It's Gotta be The Shorts

By Gary Wonning

UPS has the best accident free safe driving record of any trucking company in the United States, and the Indiana District had the best safe driving record in UPS. That particular night, eight of the top twelve seniority drivers who had acquired twenty-five years or more seniority from the Versailles center were present to receive an award for driving twenty-five or more  accident free years.

But it goes beyond that, The Indiana District was thought of by many in the company as the best district in the country in all areas of performance. When the center managers from Indiana  attended the management training school, they were held to a higher standard and often admired by managers from other states and districts because of the performance of the state in general. They were given the responsibility to continue and maintain the high standards of excellence the district had achieved.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gary Wonning
• Release date: Jun 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781533450692

Gary Wonning

  Growing up on a dairy farm  in rural  southeastern Indiana ,Gary was  raised in a conservative Christian environment and looked forward to a life much like his ancestors had lived.  The two car garage, white picket fence and 2.5 kids was his life’s dream. Due to some twists of fate his life changed suddenly and a different path was taken.   At this time,he began to question everything he was brought up to believe, his political views, his religious and spiritual beliefs and every value society places on us as members of the human race. During his Vision Quest, which lead him to Egypt, Australia, the Canary Islands, Belize and most of the United States, he reevaluated and examined everything he believed in.   Having always had an interest in things of a spiritual and esoteric nature this was without question  a predetermined path. Through and because of his interest in photography he was able to study and document many ancient cultures throughout the world, in particular the Australian Aborigine, the Maya, and the Ancient Egyptians.   Although his travels have changed his perception of life and many of the spiritual values he once held, one belief remains unchanged.   His belief in the basic conservative core values of life that have been carried down through the ages from time immemorial. Those same core values that led to the founding of our great country and are instilled in our sacred documents, The Bill of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, and the United States Constitution.   His belief in a Supreme Being or God have not faltered. In spite of this, he has found there is much more to life than conventional wisdom leads us to believe.   Time and time again history has shown that when a people or civilization fall from a belief in their God and basic common sense values, their way of life ceases to be. Let’s not let that happen to us. To contact Gary: www.journeysthrulife.com. Email: [e-mail].

Book preview

Prologue

Our Horizon Is As Distant As Our Mind's Eye Wishes It to Be.

James E. Casey, UPS Founder

On the wall of my office, there hangs a plaque with five simple words.

The Best of the Best.

This beautiful wooden plaque, with an outline of the state of

Indiana was presented to us on April 3,1993 at the Embassy

Suites Hotel in Indianapolis Indiana. It was given to honor the

United Parcel Service drivers of the state of Indiana who had

achieved at least twenty-five years of accident free driving.

We were the Best of the Best.

UPS has the best accident free safe driving record of any trucking

company in the United States, and the Indiana District had the

best safe driving record in UPS. That particular night, eight of the

top twelve seniority drivers who had acquired twenty-five years

or more seniority from the Versailles center were present to

receive an award for driving twenty-five or more accident free

years.

But it goes beyond that, The Indiana District was thought of by

many in the company as the best district in the country in all areas

of performance. When the center managers from Indiana 

attended the management training school, they were held to a

higher standard and often admired by managers from other states

and districts because of the performance of the state in general.

They were given the responsibility to continue and maintain the

high standards of excellence the district had achieved.

Versailles Center was first or near the top in many areas other

than safe driving. Their dedication to service, reliability,

following up on problems, putting the customer first, following

the dress codes and many other areas lead many to believe

Versailles Center, located in rural southeastern Indiana as one of

the finest centers in the company.

Most of the book centers around my personal feelings and

experiences, however, what I saw and experienced could be the

experiences of anyone who worked there, and as a result is their

story.

This is our story.

Chapter 1

It Began On a Bicycle

As I made the slow drive to Osgood, my mind began to question

if what I was doing was sane. I had a comfortable job at Cummins

Engine Company in nearby Columbus Indiana. This could have

been a lifetime opportunity at a well-established company,

everyone worked inside, the temperature was always a

comfortable seventy-two degrees and even though there were

occasion layoffs, once one acquired a few years of seniority, there

was job security for life.

I was dissatisfied and no longer wanted to work inside, there was

just too much of a world to be seen to be cooped up in a

windowless building all day.

Working the graveyard shift, I couldn’t envision doing that all

my life, and I couldn't see myself working in a factory long term

on day shift. I had determined the thing I liked most about my job

at Cummins was driving back and forth to work, so it only made

sense to make my living driving.

A few days earlier I had seen David Wilkening in Greensburg. He

was a former classmate and friend, we had lost contact after our

high school graduation, it was good to see him again.

He was making a delivery in a hardware store when I came across

him. We talked a while and I mentioned I was looking for

something else to do besides factory work.

He replied that UPS was going to hire a new driver, which peaked

my interest. I had been leaning towards a driving occupation for a

while and had even looked into a couple of bread delivery

companies.

I left the store with new ideas, but on the way out I looked at his

uniform and then the UPS truck double parked in the street and

wondered why they had picked such an ugly color of brown.

The more I thought about it, the more the thought intrigued me

and I even thought of applying in Indianapolis where obviously

there would be more opportunity.

After running into David a second time, I decided it was time to

go for it; the other delivery companies I had researched never

cleaned their vehicles and looked as if they were never washed

since they were new. I grew up in the muscle car era; my personal

car was always spotless. I liked the idea that UPS washed their

trucks every night; at least it was a clean brown.

