Last week, UPS made headlines after announcing that its drivers will average $170,000 in pay and benefits at the end of a five-year contract agreement with the Teamsters Union.
The tentative deal, which was reached on July 25, would raise part-time workers' wages to at least $21 per hour, and end mandatory overtime, while full-time workers will average $49 an hour, CNBC reports. The tentative agreement covers all UPS delivery drivers in the U.S. They are in the middle of a ratification vote that ends Aug. 22.
Interest in working for the shipping giant has skyrocketed as a result: In the week following the deal's announcement, Indeed saw a more than 50% increase in job searches with "UPS" or "United Parcel Service" in the title, Bloomberg News reports, mostly for delivery driver roles.
But that isn't the only job at UPS that doesn't require a bachelor's degree and pays six figures:
- Tractor-trailer drivers earn $162,000 on average ($112,000 plus $50,000 in benefits)
- Long haul drivers earn $172,000 on average ($122,000 plus $50,000 in benefits)
UPS' strategy to attract and retain talent is two-pronged: boost the pay for its delivery drivers, and hire and promote from within whenever possible.
Danelle McCusker Rees, president of human resources and operational training at UPS, started at the shipping giant in 2002 as a part-time driver helper. "Every UPS job – even one that is part-time – is an opportunity for a career," she tells CNBC Make It. "I'm an example of that."
Between 2018 and 2022, 38,000 part-time UPS employees were promoted to full-time positions, the company reports.
If you're interested in working at UPS, "a customer-focused mindset is critical," McCusker Rees stresses. "Agility is important as well ... as a company, we have the ability to quickly adjust to changing market conditions, and our employees have to be flexible too."
But the most important trait the company hires for, especially in driving roles, is "dedication to the job and being punctual," she says. "We expect our people to be on time so we can be on time for our customers, but we are dedicated to teaching you the rest!"
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