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90 Comments
- RuffRidr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+48This is really going to be bad for Dale Jarrett.
- SEN5241, on 10/12/2007, -0/+37Next, they'll be routing their drivers away from bumpy roads to save on shock absorbers.
- motbob, on 10/12/2007, -1/+34Yeah, we gave the guy who developed this system a huge bonus for saving us so much money. Unfortunately, we had to fire him when he implemented the same plan in Great Britain.
- sphinx13, on 10/12/2007, -0/+32I think UPS already does this. I read about it about a year ago. Maybe it was FedEx. (No left turns, not no bumpy roads)
- balls187, on 10/12/2007, -0/+29Yay for Operations Research.
Actually this stuff is pretty interesting; how simple optimizations can result in huge amounts of savings. UPS even mandates how drivers hold thier keys as they approach the truck, as a few seconds saved has a major impact on schedules.
The problem isn't just localized with companies like UPS, FedEX, DHL etc. Companies like Sysco Foods benefit from this type of work. - shrewdape, on 10/12/2007, -0/+26... but real good news for Derek Zoolander
- rrunboy12, on 10/12/2007, -0/+22Until all those savings are lost by spending 15 extra minutes a day flirting with that cute receptionist at the front desk...
- katanna, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21yup, I load the trucks in the morning, it is pretty crazy this time of year... last year at "peak" our center ran 32,000 packages. Over the summer we averaged 18,000. This year we are supposed to go over 40,000. One of our drivers had over 600 stops in one day (normal being around 100-150 for a busy driver). And that is just the pre-load!
Lets see... right now, we probably have 5 full sized U-Hauls, 10 U-Haul trailers, and 15+ UPS trailers. And yes, I heard a story a week ago about them parking a trailer and someone delivering on a golf cart... wasn't to save money, it was because they were out of trucks.
Matthew - sockpuppets, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21Don't be bitter about me stealing your Wii.
- merle2, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21I saw a UPS delivery man in a golf cart. He only had like 6 packages but I guess it saves gas... They must have been out of trucks
- noodlez, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21i don't know why people are digging millbrooky down. its true. UPS specifically trains their drivers to buckle up and start the car simultaneously and have made the claim that it saves them millions.
- morrislevy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+22Someone must be afriad of left-handed turns! (See Zoolander)
- thcobbs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15In large corporations, it's always amazing what small things can do to save money.
You'd be surprised what amount of money can be saved by simply enabling all the power-saving features on corporate computer workstations... - Gryffydd, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15I wonder if they make their drivers wear shorts to save money on fabric...
- evildemonic, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15NASCAR drivers only turn left...
- Zunger, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Wasn't this previously reported by UPS? I remember reading this from a company a few years (maybe months?) back reporting how eliminating left hand turns (not having to wait at lights, etc) would save them millions (i dont recall reading 600m). Was it UPS that did this, or another shipping company?
- bearda, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10I consider that money well spent...
- gaberowe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9today I just saw a ups driver driving a Budget truck--probably because they needed a few more trucks than they had... I also saw one ups truck following another... crazy stuff... they probably figured it was cheaper during the peak times to rent other people's trucks during this time of year.
- coldfusion055, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Yesterday, I saw a UPS truck towing a UHAUL trailer. Must have been a busy route.
- donjo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Ironic that 4 UPS trucks in a row made a left hand turn in front of me this morning, I knew something was up.
- merreborn, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9"Only CEO types actually believe you can save money by micromanaging"
When your business does something a million times a year, if you can find a way to save even one penny on each of those iterations, you've saved $10,000. You're right; sometimes it is all BS. But sometimes it's not. - stlcadet11, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9see my grandma
- codyman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Hey for $600 million, I say its worth it
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Jerim...how could you post this comment in this thread? The story compeltely refutes everything you say. This is obviously an example of UPS micromanaging. And it is saving them tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars a year. And, UPS employees are one of the most satisfied employees of any company. So both your points are not ack up by facts.
- GravyTrain6, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5See Monk
- PhantomZmoove, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Oh yeah, what city do you work out of?
(I work there too) - boberto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Funny you should say that... my Wii got lost in shipping.
- monkeyrun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Come to think of it, I spend a good portion of my morning/night commute on waiting for left turns.
- NinjaBoy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Either of you two have links to video goodness of this?
