How one UPS leader’s personal tragedy ignited a passion for safety

Our people’s safety is at the heart of everything we do
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After losing his father in a trucking accident, UPS South Atlantic District President Anthony Nuckles turned his heartbreak into action with a commitment to educating others on the importance of safety.

Anthony leads a team of 11,000 employees, including drivers on the road every day across three states. With 37 years of experience at UPS, Anthony shared how he keeps our employees safe in an interview with the National Safety Council, Anthony:

  • Make safety personal. “To get people to buy in to safety, you have to make it personal. I never want anyone to receive the call I got that day from my mom telling me he’s gone, because that really changed our lives,” he said. “When you have a life event that you can share, you can show people your story makes a difference.”
  • Invest in training. Equip employees with skills to be successful on the road. “At UPS, we use virtual and augmented reality, along with traditional classroom instruction, to train our drivers,” said Anthony. “Students practice their driving skills and demonstrate their ability to identify road hazards in a simulated experience.”
  • Be yourself. “Safety means more than physical safety; it’s also about creating a safe environment,” said Anthony. “We want everybody to bring their authentic selves to work. When we have that, there's nothing we can’t achieve.”

 

A UPS employee in a brown package car is being rated by trainer during on-road safety training.

Did you know? We invest more than $409 million annually on safety training in the U.S. We also have programs such as Circle of Honor, which recognizes drivers who have driven for more than 25 years without experiencing an accident.

Learn more about what drives our culture of safety:

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