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UPS driver breaks down into tears saying goodbye to dogs he's known for over 10 years

The driver was making his last route, and shared an emotional farewell with his furry friends.

Mail carriers are a vital part of our community.

People in service jobs can become really bonded and connected with the people they serve—as well as their animals.

For a Georgia-based UPS driver, his last shift meant having to say goodbye to two sweet Brittany breed pups that greeted him along his route over the past 10 years. Bidding that decade-long friendship farewell was nothing less than a tearjerker.

In a touching clip shared by @ABC News' TikTok on June 23, the UPS driver (named Mario) makes his way to the house, package in hand, as the dogs welcome him with full tail-wagging excitement. Honestly, without the sniffles of the dog mom capturing the video, you’d probably think nothing of this interaction.

ups driver, ups, brittany dogs, positive news, feel good stories, wholesome tiktok, dogsA Brittany puppy.Photo credit: Canva

“Hey Mario,” the woman says, overcome with emotion. “Thank you.”

“Thank you,” Mario whispers back, also verklempt.

“I love you man, I really do,” the woman says, to which Mario replies, “Thank you I love you too.”

While the dogs don’t audibly say anything, the love they feel for Mario is also very visible. The entire video is five seconds shy of a minute, yet it packed quite the emotional punch in very little time.

@abcnews After more than a decade of dog treats and deliveries, a UPS driver in Georgia shared an emotional moment with a couple of pups and their owner as he bid them farewell during his last shift.
♬ original sound - ABC News

“This should be a UPS commercial," one person wrote.

Even the official UPS TikTok account chimed in, saying “You never expect a goodbye to hit this hard.”

So many people shared their appreciation for some truly positive interactions, especially in such dark and uncertain times.

“THIS is what our world needs,” one person wrote, while another echoed, “this is what this world is supposed to be like, nothing but love.”

“I needed this today. There's so much hate in this world. My heart really hurts,” added a third.

Indeed, there might be many unsavory things happening right now, but so much of the world also looks just like this, full of harmonious coexistence, shared appreciation, easygoing friendships, and love for one another. Those things might not always make headlines, but they do exist, and sharing these moments gives us reason to keep going.

ups driver, ups, brittany dogs, positive news, feel good stories, wholesome tiktok, dogsA mail delivery carrier.Photo credit: Canva

It also just goes to show how mail carriers provide not only a vital service, but a sense of much-needed community to animals and humans alike. As folks in the comments suggested, Mario, the woman, and the doggos can hopefully continue their friendship even if his time at UPS is ending. After all, why rob these pups of their BFF?

@skylerleestutzman/TikTok

People were shocked to find out how much Skyler Stutzman earned as a UPS driver.

People are seriously considering switching careers after finding out how much can be made as a UPS delivery driver.

In October 2023, Skyler Stutzman, an Oregon-based UPS delivery driver went viral after sharing his weekly pay stub on TikTok.

In the clip, Stutzman showed that for 42 hours of work, and at a pay rate of $44.26 per hour, he earned $2,004 before taxes, and ultimately took home just over $1,300 after deductions.

This shocked the nearly 12 million viewers who saw the video...and stirred their jealousy a bit.


Several couldn’t help but compare Stutzman’s salary to their own—especially those in professions requiring degrees and certifications.

“Not me realizing that a UPS driver makes more than I do. 20 years in my field with a degree!” one person lamented.

Another added, “$44? I’m a dang nurse only making $32 🤦♀️”

@skylerleestutzman UPS Driver Paystub Breakdown… #upspay #upswages #teamsters #ups ♬ original sound - Skyler Stutzman

Many even joked (or perhaps half-joked) about applying to become drivers themselves. But as Stutzman pointed out in multiple follow-up videos, earning his rate takes patience.


According to one of those clips, it took almost six years before he was offered a full time position, followed by a four year progression of wage increases until he started earning what he earns today. That’s around a decade, which one person pointed out was around the same time it takes to become a doctor.

