A PASSION FOR SAFETY
BY JENNIFER BARNETT REED Contributing Writer
Richard Ortega is every 16-year-old’s
worst fear: A father who insists his driving- age children follow every safety rule in the book, every time, no exceptions. It may be small comfort to them that their father is like that with everyone he comes in contact with, not just them. Ortega, who was recently promoted
to regional manager of United Petroleum Transports’ western region, was named the 2011 Safety Professional of the Year by the Arizona Trucking Association for his work as a safety advocate for the company. The western region includes a customer service center in Phoenix. Scott Hunt, the company’s chief
operating officer, said Ortega was a good choice for the award because of his passion for safety. Before he was promoted, Ortega was UPT’s regional safety director. “He’s loyal to UPT, but he’s loyal to
being safe. He’s loyal to the drivers and to the public,” Hunt said. “He really focuses that passion and energy down that path.” Ortega has received a number of other
safety awards over the years, including being named Safety Professional of the Year by the New Mexico Trucking Association earlier this year. “When there’s an accident, regardless
of what that is, if Richard’s within the same state he’s going to be on scene. That willingness to be there time after time” sets Ortega apart, Hunt said. Ortega said he believes safety can’t take
a backseat to financial considerations. “If you’re safe, that’s going to lead to
your success,” he said. “If you have injuries or accidents, you’re not safe and you can’t make a profit. So it’s safety first, profit second.”
Arizona Trucking Association 2012 Yearbook
Richard Ortega of United Petroleum Transports named ATA Safety Professional of the Year
His passion has led to concrete benefits
for UPT. According to UPT’s chief financial officer, Tim Rains, Ortega has reduced accident frequencies in his region, and his region has maintained the lowest accident frequency and the highest driver retention rate for four straight years. Ortega, 49, has been in trucking for 31
years, half of it in the Army. There, he drove and dispatched trucks. He retired from the service in 2001
and joined UPT in 2005. He lives in El Paso with his wife and three daughters, ages 23, 20 and 15. He’s made sure they pay as much attention to safety as UPT’s drivers do. “It’s every day, the day-to-day,” he said.
“Checking your vehicle before you go out— your wipers, fluids—and always being aware of other drivers.” Ortega is certified in the Smith system
and has taught it to his wife and daughters too. “I’m always on them,” he joked. UPT hauls a variety of hazardous
materials, including propane, anhydrous ammonia, hot asphalt and molten sulfur, which is 370 degrees when it’s loaded. That means drivers have to be even more aware and alert, Ortega said. And that alertness has to cover more than crash risks. “When you go to a gas station, if you
drop gas into a diesel tank or diesel into gas, the cost is going to be enormous,” he said. While Ortega doesn’t drive a truck any
more, he does maintain an active commercial driver’s license with all endorsements so he can teach by example, he said. UPT’s safety program includes a driver
of the year award, which is only open to drivers with spotless records for the previous year—no spills, no moving violations— and drivers get a yearly bonus for meeting company safety standards. Ortega said he’s always thinking about the motoring public when he’s doing safety-
Richard Ortega, United Petroleum Transports
related work. Drivers determine a company’s reputation by their actions on the road, he said.
“You want to be known as a leader in
the industry,” he said. “Other drivers are not very considerate of those big trucks. We’ve got to be more aware than they are, and we earn respect by driving safely. You’re representing my company out there.”
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