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UPS gears up for holidays with bike delivery
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Editor) on November 14th, 2008 at 10:25 am
An ad from UPS for bike delivery personnel.
Shipping giant United Parcel Service (UPS) will add a new weapon to its arsenal
in the holiday shipping battle this year — bicycles.
Jeff Grant, the company's workforce planning manager for the Oregon district
(that includes Vancouver, WA), says UPS plans to hire 28 bike delivery
employees this season. In the Portland metro area, Grant says eight riders will
be hired.
I spoke with Grant via phone yesterday. He said the main impetus for the bike
delivery program was to save money.
"For every three bikes we use for deliveries, we save an average of 17 gallons
of fuel per day (compared to one truck). That's about $50 in savings." Across
the entire district, Grant says for every three bikes used during the holiday
season, UPS will save $38,000 in vehicle operation and upkeep costs.
Story continues below
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UPS has purchased a fleet of mountain bikes outfitted with a 200 pound capacity
trailer (with a cover for rain of course) and a set of lights. All bike
delivery staff will be uniformed and helmets are required.
Before hitting the road, Grant says each rider will undergo a paid orientation
and training session. The custom-tailored training will focus on operating the
bicycle and trailer safely. "We realize the riders will be experienced
already," says Grant, "but have they ever pulled 200 pounds? Do they know the
safe following distance in wet weather?"
According to Grant, he'll ask delivery staff to deliver about 25-50 packages
per day, compared to 150 stops a day for a normal "package car".
Grant added an interesting historical note to this story: UPS started
delivering by bike in Seattle (where they were founded) over 100 years ago.
Today, the company once again uses bikes for deliveries up in Seattle and Grant
said it went so well they've decided to expand the program.
UPS is looking to hire bike delivery people in Vancouver (WA), Portland, Salem,
Corvallis, Eugene, and Medford. If you're interested, call Maria Mason at (503)
978-7409 or email mariamason(at)ups(dot)com
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