By Karah-Leigh Hancock
VALDOSTA — At UPS, focusing on safe driving is an everyday, around-the-clock occurrence, not an afterthought.
It’s part of the UPS culture as its drivers make the choice on the job, as well as in their personal lives, to be the best on the road.
On Jan. 26, UPS welcomed 928 drivers to its elite Circle of Honor, giving the company 4,793 active drivers who have steered clear of accidents for 25 years or more.
It was the largest number of new inductees in a single year in United Parcel Service of America Inc. history.
Valdosta’s Glenn Adkins was among the 35 Peach State drivers inducted.
A Vietnam War veteran, Adkins joined UPS after serving six years in the Air Force.
He currently runs a route that takes him through Brooks County and parts of Thomas County.
“I run a rural area,” he said. “I run everything south of Quitman to the Florida line, then over to Dixie to the Florida line, all the way up to Barwick, then from Barwick to Highway 122 South below Boston to the Florida line. It’s a real rural area. There’s a lot of dirt roads.”
Adkins knows that driving on these dirt roads — especially under certain conditions — can lead to accidents.
However, UPS has a few rules to help him avoid them.
“UPS is a stickler about safety, and rightfully so,” he said. “We have what we call (the) Five Seeing Habits that we have to know. There’s the 10-point commentary which helps you not only (be) a safe driver, but a good defensive driver as well.”
UPS reportedly invested $52 million in 2009 on training its employees on safety. UPS has various annual and periodic safety training courses such as a Defensive Driving School and Package Driver Training School to help keep its drivers at the top of their game.
“It’s not whether ... (an accident is) your fault or not,” Adkins said. “It’s whether it’s avoidable or not. In other words, you could have an accident that really wasn’t your fault. If you could have done something to avoid it, you still would be charged with an accident. So if you get 25 years (of) safe driving, you’ve really done something.”
Adkins has been running the Brooks County route for 23 years, adding the section of Thomas County 12 years ago. He says that the people in Brooks and Thomas counties are some of the nicest people he has ever met.
“I’ve been really fortunate to have some really good relationships, friendships with people over there. I just love the people over there, especially Brooks County,” Adkins said. “The best thing about UPS is the relationships you can start with people. I have some really good friends in Brooks County and Thomas County. I know the grandparents, the children and the grandchildren because I’ve been there so long.”
Although Adkins has worked with UPS for 31 years, the 61-year-old grandfather of seven is getting ready to retire later this year.
“This is a young man’s job,” he said. “I’m still very healthy, thank God. I’m 61 years old, and I weigh within five pounds of what I did when I graduated high school. My job keeps me in shape.”
After retiring, Adkins is looking forward to spending more time with his grandchildren, catching up on fishing and hunting and, of course, driving safely.
