UPS turns to software to cut down on left-hand turns
By Donald Melanson 
posted December 12th 2007 2:06PM
posted December 12th 2007 2:06PM
While it won't have quite the same effect that, say, converting its entire fleet to hybrids or all-electrics would have, UPS is apparently taking some steps to improve the efficiency of the 95,000 trucks it has on the road, including using software to cut down on the number of left-turns its drivers make. As The New York Times reports, in addition to improving the packing and sorting of its cargo, UPS's so-called "package flow" software program also maps out the best possible route for each of its drivers, which UPS says cuts down significantly on the time they would otherwise spend idling while waiting to make a left-hand turn. According to UPS, those improved maps helped it shave some 28.5 million miles off its delivery routes last year, which translates to a 31,000 metric ton cut in CO2 emissions, not to mention a savings of about three million gallons of gas.[Via Slashdot]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92126461@N00/48577192/
hey,
didn't i see her in 2 girls 1 cup?
Reducing the number of left turns would presumably INCREASE the miles driven, as they are taking a less direct (but faster) route. The article implies that avoiding left turns reduces the miles travelled. I'm guessing they are mixing two separate ideas.
Depends on your route.... As drivers they do big circles around the place dropping off and picking up items. So......... If your cicle is made up of all right hand turns, there is a lot of waiting and idling.... If its made up of all left hand turns, less waiting and less idle time.
I'm not 100% sure how it saves on all those miles, cause if you have to drive there to drop off/pick up a package, you have to go there.
They must be using ILOG optimization http://www.ilog.com/products/optimization/
Amazing how they can save on gas even though most every UPS truck I see runs on diesel. Impressive!
I heard about this a while ago, but the reason I heard for it was that less left hand turns came out to less accidents and less deductibles or insurance premiums or something like that.
Now, if we could also make something in software that would keep UPS from parking in the middle of turn lanes and entirely blocking a lane of traffic to deliver ...
Great job! Now if only they could publish their routes rather than give you an 11 hour time window to make a delivery.
FedEx already considers this with route planning, has for some time now.
Old news; not even news ...
if in the Uk, the software should work to reduce right turns.