UPS Safe Driving Fact Sheet
UPS drivers are among the safest on the road. The 112,450 drivers of the world’s
largest package delivery company log more than 2.5 billion miles a year -
and average less than one accident for every million miles driven.
UPS has been committed to the safety of its drivers and the public for more
than 100 years and has developed industry-leading safety training programs and
safety equipment. The company will invest US$53 million in 2008 on safety training.
From 2001 to 2006, UPS’s accident rate improved by 25 percent.
Driver Safety Training
- UPS has developed its own comprehensive defensive driving course, called “Space and Visibility.” UPS drivers are taught what the company
calls “The Five Seeing Habits,” stressing the importance of space
and visibility when driving.
- New UPS tractor-trailer drivers receive 80 hours of classroom and on-the-road
training before operating equipment.
- UPS package car drivers receive 20 hours of classroom and on-the-road
defensive driver training. In addition, they complete three safety ride evaluations
during their first 22 days on the job.
- All drivers receive annual training rides and follow-up training in
the event of a preventable accident.
- UPS operates an intensive driver training school in South Holland,
Ill., that teaches management driver-trainers how to train tractor-trailer drivers.
Safety Equipment and Maintenance
- UPS has a comprehensive vehicle maintenance program that includes the
Preventative Maintenance Inspection and pre- and post-trip inspection methods.
Regular maintenance on each of its 94,542 vehicles ensures peak performance,
resulting in lower fuel consumption, fewer emissions and greater highway safety.
Recognition of Safe Drivers
- UPS recognizes the achievements of its safe drivers through the Circle
of Honor program and the Safe Driving Hall of Fame Program. Both annual programs
reward drivers who have no avoidable accidents during the course of a year.
- The Circle of Honor Program rewards UPS drivers who have achieved 25
years or more of safe driving. UPS has 4,451 active Circle of Honor Drivers.
- The Safe Driving Hall of Fame recognizes drivers who have achieved
20 years or more of safe driving.
- UPS is enhancing and updating its Safe Driving Honor Program, which
recognizes and rewards drivers for maintaining an accident-free record. The
company invests US$5 million a year in awards to recognize safe drivers.
Commitment to Public Safety
- UPS offers customized training materials to metropolitan law enforcement
departments to help enhance the driving safety of police officers. The police
departments of major metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Seattle and Jacksonville,
Fla., have incorporated these materials into their training.
- UPS Health & Safety managers in 29 states serve as technical advisors
to coordinators of the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS). A public-private
partnership chaired by UPS, NETS seeks to improve community traffic safety by
challenging employers to implement traffic safety initiatives.
- UPS Director of Corporate Health and Safety Kevin Strahan is a member
of the National Safety Council (NSC) Board of Delegates, and has served as a
technical advisor to the NSC since 2005.
- Several UPS drivers have served as “captains” on America’s
Road Team - recognition of their superior driving records. Created by
the American Trucking Association in 1985, America’s Road Team showcases
professional truck drivers through speaking engagements and public appearances
that emphasize traffic safety.
- UPS and NETS created a Novice Driver Kit to provide parents a training
guide for their teens.
- UPS has worked with the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway
Safety to address local driving issues.
- The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators gave UPS its
2001 Gold Communicator Award for highway safety for educating parents and novice
drivers with its publication, “The Novice Driver’s Road Map.”
- UPS partners with the Safe America Foundation’s “Teen Driving
Institute” to provide simulation and text training to supplement the lack
of drivers' education in schools. Fleet Safety Manager Gerry Eaker is a board member of
Safe America.
- UPS is a co-sponsor of the National Safety Council’s Workplace
Safety Week.
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