UPS honors 4 local drivers for 25 years of safe driving
Written by Duane Ramsey | | news@toledofreepress.comFour UPS drivers from the Maumee Distribution Center were among 60 drivers in Ohio and 1,235 worldwide inducted into the Circle of Honor, which recognizes those who have achieved 25 or more years of accident-free driving.
Arlyn Witker of Bradner, David Fisher of Maumee and Gene Baker and Craig Miron of Toledo who work out of the Maumee center were inducted into the honorary group.
The four local drivers received special UPS brown jackets with a Circle of Honor insignia on them during a reception held at the Maumee center.
Miron, a native of Detroit who now lives in Point Place, said he has 26 years of accident-free driving and a total of 36 years driving for UPS. He currently drives semi-trucks with multiple trailers from the Maumee center across the Ohio Turnpike into Pennsylvania.
“In my whole career, I’m most proud of the 26 years of safe driving. It’s nice to be recognized for doing my job safely and efficiently,” Miron said about the award.
“It helps to know your route but any place can be a trouble spot so you have to be constantly aware at all times,” he said.
Baker has been driving a UPS package truck for almost 26 years and delivers in the Sylvania area. The delivery drivers face a different set of traffic issues than the over-the-road drivers, he said.
“UPS gives us a lot of training to keep safety in the forefront,” Baker said. “You need to keep your eyes open to know what’s going on around your vehicles at all times.”
In addition, three drivers from the UPS facility in Fremont, Craig Hilty, Rory Keyes and John Oliver Jr., and Jeffrey Hissong in Findlay were also recognized for the safe-driving honor announced by UPS Feb. 23.
The 1,235 new inductees represent the largest increase in new Circle of Honor members in a single year in the company’s history.
Ohio has 268 active Circle of Honor drivers with a combined total of 7,492 years of accident-free driving. Ron Sowder of Springboro, Ohio, is the senior safe driver with 50 years of accident-free driving, which is the best driving record among UPS’s 102,000 drivers worldwide.
“I’m very proud of these men and women. To go at least a quarter century without an accident is a testament to the pride they take in their work and to the training they receive,” Stanley Deans, president of the UPS Central Region, stated in the press release.
UPS drivers are among the safest on the road, logging more than 3 billion miles a year and averaging less than one accident for every 1 million miles driven, according to the company.
UPS invested $175 million in safety training in 2011 and uses its own comprehensive driving course called “Space and Visibility.” All UPS drivers are taught safe driving methods beginning on the first day of classroom training and through its safe driving platform throughout their careers.
Founded in 1907, UPS has a long history of safety and training. It formally established the Circle of Honor in 1955.
Tags: Arlyn Witker, Circle of Honor, Craig Miron, David Fisher, driving safety, Duane Ramsey, Gene Baker, UPS, UPS Maumee Distribution Center
