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UPS Using Software To Eliminate Left Turns

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the you-can't-get-there-from-here dept.

cybermage writes "The NY Times has a story about UPS using software to dramatically reduce the number of left turns their drivers take. With a fleet of vehicles their size, the time and money saved by pre-planning routes that try to eliminate left turns means big savings." Some CS major probably figured this out instead of traveling salesman.

28 of 511 comments (clear)

  1. I have a solution. by suso · · Score: 5, Funny

    Three rights make a left. Ok, were's my check?

    1. Re:I have a solution. by calebt3 · · Score: 5, Funny

      And two Wrights make an airplane.

    2. Re:I have a solution. by plague3106 · · Score: 1, Funny

      Tree...tree....three lefts make a right. I wanna go home.

    3. Re:I have a solution. by LordSkippy · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't forget the Nixonian Theorem:

      If two wrongs don't make a right, try a third.

      --
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    4. Re:I have a solution. by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 2, Funny

      Two Wongs make Peking Duck

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    5. Re:I have a solution. by SiO2 · · Score: 2, Funny

      You've obviously driven in New Jersey.

      SiO2

    6. Re:I have a solution. by Total_Wimp · · Score: 4, Funny

      We shouldn't need a private-sector solution. The government should be designing cites with far fewer left turns. Thank god for the Republicans. Their tireless efforts to turn our country to the right will not be forgotten.

    7. Re:I have a solution. by BobGregg · · Score: 3, Funny

      Actually the original punch line is, "Two Wongs don't make a white", which for some reason my Chinese wife finds endlessly amusing...

    8. Re:I have a solution. by operagost · · Score: 5, Funny

      New Jersey: All the corruption of New York government, without the ingenuity.

      --

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  2. I live in the UK by Morosoph · · Score: 5, Funny

    You insensitive clod!

    --
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    1. Re:I live in the UK by PinkyDead · · Score: 3, Funny

      100% agree. If these silly Americans would only learn to drive on the correct side of the road, then they wouldn't have this problem.

      --
      Genesis 1:32 And God typed :wq!
    2. Re:I live in the UK by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 5, Funny

      Based on a lifetime's driving in the Boston Mass area I can assure you that few Americans know how to drive safely in this country either. I think the rule is, just close your eyes, pick up your cell phone and hit the gas.

      --
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    3. Re:I live in the UK by qwerty+asdf · · Score: 2, Funny

      Boston is a special case. While closing your eyes and hitting the gas will usually work in Boston about as well as driving with your eyes open will, it is generally not recommended in other US cities.

    4. Re:I live in the UK by enharmonix · · Score: 3, Funny

      Of course. There are 60,000,000 people in the UK. ...which, if I'm not mistaken, is roughly the number of times the "insensitive clod" joke has been made on slashdot...
  3. And this is all because by zappepcs · · Score: 2, Funny

    NASCAR turned them down on a discount ad deal....

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  4. Circle.... by ZiakII · · Score: 4, Funny

    If they enter a circle/roundabout do they get stuck in an infinite loop?

  5. Hemispatial neglect by tosh1979 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who's idea was this? Derek Zoolander's?

    1. Re:Hemispatial neglect by SanityInAnarchy · · Score: 2, Funny

      Don't feel bad, I'm sure there are lots of people out there, who, just like you, can't turn...

      Well, hey, at least UPS trucks can't turn left!

      --
      Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
  6. Re:Not a bad idea by toQDuj · · Score: 2, Funny

    It really _is_ an idea, so true, so true.

    --
    Every experiment which ends in a big bang is a good experiment.
  7. In Related News.. by Spritzer · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...it seems FedEx has decided to cut costs simply by not delivering packages.

    Said FedEx spokesman Dewey Shippit, "We've found that there is a significant savings in randomly tossing packages into a large warehouse and not delivering them. The cost of delivering those packages far exceeds the cost of repeatedly 'issuing a trace' to locate the missing item."

  8. Re:England by should_be_linear · · Score: 2, Funny

    Each self-respecting programmer will tell you that in UK it is enough to reverse algorithm and travel backwards.

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    839*929
  9. pre-planning? Is that what they do by 1shooter · · Score: 2, Funny
    before they plan?

    With a fleet of vehicles their size, the time and money saved by planning routes that try to eliminate left turns means big savings. There, fixed it for you.

    Somebody needs to use a spell checker. Something is either planned or unplanned. There is no "pre".
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  10. In other news ... by belthize · · Score: 3, Funny


          Congress was working up a bill that would retrofit all the roads in the
    US so we're either straight or turned right. The bill was dropped when
    they discovered the principle designer, MC Escher had pased away and nobody
    else was capable of drawing them.

    Belthize

  11. Zoolander? by Borealis · · Score: 2, Funny

    At least Derek Zoolander has a fallback career now if he can't model anymore.

    --
    Unbreakable toys can be used to break other toys.
  12. Re:Makes sense by Dachannien · · Score: 5, Funny

    From a time issue along. Left turns usually require red light wait, whereas many right turns just a stop, count 3 and go. I suppose in the case of a UPS truck, the truck will probably win most of the time, but the rest of us usually make sure nobody's coming instead of counting to 3.

  13. In other news... by Redbaran · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... UPS dropped all NASCAR sponsorship citing technical difficulties with their in-car GPS systems which caused too many cars to crash into the wall.

  14. Re:I have a solution.... and a racist comment by jtanwanteng · · Score: 3, Funny

    and your parents made a mistake

  15. Re:off topic but... by japhmi · · Score: 2, Funny

    The real cause of traffic problems is governments thinking they can control our behaviors like rats in a maze.


    Subject SL610249 is getting unruly, better move the cheese again...
    --
    "Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys" P. J. O'Rourke