Good road ways

“It’s a good habit,’’ Hart says as he pulls his United Parcel Service truck on the road toward its next stop, a Walgreen’s store.

Hart, 59, is a good match for UPS, which requires drivers to follow a routine designed to maximize safety and efficiency with precision that borders on obsessive. His behind-the-wheel caution makes him that seemingly rare find: an excellent Boston driver.

In 34 years with UPS, logging more than 300,000 miles, Hart has never had an accident. It’s the best safety record among the company’s 1,789 Massachusetts delivery drivers and ranks in the top half-percent of its 102,000 drivers worldwide. There are no incidents on his personal driving record, either.

“He’s just textbook,’’ said John Burke, his supervisor at UPS’s Norwood hub. “All the things he’s heard over 34 years, he’s just sucked it all in.’’

Over at competitor FedEx Express is Hart’s delivery twin, Robert Ledoux, who hasn’t had an accident in 19 years. Earlier this month, Ledoux emerged first in his category at the Massachusetts Truck Driving Championship, a safety competition for truck drivers with commercial licenses.

“Everything is repetition,’’ Ledoux said of his driving habits. Every morning, he mentally prepares for the day ahead and inspects his truck to make sure that it is safe to drive before starting work. “Being prepared and organized is the biggest factor — not driving defensively,’’ he said.

It’s not that Ledoux and Hart don’t face the same distractions as other Boston-area drivers. Long before many motorists began texting — a behavior the state Legislature is looking to ban — UPS and FedEx drivers were equipped with hand-held electronics to track their deliveries. But they aren’t allowed to use the devices while driving. FedEx also bans the use of hands-free devices by drivers, said Larry Bizzell, senior corporate safety adviser, because they can still “roll through a red light or stop sign’’ while chatting on the phone.

Professional drivers such as Ledoux and Hart, and the companies they work for, can’t afford to take their eyes off the road. While shipping companies make timely delivery the focus of their advertising campaigns, it is the safe delivery of packages that matters more for the business, said Tonya Smith-Jackson, a Virginia Tech professor of industrial and systems engineering who led a recent study of UPS’s driver training program for the company. She said medical expenses, workers’ compensation, and litigation cost delivery companies “way more’’ than being late with a package.

A serious accident can cost a delivery company more than $40,000, and even a moderate mishap can run $9,000.

To avoid that, UPS drivers must complete a four-week training program before being hired full time. Twice a year, they are accompanied by a supervisor for a day: once for a safety check, and the other to observe their customer service skills. At UPS, FedEx, and DHL Express, drivers start the day with safety meetings at which supervisors offer tips: for example, Burke cautioned drivers at a meeting to stay hydrated in warm weather.

The result? With about 80,000 drivers working US roads, UPS trucks were in just 868 accidents last year — less than 1 percent of all accidents involving commercial drivers, according to a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association report.

UPS has 1,800 industrial engineers who, among their duties, have timed and measured employees to determine the optimal procedures for deliveries. A driver should cover 25 steps in 15 seconds and complete a simple delivery that does not require a signature in 1.24 minutes, for example, while holding the truck key on his ring finger so he doesn’t have to fumble for it. “There’s no time for that because all these packages have to be delivered at a certain time of day,’’ said Dan McMackin, UPS spokesman.

Customers have come to expect this kind of clockwork precision. Hart leaves the Norwood station at 9 a.m. His first stop is usually 20 minutes later at Bennett Electrical, a supplier of business security systems and wiring.

“He’s very consistent. It’s like the newspaper being delivered,’’ said Edward Correia, Bennett’s comptroller assistant.

On the road, Hart drives defensively. When the driver of a parked car turns its wheels into the road, Hart honks and slows down until it is clear that the car will wait for him to pass. Later, Hart is on a narrow side street when a school bus approaches from the opposite direction. Hart honks his horn, slows to a stop, and waves the driver through, keeping his eyes on the bus as it passes. Once clear, Hart checks the mirrors again as he resumes driving. “A lot of people really don’t know how to drive,’’ he said. “People go through red lights, they don’t follow right of way, they don’t yield. So you really have to be very careful. You can’t just count on somebody yielding.’’

Burke said Hart is “always looking for problem areas before they become problems.’’

Hart works a long day and in return is paid well — about $29 an hour, with generous benefits. On average, UPS drivers earn $70,000 annually, including overtime, according to McMackin.

Hart said he joined UPS largely because of the pay and benefits, but the driver’s life seems to suit his personality. The son of a police officer, he respects order and discipline. And Hart adheres to a well-practiced list of precautions: “Always expect the unexpected. Keep your eyes moving. Check your mirrors. Watch out for people at intersections. Get the big picture.’’

Bonnie Kavoussi can be reached at bkavoussi@globe.com.