How many trucks does UPS have in the US?
How would you go with answering this?
Get Active in Our Amazing Community of Over 451,000 Peers!
Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Case Partners to connect and practice with!
UPS trucks in the US
Overview of answers
Upvotes
Best answer
Hi,
I would follow a three-step approach (starting from the demand site):
- estimate the number of packages sent in the US per year (private + business)
- private: based on population & packages sent / population bracket
- business: +25% of private to keep it simple
- guess the market share of UPS, which translates into the number of packages delivered by UPS per year (~1/3 should do the deal, but should be verified with the interviewer)
- estimate the number of trucks needed to deliver those parcels
- how many parcels fit into a truck
- how many rides a truck can drive in a day
- number of driving days/truck (kick 1/2 days out for maintenance)
Frankly speaking, this seems a little complicated for an interview. I'm curious, what's your opinion on this approach.
Best,
F.
Was this answer helpful?
Hi,
Anonymous B's approach seems pretty solid.
Bonus points for remarking that UPS has both local delivery trucks and long-haul trucks that supply their distribution centers...
Cheers
Elias
Was this answer helpful?
Related Cases
Company case by Oliver Wyman
Style:
Your client, large automotive OEM WyCar, has developed its first fully electric vehicle (EV) and introduced it as a pilot on the Austrian market last year. However, sales have been far below the expected numbers. The management has engaged you to support them in understanding the reasons and advise
...
Your client, large automotive OEM WyCar, has developed its first fully electric vehicle (EV) and introduced it as a pilot on the Austrian market last year. However, sales have been far below
...
(Open whole case)
121.5k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Company case by Bain & Company
Style:
You have inherited the “Old Winery” from your grandfather, a winery that has been family-owned for five generations and can be dated back to the 16th century.Half of the eleven hectares are used to grow white grapes, the other half to grow red grapes. They are grown in a conventional way, i.e. they
...
You have inherited the “Old Winery” from your grandfather, a winery that has been family-owned for five generations and can be dated back to the 16th century.Half of the eleven hectares are
...
(Open whole case)
118.3k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Company case by Roland Berger
Style:
Onlinestar, an online retailer of furniture and garden products (core business), has grown significantly in recent years as a result of an expansion of its product portfolio. The company mainly imports goods from Chinese manufacturers but also operates its own production of cat lavatories (special b
...
Onlinestar, an online retailer of furniture and garden products (core business), has grown significantly in recent years as a result of an expansion of its product portfolio. The company mai
...
(Open whole case)
92.4k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Company case by RWE Consulting
RWE is an international renewables company with a proud heritage of more than 125 years in the energy business. Recently, during the Capital Markets Day in 2023, RWE’s CEO renewed the company’s 2030 vision of being a global leader in green energy. To achieve this, additional substantial investments
...
RWE is an international renewables company with a proud heritage of more than 125 years in the energy business. Recently, during the Capital Markets Day in 2023, RWE’s CEO renewed the compan
...
(Open whole case)
16.3k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Company case by E.ON Inhouse Consulting
Climate change has become one of the biggest challenges in the 21st century, and with roughly 75% of all CO₂ emissions coming from energy, this sector plays a key role in the transition to a reduced carbon footprint. E.ON has taken up on the challenge to promote more sustainable and efficient energy
...
Climate change has become one of the biggest challenges in the 21st century, and with roughly 75% of all CO₂ emissions coming from energy, this sector plays a key role in the transition to a
...
(Open whole case)
5.1k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty