UPS package tracking technology helps with fuel conservation.

Avoiding left turns is helping United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS) save loads on gasoline. Using electronic processing technology to plan delivery routes around right-hand turns, the company is taking full advantage of a U.S. traffic law that was first implemented in the 1970s as a way to save gas. 

The rule leads to a small reduction in fuel consumption per vehicle, but adds up when multiplied by 88,000 UPS vehicles. The combination of tracking technology and a right-turn only policy helped UPS save 3 million gallons of fuel and over 28 million miles in 2006, according to ABC News.

The solution goes hand-in-hand with other steps taken by Atlanta-based UPS towards increasing energy-efficiency, such as banning curbside idling while making deliveries. The company’s fleet includes 20,000 trucks that run on alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane and electricity [see “Shipshape shipping” www.sijournal.com, June 19, 2006].

UPS announced in May the addition of 50 hybrid electric delivery trucks to routes in four cities. The new trucks are expected to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 44,000 gallons a year and annual carbon dioxide emissions by 457 metric tons when compared with diesel-only trucks, according to UPS.  

The company recently announced it is collaborating with DaimlerChrysler (NYSE: DCX) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to add fuel cell-powered vehicles to its fleet. UPS is the world's largest package delivery company and provides supply chain services, to many industries. With a fleet of 88,000 package cars, vans, tractors and motorcycles, UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.