Ask anyone how many jobs they’ve held within the last decade and they’re likely to say they’ve had one or two. But you won’t hear that from James “Jim” Schultz. He is a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service and has been delivering mail for 45 years — 36 of them serving the Lakewood, Washington community.
Schultz began working for the Postal Service in Downey, California in July 1979. He says one reason he started carrying mail is because he could work outside. He transferred to Lakewood in Feb. 1988 and says his career choice is a win-win, “[it’s] a way to serve the public and make a living too.”
Other than being bitten by a dog his first year on the job, he says his routine is fairly standard from day to day and it’s something he appreciates. “What is memorable is the consistency of the job. I’ve held the same position for 45 years and have been working the same five routes for the last 32 [years].”
When he’s not working, Schultz says he enjoys running, and throughout the years he has accumulated thousands of miles, all of which he says has helped him on the job. “Running 400 5Ks, 10Ks, and marathons has kept me in shape for delivering the mail.”
One million miles and counting
In the course of his career Schultz has not just delivered mail, but he’s done it by logging more than one million miles without a single accident. That’s a distinction most people never approach in their lifetimes.
This amazing accomplishment earned him the National Safety Council (NSC) Million Mile Award after 30 years of safe driving. The safe driver award is the trademark of the expert driver and is recognized as the nation’s highest award for professional safe driving.
To put it in perspective, the moon is 238,900 miles from Earth. Driving one million miles is the equivalent of doing that journey more than four times.
The award also puts him in a prestigious group of more than 30,000 other postal workers who have earned the same recognition. Schultz is well into his fourth decade and his safe driving streak continues.
Times They Are A Changing
Change is inevitable and a lot can happen in more than four decades. Schultz says the changes he appreciates most is the incorporation of new technology to — hand-held scanners and automated mail sorting — which helps make the job easier, faster, and provides for accountability.
“We used to sort all the letter mail [by hand]. [When I started] there was no electronic tracking of accountable mail, just a paper trail.”
Prior to joining the Postal Service Schultz earned a bachelor’s degree from University of California – Irvine.