Freight on roads: Trucks turning to one side

Have you ever ordered anything online from other countries? Have you ever used the delivery services from the local supermarkets? They are all part of the logistics industry. When I was studying transport planning, we did not really talk much about freight transport. We mostly focussed on private cars, pedestrians, public and active transport.

Undoubtedly, the freight and logistics industry is crucial to the national economy. In Australia, the industry contributes to 8.6% of the GDP and employs around 1.2 million people in the country (Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development, 2019; Australian Logistics Council, 2014).

With a rising trend of global and local logistics, the environmental impacts associated with the transport modes used would be more concerned. This week, I focus on road freight transport and how a strategic routing method - (mostly) turning to one side - can cut costs for the company and minimise environmental impacts.

A logistic company, UPS, in the United States, a right-hand driving country, started to avoid turning left decades ago (Prisco, 2017). It may have become one of the most efficient and cost-effective strategies for logistics at a local scale. The reasoning behind it includes road safety, fuel efficiency (cost-effectiveness), and lower emissions. Despite more turns and time required, UPS claims that this strategy has allowed using 10 million gallons less fuel, 20 thousand tonnes less carbon dioxide, and deliver 350 thousand more packages annually; with the efficiency, fewer trucks are needed, total distance travelled is shorted and more packages are delivered (Kendall, 2017).

That sounds really cool but how can it apply in Australia and Hong Kong?

Both Australia and Hong Kong are left-hand driving countries. If the strategy is adopted, it will be avoiding turning right. The main reason why less fuel is consumed and emission is lower is that the idling time of cars is shorter. The United States can do that because cars are allowed to turn right when the light is red.

So… how can we do that in Australia and Hong Kong?

In Australia, cars need to follow all traffic signals. If it is red, it is a no-go sign. To help with it, we can change the rules, which is very difficult, or we can design more intersactions with “turn left at any time with care”. It is also associated with the road system of the place whether it is a grid or a cul-de-sac. If it is a cul-de-sac, the flexibility of routing tends to be lower.

In Hong Kong, most of the places are in a grid system. However, we do not allow cars to turn at reds and we do not have many intersactions with “turn left at any time with care” because of the space allowed.

In general, it will be ideal for everyone to consider turning to one direction to cut emissions and use less fuel. There may be dilemmas based on personal priorities and road capacity.

That seems to be really difficult for both countries in this context considering the vehicle idling time is the main reason. This post does not really bring a conclusion what we can do in both Australia and Hong Kong but hopefully, I am successful in bringing you a new perspective of freight transport and an innovative way, which may yet to be feasible, to protect the environment and promote the economic growth of the logistics company.

What do you think?

• Do you think this strategy is a cool idea?

• How can Australia and Hong Kong adopt this strategy with traffic regulations as a barrier?

References

Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development. (2019). Freight and Supply Chains. Retrieved from https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/transport/freight/

Australian Logistics Council. (2014). The Economic Significance of the Australian Logistics Industry. Retrieved from http://austlogistics.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Economic-Significance-of-the-Australian-Logistics-Indsutry-FINAL.pdf

Kendall, G. (2017). Why UPS drivers don’t turn left and you probably shouldn’t either. The Conversation. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/why-ups-drivers-dont-turn-left-and-you-probably-shouldnt-either-71432

Prisco, J. (2017, February 23). Why UPS trucks (almost) never turn left. CNN International. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/