UPS will open a driver-training facility in Atlanta in December, its seventh U.S. site intended to prepare drivers to serve customers safely and efficiently.
Drivers learn UPS driving and service methods at the training center, called Integrad. They are shown how the methods work and then practice them in a realistic, hands-on fashion.
UPS Integrad training uses a mixture of 3-D computer simulations, webcast learning modules and traditional classroom instruction to complement activity in a controlled environment to reinforce safety, delivery and customer service training.
“UPS has developed proven driver work methods, tested and refined over more than 100 years,” said Joe Finamore, UPS vice president of gobal leadership and talent development. “UPS Integrad next generation curriculum teaches these methods in an experiential learning setting.”
The training center includes an outside course designed to mimic a small town, which UPS calls "Clarkville USA." Sporting small houses and street signs, “Clarkville USA” provides drivers with realistic situations they would encounter in their daily pickup and delivery activity.
Since the first UPS Integrad site opened in Landover, Maryland, in 2007, UPS says it has seen dramatic improvement in safety, production and service indices as well as workforce retention.
In addition to Landover and Atlanta, UPS has U.S. training sites in Dallas; Menlo Park, California; suburban Chicago; Portland, Oregon; and Phoenix.
