Max Distance Per Route – Plan Routes With Distance Constraint

Route4Me’s Max Route Distance Module enables you to define the maximum distance that can be traveled by a vehicle per route. You can import hundreds of addresses, and the route optimization software will automatically solve the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) and the Vehicle Route Problem (VRP). Thus, you can automatically plan efficiently sequenced routes with multiple destinations and get more control over workload distribution in your team. For example, your drivers are allowed to work no more than eight hours per day, and they get tired after delivering and picking up more than 50 packages, or your vehicle fleet is capable of visiting and servicing no more than ten customers per route before running out of fuel. Then, if the route duration exceeds eight hours or there are more destinations than you would like, one or multiple new routes will be automatically created. Moreover, you can also use Destinations, Duration, Cubic Volume, Weight, Pieces (number of items), Priority, and Revenue constraints to get even more control over your routes.

NOTE: To use advanced route optimization constraints and Business Rules, you must be subscribed to Route4Me’s Business Optimization package which enables you to plan routes for multiple drivers from a single set of addresses.

Max Distance In Optimization Profiles – Set Maximum Route Distance

Specifically, you can set your preferred Maximum Distance in Optimization Profiles to use route optimization settings without manually adjusting them every time. To manage your Optimization Profiles, go to “Routes” and then “Optimization Profiles” from the Navigation Menu. Alternatively, when planning routes, you are prompted to select your preferred Optimization Profile after selecting how to add or import addresses. Click the “Manage Profiles” button to access your Optimization Profiles.

To add Max Distance to an existing Optimization Profile, click the Three-dot Icon next to the preferred route and select “Edit” from the menu. Alternatively, you can create a new Optimization Profile by clicking the “Create New Profile” button.

Then, on the “Create Optimization Profile” or “Configure Optimization Profile” screen, go to the “Optimization” tab. In the “Business Rules” section, enter your preferred max distance in the “Maximum Distance” field. Then, click the “Create Profile” or “Update Profile” button to save your settings. NOTE: The “Maximum Route Duration” constraint is required when using constraints in Optimization Profiles. Additionally, learn more about the Maximum Route Duration constraint.

Max Distance In Optimization Settings – Limit Route Distance Manually

To plan routes with the Max Distance Constraint, go to “Routes” and then  “Plan New Route” from the Navigation Menu. Next, select one of the preferred route data import methods (Interactive Map Editor, Copy-and-Paste, Upload a File, Import Data, or Upload Scan(s)). To manually set the maximum allowed distance per route, click the “Skip” button when prompted to select an Optimization Profile to access the Optimization Settings window.

Then, go to the “Optimization” tab and select “Multiple Drivers” to access the optimization settings window. After that, in the “Business Rules” section, enter the preferred distance limit in the “Maximum Distance per Route” field. In the “Route End” section, select your preferred final route destination. Proceed to add addresses with the previously selected method by clicking the “Create Route and Proceed to Add Addresses” button. NOTE: The “Maximum Number of Routes/Vehicles” and “Maximum Route Duration” values are required when planning routes with constraints in optimization settings.

In the “Verify Addresses on Map” window, you can view all imported and processed addresses on the map and check their geocode status. Addresses marked in green were successfully geocoded with “High Confidence“. Addresses marked in yellow should be reviewed and adjusted accordingly, while those marked in red require review or manual correction. Once finished, click the “Finish Import” button to import your addresses.

Manage Planned Max Distance Routes On The Routes Map

The system automatically plans the corresponding number of routes based on your constraint settings (“Maximum Number of Routes/Vehicles“,  “Maximum Route Duration“, and your preferred constraints). If multiple routes are planned, then they are automatically opened in the Routes Map. When the software plans multiple routes, each route is suffixed with a corresponding Part number next to the original name of the route. To enable a route on the map, simply check the box next to its name. Furthermore, you can get an overview of data for all selected routes in the Route Summary table below the map. Click the Gear Icon to customize the information displayed in the Route Summary table, including route optimization constraints, destination service time, and more. Additionally, learn more about using the Routes Map.

Add Unrouted Destinations To Routes On The Routes Map

When the applied optimization constraints are exceeded, the system automatically plans one or multiple Unrouted Destinations routes. They contain the destinations that did not fit into the planned routes due to exceeding the optimization constraints. You can manually add destinations from the Unrouted Destinations to planned routes. To move a destination from one route to another using the timeline, click and hold on a node from one route and then drag it to the preferred sequence position in another route. Thus, whenever you have destinations that do not fit into planned routes due to exceeding optimization constraints, you can always manually distribute them to different routes quickly and efficiently.

Optimization constraints limit the length of routes based on your preferred settings. Adding unrouted destinations to your optimized routes may lead to those routes exceeding your constraint settings. For example, you can specify a Maximum Distance constraint of 40 miles per route. Then, if you add one unrouted destination to a planned route, that route can now exceed 40 miles, going beyond the specified settings.

Additionally, the Routes Map enables you to insert unrouted destinations into the optimal sequence position in your preferred route. When you optimize routes with business rules, the respective constraints are included in the optimization. To re-optimize a route with constraints, it must be unlinked from its respective optimization. After dragging and dropping an unrouted destination into a route, click the Gear Icon next to the respective route and select “Unlink route from optimization” from the menu. Then, click the Gear Icon and select “Re-optimize Route” from the menu. After that, the system will optimize the respective route with all included destinations without your original constraint settings.

Assign Drivers And Vehicles To Planned Max Distance Routes On Routes Map

After planning routes with constraints and adding unrouted destinations to the planned routes, you can assign drivers and vehicles to them. To assign a driver and vehicle to a route, click the Gear Icon next to the route and select “Assign User” or “Assign Vehicle” from the menu. Then, you can search for the preferred user by name and for the preferred vehicle by alias, VIN, make, etc. Additionally, learn more about assigning users to routes and assigning vehicles to routes.

Alternatively, you can automatically assign drivers to multiple routes. To do so, ensure that your preferred routes are selected and have a checkmark in the routes map list. Then, click “Edit” from the top menu bar and select “Auto Assign Users“. The software will automatically assign the optimal driver to every selected route.