- nickm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3hope they modify this before trying it in England ;)
- piratearggghhh, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4They can save even more by minimizing lost/damaged shipments and internal theft.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3This reminds me of a "Worlds Worst Drivers" episode where a British blonde had a fender bender turning one way, and subsequently was so freaked out driving she could only turn the other. Some journeys of mere blocks, turned in to 4 or 5 miles. Moral - be aware of the rule of unintended consequences. UPS may find drivers file lawsuits for distended neck muscles from always turning the same way... ~!^)
- d03boy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Nov 22, 2005
HI, WELCOME TO LAST YEAR. - mediaphile, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3On routes that I drive frequently, I typically figure out how to get to my destination using as few left turns as possible. It's just common sense. Unprotected left hand turns are the worst, especially in urban areas, but with right hand turns you don't even have to wait for the light. You'd be surprised how much quicker you can get around. My friends are always surprised when we leave some place at the same time and I arrive at the destination minutes before they do. For a truck driver, I could see those minutes definitely adding up. And besides saving on time, you're saving on gas you'd be wasting sitting at a light or intersection. Kudos, UPS, for figuring out something I'm sure many people have been aware of for years.
- ndonohue, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3This would actually be a good idea for a car nav system- to find routes that have the least amount of left-hand turns. While it would not make much difference short term, and may actually result in taking longer to get somewhere, the less stop-and-going going on may result in less fuel consumption, although I may be wrong.
- nick0909, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2My cousin drives for UPS... he has a funny story about a package slipping off his lap and out the door as he stopped in front of a house, he ran it over with the back of the truck, all while the family watched from their living room. Its funny as long as it isn't your package I guess... He also said the trucks have cameras in the back to help them back up to businesses, which most people know about, but they don't know they are wired for sound as well, and he listens to people bitch about his driving skills or whatever while he backs into the loading dock.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Anyone know how much money they lose from parking tickets?
- whiledo, on 03/25/2009, -0/+2Hope they rotate those tires...
- SynergyNT, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This practice has been going on by UPS for some time.
- nick0909, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3So they have all those right hand turns stored up and ready to go
- merreborn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"I'm actually surprised that UPS is just getting around to implementing something that I figured out when I was 18."
When you employ 400,000 people, making changes is hard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Parcel_Service#Personnel_structure - Devin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I think this is more specific to commercial vehicles that have many stops to make. Your average Joe just needs the shortest route to get from point A to B in the least amount of traffic. The thing that these systems really need is to get the traffic information such as Google Maps Mobile does. But cities also need to have traffic reporting for surface streets and not just highways. I know that on my commute only the 101 has traffic data, even though I encounter the heaviest traffic in West Hollywood before I even get to the 101 on my way home. Traffic data could benefit every driver, whereas minimizing left turns is useful to a smaller group of drivers although it's significantly cheaper and easier to implement for those who can take advantage of it.
- atbnet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2A lot. I don't know the number for sure, but I read some where the FedEx budget for parking tickets in NYC alone was astronomical. Just a part of doing business.
- mindinhand, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2The fastest way down broday, is not down broadway
- antheo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Any info on what GPS they are using?
- Burritovision, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1left hand turns do suck. we should change civil engineering to reflect law helping drivers rather than controlling them.
- ApeInago, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Minimize does not equate zero. There is a balance to achieve, and if a left turn in once case might be just as beneficial as three right turns, but in another, it might save you forty-miles of right turns. Most left turns mean crossing traffic, which has a chance of collisions.
- jellomizer, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1But if you can fit in one more delivery that day then there is one more receptionist you can flirt with. I say it is win win
- glafira, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1we live in the US there is no such thing as roads that aren't bumpy.
- shrewdape, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Actually I think merreborn and broomett are missing the point here, the "facts" of an article are always at issue. Partly this is PR for a company who should be held suspect for even sharing this blurbstory. Is UPS doing so only because the "facts" make it look good, efficient, a good BUY prospect?
What are the facts? We can assume that handling keys while strapping seat belts and avoiding left-turns can be time-efficiency tweaks in the routine of a delivery agent. But can UPS really be expected to report the training time, the middle-management memo-writing time, and the time taken to ensure the enforcement of time-efficiency principles among employees? This is efficiency at what cost?
Who can ever know if an otherwise courteous and positive driver/employee simply says "stick this job you Taylorist, scientific-management, retrograde *****!" to his supervisor because he can't stand being patronized by some MBA turd with a shiny tie every day? Build more widgets Dilbert!
Face it. The "facts" are not always what the company reports, but "what" the company reports will always be designed to make it... or someone in it, look good. -
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