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OREM — An Orem resident is being celebrated for becoming the first UPS driver at his center to reach 30 years of safe driving.
Roger Jackson started working for UPS in 1989 while he was in college as a way to get insurance to pay for his daughter's medical bills. After a year-and-a-half, he became a delivery driver and has loved every minute of it so he stuck with it for 34 years.
Jackson is a member of the UPS Circle of Honor, which recognizes delivery drivers who have worked 25 years without an accident. In June, Jackson hit 30 years of safe driving, marking him as the first UPS driver for the Provo/Orem area to do so.
"I had some drivers that were older than me that I looked up to and they were my mentors. And I saw UPS recognizing them and giving them awards as they drove safe and so I made it a goal a long time ago to achieve the Circle of Honor," Jackson said.
Jackson's work uniform now has a patch on the sleeve commemorating his 30 years and he has a personalized plaque on the side of his delivery truck that marks him as a member of the Circle of Honor.
"We're out in the public a lot and in busy businesses and residential areas with kids and it's just extremely important to always be aware of our surroundings and drive safe for that reason," Jackson said. The drivers go through extensive training programs and are "continually refreshing our memory all the time."
Over the last almost 3½ decades, Jackson said the delivery business has grown, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, and delivering packages has become more important than ever.
Jackson said the best part of his job is getting to know customers and interacting with people along his driving route. He said he has gotten to know many great people through his work and delivery drivers care about doing a good job delivering packages.
He also is grateful the job has kept him in healthy physical shape so he can continue to hike, ski and enjoy the outdoors with his family. He said he feels blessed to have had a consistent, dependable job that has allowed him to provide for his family.
Jackson spent 26 years driving the Lindon route and the last 7 years in Heber. He has driven a whopping 1.2 million miles during his career.
