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UPS Saves Millions By Eliminating Left Turns

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Apr 1, 2008 11:36 am US/Eastern

UPS Saves Millions By Eliminating Left Turns

ATLANTA, GA (CBS4) ― While it may sound like an April Fools joke, UPS reports they've been able to save millions of gallons of gas and help the environment by having their trucks avoid making left turns while on their delivery routes.

In an effort to reduce their annual $200-million fuel bill for their delivery trucks and vehicles, in 2007 UPS started using new "package flow" software which covered everything from the most efficient ways to sort and pack cargo to mapping daily delivery routes with the fewest number of left hand turns.

Studies commissioned by UPS found that idling while waiting to make a left turn not only wasted gas for its drivers, but also wasted gas for cars waiting in line behind their trucks to also make the left turn. The reduction of left turns also made it safer for drivers since it reduced the number of times they had to cross a street into oncoming traffic.

As a result of the changes, U.P.S. said they were able to able to reduce its delivery routes by nearly 29 million miles in 2007 which saved 3 million gallons of gas and reduced CO2 emissions by 31-thousand metric tons.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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