USPS Network Specialist Byron Stovall conducts training on how to properly use mirrors and check for blind spots during a truck safety demonstration.

The Postal Service honored more than 170 employees with stellar safe driving records at the organization’s National Logistics Symposium in Kansas City, MO, last week.

The event, held Oct. 24-26, also featured safe driving demonstrations, educational sessions and training to promote safe driving practices.

“We want our drivers to return home to their families every night safe and sound. Their safety, along with the safety of the critical cargo they carry, is an important responsibility shouldered by the Postal Service,” said Kelly Abney, chief logistics officer. “Safe operations not only ensure our drivers are protected, but also protect the safety of the mail and the American public.”

During the awards ceremony, USPS honored 171 tractor trailer drivers with a National Safety Council Million Mile Award, which recognizes professionals who have driven 1 million miles or accumulated 30 years of driving without preventable incidents.

The award is considered the gold standard and highest honor for professional safe driving performance.

“I have been employed with the Postal Service for over 30 years, and as a tractor trailer operator, I always aim to do my job safely and efficiently,” said Carl Elleston, who works at the Brooklyn, NY, Processing and Distribution Center. “I am honored and appreciate that my commitment to safe driving is being recognized.”

Abney expressed his gratitude for the drivers who qualified for the award.

“It is only possible if a driver truly embraces safety as an integral part of his or her daily routine. Few drivers are able to reach this benchmark, and I hope to see all the award recipients reach the 2-million-mile threshold,” he said.

The Postal Service includes more than 11,000 uniformed motor vehicle, tractor trailer and noncommercially licensed operators.

The organization’s fleet includes about 2,300 cargo vans, 1,900 tractors and nearly 2,700 postal trailers. USPS leases approximately 1,900 cargo vans, tractors and sprinter vans.

Commuting within a 170-mile radius of their facility, USPS drivers traveled more than 167 million miles last year.

Nearly 300,000 letter carriers and truck drivers log more than 1.4 billion miles annually delivering to the nation’s 165 million addresses.

Some enrollees in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program will face a rate increase.

The Office of Personnel Management has extended the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) contract with the John Hancock Life and Health Insurance Co. for seven years.

Under the new contract, a rate increase will be needed for many current enrollees because the current FLTCIP premiums are not sufficient to meet the program’s future projected obligations.

Each affected enrollee will receive a package that will include an introductory letter, a return envelope, an informational brochure and a benefit options worksheet with detailed information about the enrollee’s current coverage and options to change coverage.

These packages were mailed in mid-September.

The deadline for enrollees to submit a selection is Nov. 9. If FLTCIP does not receive a selection by this date, the enrollee’s premium will increase, and he or she will maintain their current coverage with any applicable inflation increases.

Most enrollees will be provided with an option to reduce certain components of their coverage to help keep their premium at or near its current level.

The decision period is for affected FLTCIP enrollees only. This is is not a general open season because in December, the Office of Personnel Management suspended new applications for FLTCIP coverage for two years.

Enrollees can also visit LTCFEDS.com to log into or create an account, review their personalized options and make a selection online.

For more information, enrollees can call the LTCFEDS customer service center at 800-LTC-FEDS (800-582-3337) or TTY 800-843-3557.