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Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

priceonomics.com

41–50 of 132 posts

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#41

Id very much like to know why they don't send a text+email prior to a physical delivery so I can confirm whether I will be home to take delivery and potentially offer a reroute address or simply say do not attempt, rather than the current approach of making three unsuccessful attempts.

That's an excellent point - surely missing a delivery offsets the benefits of a LOT of no-left-turning.

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#42
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm confused. Is this cyclist on the sidewalk?

Probably on the bike path, like this situation: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Vrijligge... Cars in the middle, bikes on the red lines. When cars go right, bikers are sometimes overlooked (mostly by not looking at all).

The streets in the picture were at least designed by someone with half a clue, and most drivers would hesitate to turn right at speed here.

This is what this normally looks like (theres no collision here because as a cyclist you constantly monitor other lanes and slow down until its clear the idiots have noticed you, or just switch into the full lane):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGGeMBvM4e0

(London, so right-turn is the left-turn equivalent)

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#44
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

as a cyclist in the US there's a very common scenario here, too - turning right, looking left, not looking into the turn and bam, cyclist at high risk. TO CLARIFY - the situation i am most referring to is a cross street, where the car is perpendicular to your path and would be coming from your left as a cyclist.

It's generally a bad idea to "pass on the right", not just for cyclists (tho they are disproportionately harmed).

At least in California, the car is supposed to take the bike lane rather than turning over the top of it. In this way the bike only ever passes the car on the left, and motorists (provided they look when taking the lane) are less likely to hit a cyclist if they fail to check their right-hand mirror again.

http://www.sfbike.org/?bikelane_right_turns

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#45
post #6

I just wondered, if the parts of the trucks (specially wheels and steering parts) have uneven wear (off?) by this practice. Apart from that, sounds like a good engineering/optimization result. PS: But there is a solution to that problem, as I see the other posts around .... just bring the trucks with uneven wear to the UK after a while ...

Yes you do get some uneven wear, but I'm sure UPS's fleet maintenance keeps track of that too. For the tires, you can rotate them on a regular schedule to reduce repeated wear patterns and spread it more evenly on all of the tires before they're replaced.

Thanks, so for the tires are two possible solutions: Rotate them, or bring them to the UK, if rotation is to much work. ;-)

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#47

Id very much like to know why they don't send a text+email prior to a physical delivery so I can confirm whether I will be home to take delivery and potentially offer a reroute address or simply say do not attempt, rather than the current approach of making three unsuccessful attempts.

I recently consulted with a logistics company. Turns out reroutes and missed orders are expensive. Really expensive for the company. Since the company also used owner drivers, the cost of the reroutes are put on the drivers themselves. Naturally, the incentive is not to reroute.

Actually, after working with them for a bit, I am a lot more sympathetic to posties who just leave stuff at the door.

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#48

In Denmark, the term højresvingsulykke (right turn accident) is common, meaning when a car, typically a truck, turns right and hits a bicycle. Lots of people are killed from this every year. One theory is that it is primarily foreign truck drivers who are not accustomed to the high number of cyclists in Copenhagen. When I initially saw the title, I was expecting it to be a mistake and actually say "Why UPS Trucks Don…

When I cycle, I never pass a car on the right at a crossroads. Even if they are not signaling a right turn. Regardless of who has the right of way there, I am going to lose a vs. a car.

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#49
I can imagine that in a typical American city, but I wonder how this would work in a typical European city. Where you don't usually have so nice even blocks like in the US.

I could get to my parents w/o a left turn. So I don't think it is impossible to avoid left turns in a European city but I think it is much, much harder to do so.

Re: Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

#50
post #49

I can imagine that in a typical American city, but I wonder how this would work in a typical European city. Where you don't usually have so nice even blocks like in the US. I could get to my parents w/o a left turn. So I don't think it is impossible to avoid left turns in a European city but I think it is much, much harder to do so.

How many roundabouts would you… round-a-bout in the process, tho?
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