UPS driver logs 25 years without an accident

CELINA - Driving a large truck in all weather conditions for 25 years without an accident is quite an accomplishment.

A New Bremen UPS driver was recently added to the Circle of Honor, a group of 1,582 drivers worldwide who have reached the milestone.

Roger Steinbrunner, 64, was presented a bomber jacket for the accomplishment by another local Circle of Honor member, Tom Burden, 53, Celina.

At a gathering of friends, relatives and fellow UPS drivers on Sunday, the Lima/Celina Business Manager for UPS, Garret Giesige, said the skills and experience Steinbrunner demonstrates on the job is top notch. Division manager Stephanie Wallace said people don't realize how many distractions and situations drivers must deal with daily.

Achieving 25 years of accident-free driving can be difficult because some situations are out of the driver's control. Steinbrunner, who has worked at UPS for 34 years, knew a driver who had had only one accident in his 30-year career. This occurred when a pheasant flew through his windshield.

He told the newspaper that other people on the road were the biggest risk, "especially nowadays with all the distractions."

When people get in a hurry, bad things can happen, he said. Early in his career, he remembered trying to beat an incoming snowstorm and attempted to rush through his deliveries and became stuck in the snow.

"When you cut corners and you don't follow procedures, that's what's going to happen," Steinbrunner said.

Burden agreed. He's worked with UPS for about 29 years, driving a semitrailer to transport packages to and from the UPS hub in Toledo. Everything that gets ordered from east of the Mississippi River comes in on his truck, he said. With a vehicle that's 65 feet long and weighs about 80,000 pounds, safety is of the utmost importance to him.

If deliverers have a problem, people just on their routes might not get packages. If Burden has a problem, half the people UPS serves in a given area might not get their packages. With such a large vehicle, he could also do a lot of damage to himself or others if he isn't careful.

"You would be amazed at how bad the roads are in the ice and snow, and people still think they can travel and speed to get to where they're going," Burden said. "I had an instance one time where people would pass me on an icy road, and five miles down the road I would see them in a ditch. Nobody has time to go slower, but they all have time to waste their entire evening getting yanked out of a ditch."

UPS drivers are usually still traveling in bad weather, even when most other people are told to stay off the roads. Steinbrunner said a policy was enacted recently that permits drivers not to deliver a package if a roadway or lane is impassable in emergency conditions. Drivers are rarely called off the roads, however, he added.

Burden said deliveries don't stop for inclement weather.

"They say if you find tracks in the snow, it probably leads to a UPS building," Burden said.

Still, Burden said he liked the unpredictability of his job.

"It keeps you on your toes. There's always a circumstance or something out on the road that forces you to pay attention and be engaged. You don't get that dull moment."

Steinbrunner said what he likes best about his job is the people along his St. Marys-New Knoxville area route.

"You get to know those people, and they become your friends," he said, adding he also enjoys the freedom. "It's getting out. You don't have a boss all day long. You're your own boss. As long as you do your job and do it right, they treat you nice. The company treats you really good as far as compensation and insurance. As long as you do your job, that's what counts."

Despite some of the unusual hours and getting bitten by the occasional mean dog, Steinbrunner said driving for UPS is the best job he's had.

"I worked in a factory for 10 years before I got this job. It's no comparison. This job is so much better."