New driver cements his family’s 55-year UPS legacy with safety award

‘I was always going to be a UPSer’
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Family pride: Meet Chris Rosenfelt Jr., a third-generation UPS driver in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. UPSers there will tell you safe driving is a big deal. So imagine how his dad Chris Rosenfelt Sr. – we’ll call him Senior – felt as he presented his son a safe driving award in front of the UPSers he’s worked with for 22 years.

“Being asked to give Chris the award was emotional … I was really proud of him. But to be honest, I wasn’t sure at first if he was going to cut it,” said Senior, who’s also a UPS driver in Bensalem.

Rewind a few years: Chris admits he didn’t immediately love his part-time position and thought about giving up. But his dad knew better.

“I know the job’s tough work, but it’s worth it. I encouraged him to stick with it,” said Senior. “He showed me that he’s a hard worker.”

A heavy responsibility: Chris’s award for his first year of safe driving is a 1.6-ounce gold and brown embossed coin that features the iconic UPS shield on the face and a large number one on the back. Honorees instantly feel the weight of the coin in their hands, symbolic of the responsibility of driving safely in the communities they serve.

Chris says he feels that weight on a deeper level. His award represents the next chapter in his family’s UPS legacy. Despite his initial uncertainty, he confesses, “I was always going to be a UPSer.”

Like father, like son – and like grandpop: Senior joined UPS at the urging of the generation before him, right before Chris Jr. was born. His father-in-law Bill Snead spent 30 years as a UPS driver and later served as president of Union Local 384 for 18 years, so he knew UPS had great jobs.

“I wasn’t sure about changing – I was already at a job for nearly 15 years,” said Senior. “But Bill convinced me that UPS would pay better and provide the job security needed to help raise a family. He was right, and I have no regrets.”

In addition to driving, Senior’s now the shop steward for Local 384, representing his fellow Teamsters. His son Chris joined three years ago and works as both a preloader and a driver. The combined UPS tenure of the three generations is a whopping 55 years … and counting.

Best in the business: A full-time UPS package delivery driver makes an average of $95,000 per year, plus an additional $50,000 in contributions to health, wellness and pension benefits.

Did you know: In the U.S. alone, UPS invests more than $260 million a year on safety training. Our operations employees participate in five million hours of safety training per year.

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