Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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Light- and medium-duty focus: PACKAGE FLEETS Since 1989, UPS has been running select package cars on compressed natural gas and now has 1,100 in service. Productive packages Evolving UPS, FedEx package fleets deliver productivity gains, fuel economy BY JOHN G. SMITH D ale Spencer admits that UPS package vehicles look similar from one model year to the next. "There's only so much you can do with a shoebox," says the company's director of maintenance and engineering. But looks can be deceiving. Explore these vehicles closer, and you'll discover a long list of enhancements made in the name of productivity – for good reason. "When you stop 100 times a day, and you can take 30 seconds away every time you deal with a truck, time is money, " Spencer says. Every major pickup-and-delivery operation would agree. "The door width, types of doors and the bulkheads – those sorts of things do make a big difference," says Russ Musgrove, managing director of global vehicles at FedEx Express. "Wheth- er it's a sliding door or a push-open door, what happens to that door when it folds away, the types of latches that we use – we're talking seconds." Those seconds add up and can be used to move more packages. The seat's angle and door's size can help drivers jump in and out of the cab more quickly, and FedEx Express shed time from 46 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2012 Little things Little changes indeed can mean a lot – and not just for en- hanced productivity. After consulting with Liberty Mutual "When it comes to total cost of ownership, it's hard to trump fuel." – Russ Musgrove, managing director of global vehicles, FedEx Express trips into the cargo area by adding 3 inches to the width of its bulkhead doors. Access also has been improved by switching to rollup doors at the back of the step vans rather than barn doors. "It goes back to methods of how we want the courier to actually operate as he walks through the vehicle," Musgrove says. New lighting also is making a difference. The interiors of UPS package cars traditionally have been lit with a combina- tion of translucent roofs and floodlights, which also generated unwanted heat. Those are being replaced with LEDs and lightly painted interiors – making it easier to find packages on shelves. Both fleets also are turning away from the turn of traditional keys and are equipping drivers with key fobs that unlock doors and start engines without leaving a pocket.