Stutzman added that, depending on the location, you would be required to work in a UPS warehouse before working as a driver. So while his paycheck might have you considering taking on the job yourself, just know that it’s not exactly taking the easy route. And we haven’t even touched on the amount of manual labor that goes into the job, rain or shine.

Stutzman also said that he shared his current paycheck in the spirit of transparency, which is a value that the teamsters upheld as they fought for increased wages and better working conditions earlier in 2023.

@skylerleestutzman Here are my THEORETICAL thoughts… “Why would you show your paystub like that?” #upsdriver #ups #upswages #teamster #upspay ♬ original sound - Skyler Stutzman

After months of tense negotiations, as well as a threat to enact what would have been the largest single employer strike in U.S. history, disrupting deliveries across the country, the postal workers union reached an agreement with UPS.

The deal included air conditioning and ventilation improvements to delivery vehicles as well as full-time UPS drivers earning an average of $170,000 in annual pay, plus benefits. By the end of the contract, part-time union drivers would also make at least $25.75 per hour while receiving full health care and pension benefits,” according to UPS CEO Carol Tomé.

From Stutzman’s perspective, his earnings shouldn’t cause envy among those in other industries, but reflect a shared need for increased wages across the board to keep up with inflation.

Big takeaways here: earning good money doesn’t always require a degree, unions are powerful, don’t underestimate the value of skilled labor, and UPS drivers deserve respect.


This article originally appeared last year.

Pop Culture

From delivery bootcamps to no left turns: 12 things you didn't know about UPS drivers

There's a lot that happens before a package arrives at your doorstep.

Photo by Mr. choppers /Wikipedia

There's a lot more to working for UPs than you might think

Recently, UPS driver Skyler Stutzman shocked millions of viewers by revealing how much he made in a week. But besides the hefty paycheck, there might be a few other things about the job that could surprise you.

As explained by an article in Tough Nickel, the company began in Seattle, Washington in 1907, where it was first named The American Messenger Company and focused primarily on delivering to retail stores, not individuals, via bikes or motorcycles.

That is until 1913, when a Model T ford became the company’s first delivery truck. Only six years later, it would begin expanding deliveries to California (and change its name to UPS).

Business would keep growing until it became the company we know today. And now, every day, around 330,000 UPS drivers are responsible for delivering 24.3 million packages around the world. Rain or shine.

As you can imagine, a lot must happen on those routes. Here are a few lesser known facts about what it’s like to don the all brown uniform and drive the matching truck. Or as UPs exclusively calls it…the “package car.”

1. Know those little handheld computer drivers carry around? That’s to monitor their every move.

In 2014, Jack Levis, UPS's director of process management, told NPR that “one minute per driver per day over the course of a year adds up to $14.5 million,” and “one minute of idle per driver per day is worth $500,000 of fuel at the end of the year.”

In other words, time is money, and UPS doesn’t want to waste even a fraction of it. So the DIADs (short for Delivery Information Acquisition Devices) drivers carry around don’t just scan barcodes and collect signatures—they track their productivity as well.

But that’s not all. The trucks also track every mile driven, and are constantly making sure that employees are as efficient as possible as they deliver hundreds of packages each day. You’d be hard pressed to find a job that hasn’t been changed by technology, I suppose.

2. One does not simply become a UPS driver overnight. They must go to bootcamp.

Integrad,” is a mandatory safety-focused class which teaches hopeful drivers how to handle heavy boxes, start the truck with one hand while buckling up with the other to save time (again, UPS is all about efficiency) and how to walk on ice and other slippery surfaces with their special “slip and fall” machine…which actually sounds kind of fun.

3. You’ll rarely see a UPS vehicle turn left or go in reverse.

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This is all for safety reasons. And…you guessed it…efficiency.

