Have you recently landed a sweet driving gig with UPS?
Awesome.
Driving for UPS is one of the best driving gigs available in the United States.
Not only do they offer crazy awesome benefits, but they also pay really well.
Here’s the thing, though.
Once you start driving a UPS truck, you’ll have to keep your driving record squeaky clean.
In other words, you can’t afford to have an accident.
This is especially true when you’re literally driving in the company truck itself.
One bad accident can actually ruin all of your opportunities with the company.
Simply put, they can’t afford to hire careless drivers.
Therefore, avoiding accidents and staying safe should be your number one priority.
In this post, you’re going to learn five tips for how to avoid accidents while driving for UPS.
Let’s dive in and talk about it.
1. Get Adequate Sleep
Unfortunately, a significant number of driving accidents occur each year because the person behind the wheel was sleepy.
For best results, make sure that you get plenty of sleep every night before your shift.
If you’re going to be driving at night, and need to sleep during the day, purchase some blackout curtains and earplugs to make sure you get the best night’s rest possible.
2. Avoid Drugs And Alcohol
You definitely don’t want to be operating UPS machinery while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
In fact, when driving for a company like UPS, it’s actually better to avoid using these types of substances completely—even when you’re not on the clock.
You definitely don’t want to fail a drug test while driving for a company like UPS.
But even more importantly, you never want to run the risk of possibly getting into an accident and hurting someone as a result of taking or drinking something.
Stay clean and be safe.
3. Be Aware Of Your Surroundings
Driving can be a meditative activity.
Sometimes, when you’re sitting behind the wheel, it can be easy to get mentally disengaged from what you’re doing.
The mind can wander, and this can lead to you becoming distracted.
However, when driving a UPS truck, it’s really important to be aware of not only the size and power of your vehicle—but also of your surroundings.
Just listen to some of these California traffic accident statistics, supplied by the JT Legal Group’s online guide for rideshare legal information:
“An LAPD report on crash data published in 2019 showed that there are more than 53, 900 daily traffic collisions in LA, which is about 150 car accidents per day. Out of those 150 daily accidents, there were 230 fatalities daily.”
Make sure to stay alert and aware of what other vehicles are doing around you.
Keep an eye out for any possible accidents that could unfold in your path, and take action to avoid situations that look like they may become dangerous.
A heightened awareness will help more than anything to keep you out of harm’s way.
4. Follow Company Procedures And Policies
When driving for UPS, you’ll be responsible (to a certain extent) for performing safety checks on your vehicle.
Always make sure that you follow these procedures to the letter.
Not only are they designed to keep you safe, but they’re also designed to keep other people safe.
Once again, a UPS truck is a large vehicle. It’s important not only to protect that vehicle from damage, but to also protect other drivers and pedestrians from the potential danger that your larger vehicle could present.
5. Maintain An Open Dialogue
Have you become aware of a risk factor that’s making you nervous about your next shift?
If so, talk to management about it.
Share your fears or worries about the danger, and get feedback and a second opinion.
When it comes to operating heavy machinery, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Nobody wants to cause problems needlessly.
However, speaking up and voicing your fears about a potential safety risk could save lives and company equipment.
And this, in turn, could save you from losing your job or getting into an accident.
Conclusion
There you have it.
Five tips for staying safe while driving a UPS truck.
All that’s left now is to get out there and hit the open road.
Stay safe.
You’ve got this
