Taking Advice From Big Brown

It's nearly impossible to travel within any given city in America without seeing the big brown delivery trucks operated by UPS. UPS created their first driver training handbook in 1917 and has improved it ever since.

The company averages less than one accident for every one million miles driven. While 808 delivery drivers were killed in 2006, not one of them was a UPS driver.

Training
UPS drivers spend 20 hours of combined classroom and road training. They have a safety ride at least once every six months where a supervisor observes their practices for a day by riding along or following.

Discipline
Drivers are disciplined for preventable accidents and damage to a vehicle. While discipline isn’t used as a primary tool, there must be consequences for failure to work in a safe manner.

5-Seeing Habits

1. Aim High in Steering: Look as far down the road as possible to uncover important traffic information to make appropriate decisions.
2. Get the Big Picture: Maintain the proper following distance to comfortably determine the true hazards around your vehicle. Don’t tailgate.
3. Keep Your Eyes Moving: Scan, don’t stare. Constantly shift your eyes while driving. Active eyes keep up with changing traffic conditions.
4. Leave Yourself An Out: Be prepared. Surround your vehicle with space in front and at least on one side to escape conflict.
5. Make Sure They See You: Communicate in traffic with your horn, lights, and signals to establish eye contact with motorists and pedestrians. Be reasonably sure of people’s intentions.