Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
UPS drivers honored for safety
They’ve had 25 years of accident-free driving
WHITPAIN » Getting behind the wheel these days is a risky proposition for any driver. The possibility of getting into an accident just driving to the grocery store can be intimidating.
So imagine the fulfillment that comes with spearheading a 53foot tractor trailer on long trips during 12-hour work days completely unscathed for years, like John Allen.
The Blue Bell resident recently became a member of the upper crust of drivers for the UPS (United Parcel Service Inc.) Circle of Honor for sustaining a 25-year record of accident-free driving.
Also welcomed into the select group were Arthur Duff, North Wales; Clark Ostrowski, Collegeville; Richard Perna, Norristown; Brian Gardiner, Downingtown; Arnold Lynch, Glenside; Brian Mitchell, Chalfont; Michael Lowry, Coatesville; Albert Jarmon, West Grove; Edward Johnson, Willow Grove and Thomas Hartman, Leesport.
“I think every driver is working toward this,” said Allen, a tractor trailer operator who makes a round trip four days a week from the UPS center in Willow Grove
to Wheeling, W. Va.
His skills may make driving look simple, but it’s not always easy avoiding bad drivers on today’s roads, Allen admitted.
“Just driving your car, it’s tough out there. You just have more responsibility as a truck driver. When something goes wrong with a tractor trailer it’s pretty colossal. And it’s getting tougher all the time. Nowadays, drivers are texting away and are totally distracted
from their driving.. The law says not to do it but they do it anyway. It’s crazy out there ... very scary.”
One of the ways he stays safe is aiming for solitude on the road as much as possible, Allen allowed.
“Somebody once told me to be by yourself, so I actually try to stay away from the other cars and trucks because that’s where the accidents happen. You stay in the right lane and let drivers pass you, which isn’t easy sometimes, especially on the turnpike where, for the most part, you only have two lanes. It’s a constant adjustment.”
Although not showing up in police reports is a prime indicator of an accident-free driver, UPS has other ways of monitoring the safety of its drivers, Allen noted.
“With the incredible technology in the trucks, it’s amazing what they know about your driving,” he said. “They know how hard you hit the brakes, whether or not you exceed the speed limit, they know everything. And they’re watching you by satellite all the time.”
Allen, who lives in Blue Bell with wife Janice, began working for UPS as a
part-time truck loader in 1976, at the Germantown Pike, East Norriton, facility.
“They closed Norristown, Doylestown, Jenkintown and Lansdale locations in 1983 and consolidated everything into Willow Grove, where I went to work,” Allen said. “It’s the third or fourth largest UPS center in the country, with 26 miles of conveyor belt.”
For his admission into the Circle of Honor, Allen was presented with a plaque and a brown leather jacket emblazoned with the UPS logo.
“UPS has always been
good to me,” he said.
A press release noted that 65 UPS drivers from Pennsylvania were among 1,582 newly inducted worldwide into the Circle of Honor.
Pennsylvania now boasts 390 Circle of Honor drivers, with Jon Bedillion of Washington being the state’s senior-most safe driver, with 41 years of accident-free driving under his belt.
There are 4,217 total UPS drivers in Pennsylvania. Globally, 10,504 UPS drivers are members of the Circle of Honor. Collectively they’ve racked up nearly 14 billion safe miles during
their careers — which translates to 29,000 round trips to the moon.
“My thanks go to all of them for their dedication and focus and for the countless lives they’ve saved,” noted Lou Rivieccio, president, UPS East Region. “Their attention to detail has kept them safe and has helped improve public safety.”
The most seasoned UPS Circle of Honor driver is Thomas Camp of Livonia, Mich., with 55 years of accident-free driving. Ronald McKnight of Bronx, N.Y., is next in line, with 49 years of safe driving.