UPS driver, 79, ready to deliver on a 6-decade record
By
Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
The shipping industry is affected by every aspect of the weather. Through wind, rain, sleet and snow, one UPS driver in has made the rare mark, over five decades without a single accident.
Over his 57, going on 58, years of delivering packages for UPS, Tom Camp has driven the equivalent of two round-trips to the moon, or about 40 trips around the equator. In a rare feat that only one other, now retired, UPS employee has accomplished, Camp has reached this mileage without a blemish on his driving record.
"Tom Camp is a simple man with a very driven work ethic," AccuWeather National Reporter Blake Naftel, who profiled Camp for the TV network, said. "He lives alone, enjoys talking sports and cars, but his primary spark in life literally comes from delivering packages at UPS. It's his life."
Ron Sowder of Dayton, Ohio, is the only other UPS employee who has reached 50 years behind the wheel of a brown delivery truck. Sowder retired in 2012 with a "50" on his uniform patch. Camp is the proud owner of a "55" on his own jacket.
Should Camp keep with his track record, he could be the first UPS driver to reach 60 years without accidents. At 79 years old, Camp is not planning on retiring anytime soon.
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"Beyond the miraculous driving record and being one of the most seasoned drivers in company history, what stuck with me is his overall ethic for taking nothing in life for granted, appreciating the ability to continue serving a company that supports him in so many ways and taking it day to day," Naftel said. "That's how Camp continues to live. A good-spirited chap."
Having left the U.S. Marine Corps in 1961, Camp told AccuWeather that "There was little work as I looked around for jobs." But about a year later, Camp joined the UPS team as a delivery driver, distributing parcels all around the greater Detroit area.
From 2017 through 2019, the U.S. has experienced three straight years of at least 40,000 roadway deaths, according to preliminary estimates released by the National Safety Council. This is 14% higher than four years ago.
In the UPS 2018 Corporate Sustainability Progress Report, the latest to be released, the company compiled data from 2013 to 2017 to find four main factors that affected the likelihood of vehicle crashes and days away, restricted or transferred (DART) incidents. Those factors were long workdays, new employees, management turnover, and automation.
UPS also employs a strategy to be more efficient, limiting the number of left-hand turns taken on delivery routes.
Some of the big weather obstacles for Camp have been the wind and the cold.
Tom Camp, 79, has encountered all sorts of bad weather on his route but has never been involved in an accident, which is why he proudly wears a "55" on his uniform to denote that he has reached 55 years of driving for the company without an accident. (AccuWeather)
"The wind calls the shots. Wind rules," Camp told AccuWeather.
Wind speed can impact visibility distance and lane obstruction by kicking up dust and snow.
"Snow squalls can rapidly reduce visibility in the Detroit area when the conditions are right," AccuWeather Meteorologist Dereck Witt said.
Snow and wet pavement also contribute to the hazards of the job.
"Once you start sliding, you've lost it," Camp said. "Slow down, you don't want to have an accident."
Department of Transportation data shows that from 2007 to 2016, snow and sleet have contributed to 18% of weather-related crashes, but just 3% of vehicle crashes. Within the same time span, wet pavement has contributed to 70% of weather-related crashes, and 15% of vehicle crashes.
The average annual snowfall for a winter in Detroit is 42.5 inches, which is higher than the national average.
"Heavy snow, blizzards, ice storms and mixing events are all possible in the Detroit area during the winter," Witt said. "Winters can be harsh in Detroit with high temperatures averaging right at or just above the freezing mark from late December through early February."
"When the high was like zero, now ... that's cold!" Camp said.
During severe weather, natural disasters and other disrupting conditions, UPS will issue an active service disruption alert.
Reporting from Michigan by Blake Naftel.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Business
UPS driver, 79, ready to deliver on a 6-decade record
By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer
The shipping industry is affected by every aspect of the weather. Through wind, rain, sleet and snow, one UPS driver in has made the rare mark, over five decades without a single accident.
Over his 57, going on 58, years of delivering packages for UPS, Tom Camp has driven the equivalent of two round-trips to the moon, or about 40 trips around the equator. In a rare feat that only one other, now retired, UPS employee has accomplished, Camp has reached this mileage without a blemish on his driving record.
"Tom Camp is a simple man with a very driven work ethic," AccuWeather National Reporter Blake Naftel, who profiled Camp for the TV network, said. "He lives alone, enjoys talking sports and cars, but his primary spark in life literally comes from delivering packages at UPS. It's his life."
Ron Sowder of Dayton, Ohio, is the only other UPS employee who has reached 50 years behind the wheel of a brown delivery truck. Sowder retired in 2012 with a "50" on his uniform patch. Camp is the proud owner of a "55" on his own jacket.
Should Camp keep with his track record, he could be the first UPS driver to reach 60 years without accidents. At 79 years old, Camp is not planning on retiring anytime soon.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
"Beyond the miraculous driving record and being one of the most seasoned drivers in company history, what stuck with me is his overall ethic for taking nothing in life for granted, appreciating the ability to continue serving a company that supports him in so many ways and taking it day to day," Naftel said. "That's how Camp continues to live. A good-spirited chap."
Having left the U.S. Marine Corps in 1961, Camp told AccuWeather that "There was little work as I looked around for jobs." But about a year later, Camp joined the UPS team as a delivery driver, distributing parcels all around the greater Detroit area.
From 2017 through 2019, the U.S. has experienced three straight years of at least 40,000 roadway deaths, according to preliminary estimates released by the National Safety Council. This is 14% higher than four years ago.
In the UPS 2018 Corporate Sustainability Progress Report, the latest to be released, the company compiled data from 2013 to 2017 to find four main factors that affected the likelihood of vehicle crashes and days away, restricted or transferred (DART) incidents. Those factors were long workdays, new employees, management turnover, and automation.
UPS also employs a strategy to be more efficient, limiting the number of left-hand turns taken on delivery routes.
Some of the big weather obstacles for Camp have been the wind and the cold.
Tom Camp, 79, has encountered all sorts of bad weather on his route but has never been involved in an accident, which is why he proudly wears a "55" on his uniform to denote that he has reached 55 years of driving for the company without an accident. (AccuWeather)
"The wind calls the shots. Wind rules," Camp told AccuWeather.
Wind speed can impact visibility distance and lane obstruction by kicking up dust and snow.
"Snow squalls can rapidly reduce visibility in the Detroit area when the conditions are right," AccuWeather Meteorologist Dereck Witt said.
Snow and wet pavement also contribute to the hazards of the job.
"Once you start sliding, you've lost it," Camp said. "Slow down, you don't want to have an accident."
Department of Transportation data shows that from 2007 to 2016, snow and sleet have contributed to 18% of weather-related crashes, but just 3% of vehicle crashes. Within the same time span, wet pavement has contributed to 70% of weather-related crashes, and 15% of vehicle crashes.
The average annual snowfall for a winter in Detroit is 42.5 inches, which is higher than the national average.
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"Heavy snow, blizzards, ice storms and mixing events are all possible in the Detroit area during the winter," Witt said. "Winters can be harsh in Detroit with high temperatures averaging right at or just above the freezing mark from late December through early February."
"When the high was like zero, now ... that's cold!" Camp said.
During severe weather, natural disasters and other disrupting conditions, UPS will issue an active service disruption alert.
Reporting from Michigan by Blake Naftel.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo