UPS has announced the induction of 1,445 drivers into its elite “Circle of Honor,” raising to 7,878the number of drivers who have not had an avoidable accident for 25 years or more.
The number of active Circle of Honor drivers is the most in company history and includes 66new members from Canada, Germany and Puerto Rico. Collectively, the 7,878 drivers have logged morethan 5.3 billion miles and more than 221,000 years of safe driving through their careers.
“Maintaining safe highways and roads is our highest priority, so I commend any person whoachieves this milestone of 25 years or more crash-free, creating safer driving conditions for usall,” said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
Of all the Circle of Honor members, 471 have been accident-free for 35 or more years, with 62of those having driven more than 40 years without an accident. UPS’s top safe driver in 2014 isLivonia, Michigan, package car driver Tom Camp, who has now driven for 52 years and delivered morethan 5 million packages without an accident.
Orlando tractor-trailer driver Ginny Odom has become the company’s first female driver toreach 40 years without an accident. She is one of 62 active UPS drivers to reach the milestone outof 102,000 drivers worldwide. “I never thought I’d make it to 40 years without an accident,” saidOdom. “But it shows you what you can accomplish if you work hard.”
This year, 41 new inductees are women and 19 additional women have joined the ranks of thosewith more than 30 years of safe driving. There are a total of 166 women in the Circle of Honor.
UPS’s 102,000 drivers worldwide are among the safest on the roads, logging more than 3billion miles per year and delivering more than 4 billion packages safely.
Before ever making a delivery, all UPS drivers are taught safe driving methods through thecompany’s defensive driving platform. The training continues throughout their careers. In 2010, UPSimplemented a ban on text and email messaging while behind the wheel, prohibiting distractions thatare a proven cause of traffic crashes.
“Our training and our drivers’ attention to details, such as avoiding distractions whiledriving, all play a part in their remarkable record,” said Teri McClure, UPS Chief Legal Officerand Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Employee Communications. “Their expertise behind thewheel has helped many avoid the life-changing impact of accidents.”
UPS extends its safe driving expertise to the communities it serves through UPS Road Codetraining, a teen safe driving program available in the United States and internationally. Taught byUPS volunteers, the program is available to teens between the ages of 13 and 18. To date, more than20,000 teenagers have participated. The program has been extended to the UK, Canada, Germany andChina, and further international expansion is planned. The four-session training regimen is basedon UPS’s safe driving methods. UPS Road Code training is offered in the U.S. in conjunction withBoys & Girls Clubs of America and overseas in four countries with various youth developmentorganizations thanks to $9.9 million in contributions from The UPS Foundation since the program’sinception.
