely neccessary. So basically, just park that you can drive out one way. Don't park on driveway where you have to backup.. That's the safety. I learned that from USPS driver training class.

I've heard UPS in Lenexa, KS (hub in Lenexa) had serious backup accident that killed the Package Loader employee. The Semi-tractor trailer backed up while the Package Loader got down outside of dock and tried to pick up thing that fell through between trailer and dock. The first Tractor Trailer left while guy was on ground and another Trailer immediately moved in and crushed him and driver didn't hear his scream. The driver lost his job. It was on the newspaper.

My point is that It doesn't make any difference if they are hearing or deaf, they do still makes mistake. UPS don't get the point...

For example:
My deaf friend who was a Omaha Paper employee who drive Semi-Tractor and travel all over across State of Kansas to pickup bundled cardboards. The manager had to let him and one of driver go after 6 months of working because of budget reason. Months later, he visited Omaha Paper Co to find out if they would re-hire him. The manager was glad to see him again and admitted that couple of their drivers that he hired after letting him go wrecks Company's semi-tractor just short period of time. He was disappointed that he should NOT have let my friend go the first place because he admitted that my friend is the best driver he ever have. But he couldn't hire him back cuz the CEO of company doesn't want to pay double monthly payment for insurance (Zurich Insurance Co) cuz he's deaf. So he couldn't hire him back. My friend told me that Zurich Insurance Co is very wrong for charging double on Company cuz of deaf CDL drivers. It's plain wrong!



Catty

Calvin

UPS package trucks have the back up camera installed since about 2002 or 2003, I can't remember. So yes, it is the driver's responsibility to check surrounding the package truck before proceeding. Some children can still sneak and try to get around the truck while UPS drivers are not aware.

Yes, I heard about the accident and that's one of the reason OSHA requires outside UPS yard to wear reflective vests. When something happens, UPS is easy to blame on the employee's part no matter if you're at fault or not. UPS also requires certified employees (non driver) to be allowed in the UPS yard. That is also the reason the rules added because of the accident and OHSA's recommendation. I'm pretty sure UPS got fined by OSHA for the accident.

I agree the compensation and insurance is ridiculous but since accidents happen and they are paying for it. It's not cheap to have that kind of insurance.

You have a there Catty

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purplecatty

I was told in training that some kids are mischievous giving delivery truck driver problem. If problems arise, shut off the truck, contact supervisor. When supervisor arrives. They'll talk with kids and even contact parents. IF kids won't admit where they live, cops will be the next thing.

Can you imagine that on Youtube.com, I've seen kids playing with USPS LLV by climbing on top and flip-jump and landed and ran while driver was unaware. Other video show kids was riding on bumper but driver stopped real quickly (cuz the driver spotted him through convex mirror) and kid got his nose banged on cargo door and took off. The driver was pissed. That's pretty scary when you are on job and kids can be really ornery. I could agree that it's pretty sticky situation.

When driving through the neighborhood between parked cars. I usually drive very slowly while passing through parked cars and keep eye on parked car cuz kids can dart out between parked car which is scary part. I kept my foot hoovering over brake pedal just in case.

catty

Miss-Delectable

UPS to allow hard-of-hearing drivers

United Parcel Service tentatively settled a 10-year-old lawsuit Tuesday by agreeing to allow some deaf and hard-of-hearing employees to compete for jobs driving small delivery vans after special testing and training.

The settlement, which awaits approval by a federal judge in San Francisco, would apply to about 1,000 workers and 1,250 vehicles at UPS, the world's largest private package carrier, said attorney Laurence Paradis, executive director of Disability Rights Advocates in Berkeley.

The dispute involves trucks weighing 10,000 pounds or less, a small percentage of UPS' fleet of nearly 100,000 vehicles. U.S. Department of Transportation regulations require drivers of trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds to pass hearing tests, but the company has applied the same standards to its smaller vehicles.

UPS argued that deaf drivers were more likely to get into accidents because they couldn't hear sirens, screeching tires or other danger signals. Plaintiffs in the nationwide suit said they were unfairly confined to low-level jobs as loaders and sorters despite records that showed they were safe drivers.

After a two-month trial, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson ruled in 2004 that the company was discriminating illegally against deaf people with good driving records. But a federal appeals court ruled in December 2007 that he had used the wrong standard and ordered him to reconsider.

Negotiations since that ruling led to Tuesday's settlement, Paradis said.

The agreement requires the company to use a more lenient hearing standard, established by an expert panel, for qualified employees. Paradis said those who are completely deaf won't meet the standard, but many who consider themselves deaf or substantially impaired will pass the test and qualify for training, which would probably include sign-language interpreters and other communication aids.

After a year, the two sides would assess the results and negotiate changes or a permanent extension, referring any disputes to an arbitrator. The company agreed to pay $35,000 to each of seven employees who filed the suit, and $5.25 million to their lawyers.

Other employees who believe they were wrongly barred from drivers' jobs, dating back to mid-1997, can file individual damage claims with federal and state civil rights agencies, Paradis said.

"This first-of-its-kind class action on behalf of deaf and hearing-impaired employees broke new ground and made new law," said Todd Schneider, an attorney for the plaintiffs.

UPS' fleet safety manager, Gerry Eaker, said the company "remains committed to treating our employees with disabilities, including those with hearing impairments, fairly, while maintaining our unwavering commitment to public safety."

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shel90

That's great news!!!

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Shel~

"A child educated only at school is an uneducated child." -George Santayana

Calvin

Mod note:

Thread's merged.

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