When it comes to left turns, UPS encourages drivers to not use them, since it leaves them sitting in traffic longer. The theory must be somewhat sound as it’s helped the company save more than 10 million gallons of fuel over the past decade. Plus left turns are more likely to result in dangerous crashes. ( Harvard Business Review)

As for reversing, drivers are told not to do it unless it’s to back up into a loading dock, as any type of reverse coming from a windowless box-type truck can result in damage.

4. UPS drivers have to supply their own system if they want to listen to music.

UPS package cars don’t come with radios, since it’s technically an unnecessary cost and the company tries to keep bells and whistles to a minimum (however it defies that logic by wanting to install surveillance cameras, but that’s another conversation).

So, drivers have to find their own way to listen to some jams. Or maybe they simply enjoy the silence.

5. Zero accidents gets you a pretty sweet bomber jacket.

UPS “Circle of Honor” inducts drivers with 25 years of accident-free driving, awarding them a special patch and a bomber jacket. No easy feat for anyone in this distraction filled world.

6. Extremely hot vehicles were a well known hazard of the job. Until now.

Over the span of just four years, over 100 UPS workers were treated for heat-related illnesses, according to NBC News. And in July 2022, a 24-year-old UPS driver in California died last summer from suspected dehydration or heat stroke.

Many workers began criticizing the company for not protecting their drivers against the dangerously high temperatures, even sharing the scorching heat readings in their trucks. And after a threat to strike, the teamsters secured air conditioning in all UPS vehicles after January 1, 2024.

7. Pee breaks are a pain.

Remember the time-tracking DIADs? According to The Nation, drivers will be accused of "stealing time” if the track drivers for taking too long at stops. This includes potty breaks. Not to mention it explains why they never get into conversations.


This leaves many UPS drivers with no choice other than to piggyback bathroom time onto other pit stops like getting gas. Or, in more desperate costumes, they must get more creative. As one driver shared with Tampa Bay Times, he and others often urinate in the truck, using makeshift containers like cups and bottles. Fun.

10. Meeting your UPS driver halfway could make their whole day.

via GIPHY

In a 2012 Reddit thread, one driver shared, “if you see them pulling up and you aren’t in the middle of something, meet them half way, or walk up to their truck.…I would get home 10–15 minutes earlier and actually get to spend time with my family.”

11. Beards used to be a no-no.

UPS was a little behind the times when it came to its strict facial hair policies up until 2020. Thankfully, the new rules allow beards, as well as longer hair and natural Black hairstyles like Afros, braids, locs, twists and knots.

12. Many really do love their job…especially the people they deliver to.

As one driver anonymously shared with Business Insider, One of the nice things about my job is getting to know the people on my route…If you take the time to say hello to people and parents can trust you to drive safely and slowly in their neighborhoods, they're very kind.Sometimes, there will be kids waiting for me on my route because they know I'm coming and they just want to say hi.”

At any given moment, there are more than 370,000 trucks, cars, motorcycles, and vans delivering packages and mail around the U.S. Then there's Casey Redman.

Redman is pedaling around Portland, Oregon, as an operator of the first and only UPS e-bike in the U.S. That's right, Redman is delivering packages by bicycle.

UPS e-bike operator Casey Redman with the e-bike. Photo by Erin Canty/Upworthy.


But this is not a return to the company's humble beginnings; it's a forward-thinking experiment to see if electric bikes have a place in the American delivery landscape.

An e-bike is essentially a traditional bicycle with some extra oomph in the form of a rechargeable battery.

Pedal-assist bikes, like the UPS e-bike, are akin to a hybrid car. The operator pedals the bike mostly under their own power, but the battery can kick in for a boost when needed, like going up steep hills or carrying heavy loads. It's all the fun of cycling without the pedaling.

"Ultimately and optimally, the bike is operated with human power and electric power simultaneously to get the most out of the energy," says Scott Phillippi, automative maintenance and engineering manager at UPS and the company's e-bikes expert.

The throttle helps Redman build momentum going up hills. Photo by Erin Canty/Upworthy.

