In America, if you've ever been stuck behind a delivery truck in traffic, you just have to hope a right turn is coming up. If you're behind a UPS truck you are probably in luck, as the company
has all but stopped its trucks from turning left.
Over the last 10 years, reports the Washington Post, roughly 90 percent of all turns made by UPS delivery trucks are to the right. It may sound odd but there are several good reasons for doing so.
In the United States, where motorists drive on the right, making that left turn can be time-consuming as you wait for a break in the flow of traffic in the opposite lane. Time is a crucial factor for a delivery company, which has many stops to make and little time to do so - and speedy deliveries make for happy customers. Less time spent waiting in traffic therefore adds up to improved efficiency. Dedicated software creates the perfect route for trucks, says CNN, and the benefits are not only limited to ensuring deliveries arrive on time.
UPS estimated that turning right more often than not saves more than 10 million gallons of fuel over a decade (thanks to less idling times at junctions) and, perhaps counter-intuitively, resulted in an average of six to eight miles less driving distance on delivery paths.
In addition to avoiding 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution over a decade - the amount produced by a gas-powered passenger vehicle driving about 256 million miles, using an Environmental Protection Agency calculator - that should also mean less maintenance to keep trucks in working order, saving delivery companies money on operating costs.
So, there you have it. The UPS policy is good for time, money, customer service and the planet.
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