My dad thought I was double insane, he had grown up during the

depression. Rightfully so, after struggling on a farm for years, dad

had sought the regular paycheck and security that goes with

working for an established company. I don’t think he was ever

happy working for someone else, but he was just tired of

struggling, and trying to make ends meet. It didn’t make much

sense to him that I was applying for a job at a company he had

never heard of and was operating from an old trucking company

garage with no heat when I already had a job with a well-

established company.

Still, I had to have a screw loose somewhere. Here I am, applying

for a driving job while negotiating through a blizzard in snow

knee high deep to a ten foot Indian, with gale force winds and a

wind chill in the single digits.

I arrived at the UPS Center, and my doubts increased. The

building was old, all the doors were open, snow was blowing in

and the drivers were sorting their parcels on a wooden table

covered with dance wax to make them slide easier. I decided to

proceed; it couldn’t get any worse than this. It didn't help when I

announced I was applying for a driving job a couple of drivers

looked at me as if I was crazy.

The thought even crossed my mind that maybe I should have my

sanity checked by stopping to see a shrink on the way home.

Somehow I knew I was going to get the job. Be it instinct or a gut

feeling, I just knew.

UPS was founded in Seattle Washington in 1907. American

Messenger Company was started by nineteen year old James

Casey with $100 of borrowed money. His brother George and

other teens served as messengers. In 1907  they began the

company by delivering messages on bicycles,(no they weren’t

brown).

In 1919, they ventured beyond Seattle and changed the name to

United Parcel Service. They then ventured into delivering goods

from large department stores such as Macy's. The company had

grown slowly until the 1950’s. When shopping malls in the

suburbs became the norm, the major department stores in the

downtown areas of the major cities began to decline. As their

business declined, so did the need for UPS to provide a delivery

service for them. It was then the company began looking for other

means of revenue. They began looking into the idea of venturing

into the common carrier business and deliver small parcels from

businesses and mail order companies to their customers. They

soon discovered going from delivering furniture and other goods

from department stores to delivering small parcels from mail

order companies was an entirely different ball game and it

required they put in motion a nationwide delivery system.

Water Fall Park, the birthplace of UPS

Jim Casey was a remarkable man and went to the office every day

of his life until just before his passing at the ripe old age of

ninety-five. He consistently gave credit to his mother, Annie E.

Casey, for holding their family together after Jim’s father died. As

a youngster delivering packages on the Seattle streets, Jim Casey

became exposed to the excesses of a bustling city in the midst of the Klondike Gold Rush. He credited the guidance of a strong

mother and support of his family with keeping him grounded.

Plaque embedded in the sidewalk at the exact location where UPS began.

The successful businessman sought ways to help those who

lacked the family life he found to be so crucial. With his brothers

George and Harry and his sister Marguerite, Mr. Casey created

Casey Family Programs in 1966 to help children who were unable

to live with their birth parents—giving them stability and an

opportunity to grow to responsible adulthood.

By the time of his death, Mr. Casey left three legacies: UPS, the

Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Casey Family Programs and he supported over fifty orphanages.

Inducted in 2002, Casey is a member of the U.S. Department of

Labor Hall of Fame.

Always looking for new opportunity, and with the decline of

downtown stores and the upswing in the mail order business, Jim

Casey realized the future of his company lie in the small parcel

delivery business. Deciding to go nationwide with his business, it

was a large undertaking and he realized he would need the help of the largest trucking union in the nation, the Teamsters.

UPS had always paid top wages and benefits, Casey knew that to

get good help, he would have to pay top wages. He reasoned, like

anything else in life, you get what you pay for.

Despite some tumultuous times, and some minor and major

glitches, this union with the Teamsters has worked out for the mutual benefit of all parties concerned.

At this point in time, (1967) the company was beginning to make

inroads into the Midwest, they were only in nineteen states and as

they expanded into the rest of the country and the world beyond,

there were unlimited opportunities. I don’t think at that time

anyone realized just how big the company would actually

become.

Chapter 2

The Early Years

They were hiring in the spring, which was a good sign for me.

Normally after Easter, business subsides as the spring shopping

season draws to a close, people begin to make vacation plans and

lay shopping aside until school starts in the fall.

Sure enough, a few days later the phone rang and I had an

interview. Word was getting out about the tremendous

opportunity UPS presented, and as was the case from that time

on, several dozen applicants would be available for each job

offering. Breezing through the interview, I was on the way to

/becoming a UPS driver, or as we were often called, "Buster

Brown." Little did I know of the adventures that lie ahead. I still

faced possible layoffs in the summer when business slowed, but

what the heck? Columbus took a chance.

My fortunes increased, the employee they hired ahead of me

decided he would seek employment elsewhere. At about the same

time, the company decided it was time to open a new position for

a feeder driver to operate out of the Osgood Center. Up until this

point in time, a feeder driver from the Circle City brought our

parcels from Indianapolis.

The feeder drivers are the semi-truck drivers you see on the

freeways that carry the parcels from one center to another. The

centers are the buildings UPS operates from in the local

community. The major Centers large cities such as Indianapolis

and elsewhere are named hubs because everything revolves

around them and almost all packages eventually pass through one

or more of them on the way to its final destination. That opened

up two slots, and I was in like Flint. So far I’m better off than

Columbus was, he landed up in jail.

UPS has always had a very strict dress code. They wanted

everyone to look neat and professional. I agree, I don’t

particularly want someone coming to my door that looks like a

bum, besides being a little creepy, it's not professional.

Of course the brown uniform was required. We also had to have

short haircuts, no hair could touch the collar, no facial hair, except

a mustache, the facial hairs couldn't fall below the