How UPS trucks saved millions by nixing left turns

The United Parcel Service or UPS drivers have a peculiar habit of never turning right. It isn't because they have the fear of cutting across the road. There is a sound strategy behind it, which has allowed the company to save millions of gallons of fuel, avoid emissions equivalent to thousands of passenger cars, and save time while delivering goods. The practice that started in the 1970s, has now become a norm for many companies across the world, as per CNN.

Here's Why UPS Drivers Avoid Left Turns Like a Plague

About 90% of the turns made by UPS trucks are right turns. According to IFLS , at first, the company assumed that the most direct route was the best route. However, when factors like accident risk, travel time, and fuel consumption were considered, calculations showed that turning left was a problem.

Left turns are seen as inefficient, as the trucks sit in traffic longer, for countries that drive on the left, like the US. Furthermore, they are dangerous as well. According to New York City officials , left turns are more likely to cause a deadly crash involving a pedestrian.

“This can not only be dangerous but makes traffic build-up unless you install a dedicated left-turn ‘phase,’ which is fine but basically adds 30 or 45 seconds to everyone else’s single time,” Tom Vanderbilt, author of the book “Traffic: Why we drive the way we do," told CNN.

Furthermore, a left-hand turn is also less fuel efficient, because the vehicles are idling longer, Jack Levis, UPS Senior Director of Process Management added in the report.

Going Right with Fuel-Saving

Thus, to minimize risk, and save time and fuel, UPS started avoiding left turns in the 1970s, by employing the method called “loop dispatch.” This method involved plotting deliveries in a right-turning loop.

In 2008, the company launched its routing software, 'Orion' to calculate the best possible route while favoring right-hand turns. UPS officials told CNN that with this Orion was able to shave off an extra 100 million miles, which took the total savings of the loop dismatch method to 185 million miles per year, as of 2014.

“We’ll never have a person turn left to deliver on that side. We’ll have someone go down the right-hand side and someone coming back down the right-hand side to avoid those left-hand turns," UPS senior vice president Bob Stoffel once told Fortune .

By keeping left-hand turns to a minimum, UPS saved millions of gallons of fuel and delivered hundreds of thousands of more packages every year.

The method was put to the test by the popular TV show Mythbusters, as per Gadgets360 . They eliminated as many left turns as possible from their route and found out that an 8.3km journey became 30% longer (10.9km), but it still consumed 40% less fuel.

While the policy is to avoid left turns, the company will still authorize left turns bout 10% of the time, given that it’s the most efficient way to go. Such situations may come up in residential areas with light traffic or in a case where taking a right turn takes the driver too far.