how would you normally work this

[reppy007]

Just trying to see how or what others think,lets say you have 20 meter orders,all of them are in different locations,residential,both overhead and urd,the closest is about 5 miles away and the farthest orders are 20 miles away.In-between you have several other new neighborhoods,and have orders in them also.What method do you use,do you start with the nearest orders or the farthest.There can be several factors in making this decision if you really want to be efficent.When I was with the utility we never sequenced our orders on the computer,but as a contractor it was required,well by us...so that had to be done daily,in the morning or you would recieve a call or two by phone.Saying that, you could re-sequence if you desired.....which way would you work the orders?By the way lets saythis is done in october.

[birdog37]

If something was priority no brainer but start close because about the time ya do 0ne 20 miles away and work your way back,ya get a call to go back 20 miles away...... never done those kinda orders thou everything is automated now.

[Pootnaigle]

Ummmmmmmmm I usta organize mine where I was traveling in a circle. Thataway I could double back for a priority call n get started all over again by reversing the order of the tickets. Worked for me.

[JD426H]

I did it the same way as Poot.....in a circle. I got in the habit of doing all my dig ins for new services and any new overhead temp or perm service first thing in the morning. Then I would start my circle from the last one, finishing the day with the easy stuff. That worked fine till we started using laptops, and when they saw all your services done...they would drop more on you. I learned real quick to still do em first thing in the morning.....and just sandbag em till around 4 pm, and then complete them on the screen. :D

[reppy007]

Ummmmmmmmm I usta organize mine where I was traveling in a circle. Thataway I could double back for a priority call n get started all over again by reversing the order of the tickets. Worked for me.

Thats kind of what it is when you do it right,rather you start at the nearest order or the farthest its about the same mileage,I didnt know if anyone would respond cause they are just meter orders,with trouble combined at times.But it helps if you know the area,it helps if you can get maps of the neighborhood streets from the information center,and other lineman.In my case it was both working for a contractor,I had some help with maps from the utilitys lineman since I knew them anyway.Some can be new neighborhoods so the streets wouldnt be on key map books or on mapquest,Gps,ect.It kind of was a competition,us contractors were all former Centerpoint hands,and one guy was really known as a go getter.So that made it kind of fun,his methods were,lets say primitive,he was an excellent worker,but the rules he followed would slow him down,by the book and only by the book type of guy.It takes time to get it down pat,but this is how I did mine....first I knew where the traffic was,and at what times to avoid certain intersections.If there was a long light and there happened to be a strip center around that intersection,Id use the strip-center as a short-cut by going behind it. If there were school zones,and there were,Id try avoiding them at certain times.Or if it was in a location where the parents would pick the kids up at 230pm,Id do that area first thing off the bat,avoiding being caught up in some line,then you might have a train x-ing.I found both ways went pretty much the same,but for me sometimes I went to the farthest because that would put me near the plant at the end of the day,allowing me to look at what was done,and if satisfied head on in and go home early:D..they didnt mind if you had the numbers,thats what they wanted....here anything above 16 is considered great.....the average daily milage was around 69-90 miles,so that is alot of time on the road considering that some orders were close to each other and some not so close.Now that is just the traveling part,the way the actual work is done is going to be different,due to some guys not really working as a team,that will slow anyone down.

[reppy007]

I did it the same way as Poot.....in a circle. I got in the habit of doing all my dig ins for new services and any new overhead temp or perm service first thing in the morning. Then I would start my circle from the last one, finishing the day with the easy stuff. That worked fine till we started using laptops, and when they saw all your services done...they would drop more on you. I learned real quick to still do em first thing in the morning.....and just sandbag em till around 4 pm, and then complete them on the screen. :D

I can relate to that JD,they are great at dropping more orders one you once they see that your screen is clear....but its way better than the old days where you had a large storm blowing in and the dispatchers would give you 10...15..or twenty orders by radio,and if you needed to ask a question about one you couldnt cause they were still talking on the radio...what a mess....but in a way its all still the same,like playing cards....you need to know when to show them and know when to hold them......some guys can be creative by holding and others can just be plain ole lousy when they show them.:D