Why a shorter route can take longer
A delivery route is not just a line connecting addresses. At each intersection, a driver has to account for traffic, signals, turns, and the next stop. A left turn across oncoming traffic can mean waiting for a gap or a green arrow while the engine runs. It also puts the truck across the path of approaching vehicles, adding a conflict that a right turn usually avoids.
Those pauses are small in isolation, but a route with many stops can repeat them dozens of times. Route-planning software can therefore favor a sequence of right turns, even when that sequence covers more blocks.
The route is a linked sequence of stops
The software treats streets and intersections as a network and searches for a practical order in which to reach deliveries. It is not simply trying to minimize the distance between the depot and each address. It must connect all the stops while accounting for how the truck can move through the street network.
A right-turn-heavy loop can keep the vehicle flowing around a block instead of sending it across opposing lanes and then backtracking. The extra distance is a deliberate tradeoff: a few more streets may cost less time and fuel than repeated waits at difficult turns.
A preference, not a rule for every corner
Avoiding left turns is a routing strategy, not a guarantee that every left turn disappears. Street layouts, one-way roads, traffic conditions, and the locations of deliveries can make a left turn the sensible or unavoidable choice. The broader lesson is that efficient delivery depends on the work of the route as a whole—not just on choosing the shortest path on a map.
