BY BEN AMES, SENIOR EDITOR
PARCEL EXPRESS
transportationreport
WATCHING ONE OF UPS INC.’S BIG BROWN VANS (OR “PACK-
age cars” in company parlance) on its daily rounds, a casual observer is
struck by the driver’s relaxed demeanor. The cab doors are wide open,
and the driver greets customers with a wave of the hand after navigating
narrow driveways with the confidence that comes with doing this thou-
sands of times before.
Behind the seemingly casual habits, however, is a long list of rules that
dictate nearly every movement a driver makes, from morning calisthen-
ics (stretch those legs) to the proper height for carrying a box (well above
the belt) and the correct way to exit the truck (always put down that
package before stepping down).
Newcomers may chafe at these restrictions, but leaders at the com-
pany’s Atlanta headquarters hold every employee to the strict standard,
from the youngest conveyor belt operator to the 30-year veteran driver.
In June, the delivery and logistics giant invited a
DC VELOCITY
editor
Technology keeps
UPS drivers on pace
DC V
ELOCITY
rides along
with a UPS driver to learn
the ropes of today’s
technology-enabled
parcel delivery business.
Cover
IFC
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
IBC
BC
Zoom level
fit page
fit width
A
A
fullscreen
one page
two pages
share
print
SlideShow
fullscreen
in this issue
search
back issues
help
Open Article
Open Article
Close Article
article text for page
< previous story
|
next story >
Share this page with a friend
Save to “My Stuff”
Subscribe to this magazine
Search
Help
