“Big Brown“, UPS, United Parcel Service. We all know they deliver packages, but how many of the following “secrets” did you know about this company that shows up regularly in your neighborhood?
Jessica Hullinger of Mental Floss decided there are “19 Secrets of UPS Drivers” worth sharing.
The first 5 in her list, without the details (they’re reserved for a read of the original article) are:
1. THEY’RE ALWAYS BEING WATCHED.
2. THEY GO TO BOOTCAMP (video to watch on this).
3. DRIVING IN REVERSE IS DISCOURAGED.
4. GOOD DRIVERS GET REWARDED…
5. GREAT DRIVERS GET A BOMBER JACKET.
Number 6, coming up next, is no surprise, but it certainly makes the drivers job uncomfortable.
There is a very good reason you see the UPS trucks all summer with the doors always open. And no, it’s not just to allow easy exit and entry. There is no air conditioning. I suppose one of the qualifications for employment is to be able to withstand those sweltering summer days!
“UPS-feet-up” by Andreas Lischka from Essen, Germany – Upał!. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UPS-feet-up.jpg#mediaviewer/File:UPS-feet-up.jpg
So don’t blame them if you find them relaxing when it’s hot out… which brings up secret #6:
6. THE TRUCKS ARE “BIG BROWN MICROWAVES”.
7. OH, AND THEY’RE NOT TRUCKS.
8. THEY HAVE TO SUPPLY THEIR OWN MUSIC.
9. DOG BITES ARE PART OF THE JOB.
10. THEY WISH YOU’D MEET THEM HALFWAY.
Let’s keep it going…
11. UPS IS PICKY ABOUT SOCKS.
12. FACIAL HAIR IS FROWNED UPON.
13. THEY MAKE GOOD MONEY.
14. AND THEY GET DECENT TIPS.
15. SENIORITY MEANS BETTER ROUTES.
You certainly have heard #16…
16. THEY DON’T TURN LEFT.
17. THEY’RE JUDGING YOU.
18. YES, PEOPLE TRY TO SEDUCE THEM.
19. THEY DELIVER SOME ODD THINGS.
This brief was only kept brief by not adding it the details to these interesting 19 secrets. It’s worth it to click on through to Jessica Hullinger’s complete article on Mental Floss. Afterall, wouldn’t you want to know what a UPS truck is actually called? Find out there what’s up with the socks, and get the spice on which drivers are approached…
But before you go, here’s our 3 Bonus Secrets (courtesy Wikipedia):
COMPANY NAME —
UPS was not always UPS. When first founded in 1907, the company was named American Messenger Company, later becoming Merchants Parcel Delivery in 1913, with the now familar United Parcel Service formed in 1937.
LOGO —
They have changed their logo 4 times across the years:
[Note: Attribution for logo images is at the end of the news brief]
According to Wikipedia, logo develop went as follows:
- The original logo first saw use in 1919 when the company was American Messenger Company.
- The logo was redesigned to reflect the company’s new name United Parcel Service in 1937.
- In 1961, Paul Rand created the company’s third logo, a shield meant to represent stability and integrity; the bow on the box represented the package service.
- Then, UPS unveiled a new logo on March 25, 2003, replacing the package and shield design which had been used for 42 years.
FONT —
UPS commissioned brand consultancy FutureBrand to develop its own font, UPS Sans, for use in marketing and communication material. UPS Sans was created by slightly altering certain parts of FSI FontShop International’s font FF Dax without permission. This has resulted in an agreement between FSI FontShop International and FutureBrand to avoid litigation.
Article source: Jessica Hullinger of Mental Floss — “19 Secrets of UPS Drivers”
Image sources via Wikipedia:
“UPS PackageCar 2344949376 74be4af25f o cropped” by Flickr User qnr – Flickr:provenance urlimage url. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UPS_PackageCar_2344949376_74be4af25f_o_cropped.jpg#mediaviewer/File:UPS_PackageCar_2344949376_74be4af25f_o_cropped.jpg
“UPS-feet-up” by Andreas Lischka from Essen, Germany – Upał!. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UPS-feet-up.jpg#mediaviewer/File:UPS-feet-up.jpg
“United Parcel Service logo (1919–1937)” by United Parcel Service, Inc. – http://www.100ups.com/img/leaders4_clip_image001.gif. Licensed under PD-US via Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:United_Parcel_Service_logo_(1919%E2%80%931937).gif#mediaviewer/File:United_Parcel_Service_logo_(1919%E2%80%931937).gif
“United Parcel Service logo (1937–1961)” by http://www.100ups.com/img/leaders4_clip_image002.gif. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:United_Parcel_Service_logo_(1937%E2%80%931961).gif#mediaviewer/File:United_Parcel_Service_logo_(1937%E2%80%931961).gif
“United Parcel Service logo (1961–2003)” by http://paul-rand.com/assets/gallery/identity/logo_ups_large.jpg. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:United_Parcel_Service_logo_(1961%E2%80%932003).png#mediaviewer/File:United_Parcel_Service_logo_(1961%E2%80%932003).png
“United Parcel Service logo (2003-present)” by www.ups.com/smallbiz/UPSSmallBusinessSolutions.pdf. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:United_Parcel_Service_logo.svg#mediaviewer/File:United_Parcel_Service_logo.svg
