UPS driver Patricia Clark attains 25 years of safe driving

Women make history every day, but Women’s History Month provides an opportunity to focus on those remarkable achievements.

In a male dominated career, Somerville Facility Driver Patricia Clark is the first female UPS driver in the Boston area to attain 25 years of safe driving. All without a single accident. She was able to achieve this remarkable goal while driving a large commercial vehicle on busy roads and through severe weather situations.

Patricia delivers in old Boston—the historic waterfront neighborhood of Charlestown. “It has the original brownstones. Cobblestone streets designed for horse and carriage. To get to this safe driving milestone in the extremely tight, old city environment makes her accomplishment remarkable,” said Business Manager Kevin Thibert.

Patricia joined the ranks of UPS as a part-time package handler in Watertown, Massachusetts thirty years ago. She was motivated to be a driver for the job security, good health care insurance and wages. She saw mostly men working in this field, but wasn’t deterred. She knew office work wasn’t for her. She liked the idea of working outdoors and on her own.

Now, with more than 25 years on the road, she agrees her success behind the wheel has been achieved by applying the UPS safe driving methods. “The safety training is really important. I practice it all day long. The methods have been tested, tried and proven successful,” Patricia shares.

Her safety tip to the public, “Remember, it’s expensive to get into an accident. When you get behind the wheel of a car, take it seriously. Slow it down. The way you travel to the address you are going will determine your outcome.”

UPS adds to its prestigious “Circle of Honor” each year to recognize employees who have delivered packages for a quarter of a century without an accident.

Patricia was recognized for her outstanding driving record along with 50+ other drivers in Massachusetts. She is the first women in the Boston area to join newly inducted drivers into the company’s elite organization.

Globally, 10,779 active UPS drivers are members of the Circle of Honor. Collectively they’ve racked up 15 billion safe miles during their careers. It’s enough to circle the earth at the equator about 600,000 times.