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UPS Using Software To Eliminate Left Turns

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.

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  1. Re:I have a solution. by CastrTroy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    That only works if your city is a grid. The town that I grew up in was not laid out in a grid, and hence, if you took 3 rights, you may not end up doing a left turn. There was even one street that intersected with itself. If you go on that street and keep on turning right, you'll be stuck in an infinite loop.

    --

    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.