The Portland test features just one e-bike designed and built in the city by Truck Trike, a local company. It weighs about 230 pounds, has an 18-mile range, and can haul 600 pounds of payload.The cargo box, where Redman stores the packages, is just under 5 feet long, 68 inches high, and 4 feet wide. It's approximately 100 cubic feet.

"If you compared that to one of our typical delivery vans, it's about a one-tenth of the size," Phillippi says.

UPS declined to share the price of the bike in the test, but similar bikes from Truck Trike range in price from $10,000 to $14,000 depending on features.

While e-bikes are not new technology, this is the first time UPS is trying them stateside.

A similar four-week e-bike test ran in Basel, Switzerland, last summer. Basel, known for its narrow streets and limited parking, was the perfect place to pilot the initiative. And the company already has a fleet of e-bikes on the road in Hamburg, Germany.

Photo of a UPS cargo cruiser in Hamburg, Germany. Photo via UPS Pressroom.

The success of these programs lead to the test in Portland, which began Nov. 21. Portland was a logical choice for the experiment because the bike-friendly city already boasts a seasonal fleet of operators on traditional bicycles.

During the test, UPS will be exploring the design and reliability of the e-bike and whether it works within the city infrastructure. If the test run goes well, UPS may add more e-bikes to the fleet and run tests in other U.S. cities.

"Lots of things lined up for us to at least to put our toes in the water or see how this would work in the U.S.," Phillippi says. "It may not be an exact replica of what Hamburg is, but at least we're gonna see where it goes from here."

Photo by Erin Canty/Upworthy.

UPS considered e-bikes as a solution to congestion, an issue plaguing drivers across the country.

In 2011, American commuters in urban areas collectively lost 5.5 billion hours stuck in traffic. That means the average urban commuter lost close to a week of productivity while stuck behind the wheel. All that start-and-stop driving also cost commuters at the pump because drivers purchased an additional 2.9 billion gallons of gas and spent an extra $121 billion in added fuel costs and lost productivity.

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images.

For a company based on driving and delivering packages door to door, congestion costs UPS millions of dollars each day, not just in lost time, but in fuel and emissions too. The e-bike is unique in that it can ride in the bike lane and requires no gasoline to operate. So not only can it navigate around congestion, it can do it without carbon emissions. Or as Redman says:

"It's fun, and it's good for the Earth. Why not, right?"

Redman takes the e-bike for a spin. Photo by Erin Canty/Upworthy.

It does, however, require some effort from the operator.

"[Operating the bike] is nothing very difficult at all," Phillippi said "There's a throttle, and everything else pretty much works like a normal bike would."

And for the most part, that's Redman's experience. The athletic former spinning instructor and bicycle commuter admitted that while the bike was easy to handle, there's a bit of a learning curve, especially when it comes to hills.

"There are some hills just up the road," he says, pointing in the distance. "I see [other bike delivery drivers] cruising up there. It's going to take some practice."

And you can't go in reverse, which is fine on a regular bike, but a little frustrating with 600 pounds of boxes to negotiate.

Redman puts the bike in reverse with a little elbow grease. Photo by Erin Canty/Upworthy.

As efficient (and frankly adorable) as e-bikes are, it would require a sizable shift in our transportation landscape to make this the norm.

E-bikes will likely never replace delivery trucks or vans as the preferred method for getting packages to your door.

So it's easy to look at test runs like this and question the very idea of this project. What will one bike do? On its own, not much. But one e-bike, coupled with alternative fuel vehicles, better logistics and planning, and consumers and stakeholders looking ahead to green alternatives? Now we're getting somewhere.

If a large company like UPS can make eco-friendly, traffic-sparing, money-saving changes to its fleet, other companies may soon follow.

Whether or not that's the case, all of us, big companies and individuals, need to assess how we're changing our habits and routines to limit our carbon footprint and ease congestion.

We can't afford to wait. Walking, driving, or on three wheels, we're in this together.