UPS Freight Driver Starts New Year with Dual Industry Honors

RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At UPS Freight, safety and service aren’t buzzwords; they are two of the principal values that steer the company’s operations. In Minneapolis, UPS Freight driver Nathan Wick so embraces those values that he received both state and national trucking industry honors in January.

“Nate is a great example of the caliber of professional driver we have at UPS Freight. Our drivers don’t just believe in the company’s values; they live them every day, both on and off the job.”

On Jan. 8, American Trucking Associations (ATA) selected Wick to its 2013-2014 America’s Road Team, a premier group of professional truck drivers who travel the country to speak on behalf of the trucking industry about safety and transportation issues. Slightly more than two weeks later, he was named Minnesota’s 2012 Truck Driver of the Year by the Minnesota Trucking Association (MTA). Both honors are awarded, in part, based on a safe driving record and community service.

“To say that Nate had quite a January is a bit of an understatement,” said Jack Holmes, president of UPS Freight. “For him to be recognized by both ATA and the MTA in the same month speaks to his commitment to safety and his dedication to the industry.

“Nate is a great example of the caliber of professional driver we have at UPS Freight. Our drivers don’t just believe in the company’s values; they live them every day, both on and off the job.”

Over the course of his 16-year career — the last six of which have been with UPS Freight— Wick has logged more than one million miles on the road without an accident. His typical route involves pickups and deliveries in downtown Minneapolis and the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. In addition, he serves as a member of his service center’s Comprehensive Health and Safety Program Board, delivers daily safety messages to his fellow drivers before their shifts, and trains newly hired employees.

He also is an organizer of the World’s Largest Truck Convoy for Special Olympics and volunteers with the community outreach project Ruby’s Pantry and with Trucker Buddy International, a mentoring program that connects professional truck drivers with schoolchildren.

About 2,000 truck drivers from across the country applied to be on the 2013-2014 America’s Road Team, according to ATA. Wick was selected from a field of 32 finalists following an intense two-day competition that tested industry expertise and communication skills. Wick joins 18 other professional drivers on the team and will spend the next two years speaking to community groups, the media and public officials about safe driving while maintaining his full-time job with UPS Freight. ATA created America’s Road Team in 1986.

The MTA selected Wick from a group of 12 Minnesota drivers that had each been recognized as a Driver of the Month throughout 2012. Wick initially was honored in July of last year based on his safe driving record, job performance and community service. The Minnesota Truck Driver of the Year Program has been in existence for more than 50 years.

“What a month!” declared Wick. “This journey through the process of becoming a member of America’s Road Team and Minnesota’s Driver of the Year has been one of great personal and professional growth. I am humbled and honored to be the youngest person named to both of these elite groups of professionals and to represent UPS Freight and the trucking industry.”

UPS Freight (NYSE:UPS) is one of the largest LTL carriers in the United States and a leading truckload (TL) service provider. Operating nearly 200 service centers, UPS Freight offers a full range of regional and long-haul capabilities and an on-time delivery guarantee for all LTL shipments, serving customers throughout North America, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information, visit ltl.upsfreight.com.