Ever seen this truck in your community or on the street? You most probably have.
Ever tried following the route of one of these trucks? You most probably have not (and you most probably should not).
But in case you end up following one of these trucks, you will record a very peculiar observation:
UPS trucks (almost) never take left turns. The company gives each driver a specific route to follow and that includes a policy that drivers should never turn through oncoming traffic (that’s left in countries where they drive on the right and vice versa) unless absolutely necessary. This means that routes are sometimes longer than they have to be.UPS have moved away from trying to find the shortest route and now look at other criteria to optimize the journey. One of their methods is to try and avoid turning through oncoming traffic at a junction. Although this might be going in the opposite direction of the final destination, it reduces the chances of an accident and cuts delays caused by waiting for a gap in the traffic, which would also waste fuel.As a result, the company claims it uses 10 million gallons less fuel, emits 20,000 tonnes less carbon dioxide and delivers 350,000 more packages every year.The TV series Mythbusters tested this idea and confirmed that, despite many more turns, the policy of only turning right does save fuel.
Pretty interesting eh?
Sources:
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