Kevin Quillin inducted into UPS "Circle of Honor" for 25 years of safe driving

United Parcel Service (UPS) recently announced ten elite drivers from Iowa are among 1,122 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. Among this year's honorees is Kevin Quillin of Waukon, who delivers out of the Decorah UPS location.
Iowa boasts 74 active Circle of Honor drivers with a combined 2,144 years of accident-free driving. Walter Klein of Spencer and Donald Noonan of Bettendorf are Iowa’s senior safe drivers, with 38 years each of accident-free driving under their belts.
Globally, 5,248 active UPS drivers are members of the Circle of Honor. Collectively, they’ve racked up 147,244 years and more than five billion safe miles during their careers, or the equivalent of circling the earth more than 188,000 time. This year's number of new inductees represents the largest increase in new members in a single year in the company’s history.
“UPS puts a premium on safe-driving methods and training, and these drivers represent the best of the industry,” said George Brooks, president, UPS Central District. “I’m very proud of these men and women. To go at least a quarter-of-a-century without an accident is a testament to the effectiveness of that training and to the pride our people take in their jobs.”
Nationally, the most seasoned UPS Circle of Honor driver is Ron Sowder of UPS’s Ohio Valley District, with 49 years of driving without an accident. Thomas Camp of the Great Lakes District is next in line with 48 years of safe driving. Twenty-five 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 three billion miles a year and averaging less than one accident for every million miles driven. There are 910 total UPS drivers in Iowa.
UPS invested $53 million in 2010 on safety training and employs its own comprehensive driving course called “Space and Visibility.” New UPS tractor-trailer drivers receive 80 hours of classroom and on-the-road training and UPS package car drivers receive 20 hours of classroom and on-the-road defensive driving training before operating equipment. Package car drivers also complete three safety ride evaluations during their first 22 days on the job. UPS formally established the Circle of Honor in 1955.