UPS Honors Its Texas Drivers for 25 Years of Safe Driving

Today, UPS announced that 119 elite drivers from Texas are among the 1,613 drivers who have been newly inducted worldwide into the Circle of Honor, an honorary organization for UPS drivers who have achieved 25 or more years of accident-free driving.

According to a press release, UPS was founded in 1907 and has a rich history of safety and training. The company issued its first driver handbook in 1917 and began recognizing safe drivers in 1923. In 1928, UPS recognized its first five-year safe driver, Ray McCue, with UPS founder Jim Casey presenting him a gold and platinum watch. UPS formally established its safe driving honor program in 1928.

Just in Texas, there are 7,783 drivers. Texas boasts 702 active Circle of Honor drivers with a combined 19,870 years of accident-free driving. Alfredo Luna of Pearland is the state’s senior-most safe driver, with 43 years of accident-free driving under his belt, noted the release.

Across the globe, 8,703 active UPS drivers are members of the Circle of Honor, and collectively, they’ve racked up more than 245,000 years and more than 5.3 billion safe miles during their careers. UPS officials said that’s enough miles to travel to Mars and back 19 times.

Here are some other comparisons:

• It’s enough miles to circle the earth at the equator nearly 213,000 times.
• It’s enough miles to drive every mile of every road in the U.S. nearly 1,300 times.
• 5.3 billion seconds ago James K.Polk was the 11^th president of the United States, and the Civil War was still 13 years away.
• 5.3 billion minutes ago many ice age species, like the wooly rhinoceros and sabre-toothed cats, were going extinct.
• A stack of 5.3 billion dollar bills would be about 360 miles high.

“My thanks go to all of them for their dedication and focus and for the countless lives they’ve saved,” said President Craig Wiltz of the UPS Red River District. “Their attention to detail has kept them safe and has helped improve public safety.”

Globally, the most seasoned UPS Circle of Honor driver is Thomas Camp of Livonia, Mich., with 53 years of driving without an accident. Ronald McKnight of Bronx, N.Y., is next in line with 47 years of safe driving, and 66 others have logged at least 40 years without an accident.

UPS’s 102,000 drivers are among the safest on the roads, logging more than 3 billion miles a year and delivering more than 4 billion packages safely.