No Left Turns for UPS Trucks

To avoid accidents and conserve fuel, UPS trucks sometimes take circuitous routes on their deliveries, avoiding left turns.

1 minute read

February 19, 2017, 9:00 AM PST

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


UPS LNG Truck

UPS

To avoid the delay of waiting for oncoming traffic to pass and to prevent accidents, UPS drivers do not turn left. "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," reports Graham Kendall for Quartz.

According to the company, the policy saves lots of fuel, which translates to dollars, and reduced environmental impact. "Typically, only 10% of the turns are left turns. As a result, the company claims it uses 10 million gallons less fuel, emits 20,000 tonnes (22,000 tons) less carbon dioxide, and delivers 350,000 more packages every year," Kendall writes.  

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