Driver Breaks – Insert Hours Of Service Breaks For Drivers Into Routes

Route4Me’s Driver Breaks and Hours of Service (HOS) Driver Breaks help you automatically add breaks to optimized final mile routes to reduce driver fatigue and stay compliant with local, state, and HOS regulations. You can schedule breaks based on travel time, on-duty hours, or the number of destinations. This guide explains how to optimize routes with Driver Breaks and apply them to planned routes for HOS compliance.

Routing With Driver Breaks – Optimize Routes With Different Driver Break Types

Route4Me’s final mile route software lets you automatically add dynamic Driver Breaks using reusable Route Optimization Profiles or configure breaks manually for individual routes.

Either way, you can adjust the settings to fit your specific routing and business needs.

Add Automatic Driver Breaks In Route Optimization Profiles

To automatically insert Driver Breaks into routes with Optimization Profiles, you first have to enable Driver Breaks in a new or existing profile.

Go to “Optimization Settings” > “Optimization Profiles” from the Navigation Menu. Then, click “Create Profile” to add a new Optimization Profile or “Edit” next to an existing profile to adjust its settings.

Open Your Optimization Profiles

Then, from the “Optimization” section, open the “Driver Breaks” setting and toggle “Insert Breaks” to automatically add Driver Breaks to the selected Optimization Profile.

In the “Break Type” field, choose what triggers a break and how frequently it occurs. For example, you might select “Location Number” to insert a break after every fifth route destination. Click “Save” after configuring your settings.

NOTE: You can insert multiple breaks by clicking “Add Break Rules“. All break types are detailed in the table below.

Manually Adjust Driver Breaks Settings When Planning Routes

In addition to reusable Route Optimization Profiles, you can also enable automatic Driver Breaks when planning routes with manual optimization settings.

From the route settings panel, click “Driver Breaks” and toggle “Insert Breaks“. Then, select a Break Trigger Type, set the break frequency and duration, and apply your changes.

NOTE: You can insert multiple breaks by clicking “Add Rule“. All break types are detailed in the table below.

Driver Breaks In Optimized Routes On Routes Map And Route Editor

Depending on the number of route addresses and optimization settings, the system can optimize one or multiple routes.

When multiple routes are optimized, they open automatically on the Routes Map and Routes Timeline, with Driver Breaks inserted according to the specified settings. Driver Breaks appear on the Routes Timeline as a Coffee Mug Icon.

Note: Breaks are placed at the destination visited immediately before the break for optimal route and driver efficiency.

When a single route is optimized, it opens automatically in Route4Me’s Route Editor. Route4Me inserts Driver Breaks based on the specified settings, adding each break as an additional destination at the same address as the destination before or after it.

Insert Driver Breaks into Planned And Optimized Routes

In addition to planning routes with hours of service breaks, you can insert rest stops into already planned routes from all the tools you already use to view and manage routes – the Routes List, Route Editor, and Routes Map.

Add Hours Of Service Breaks To Planned Routes In Routes List

To insert breaks from the Routes List, first select your preferred planned routes by checking the boxes next to them. Then, click “Bulk Actions” > “Insert Breaks” from the menu.

NOTE: The steps for inserting breaks for a single planned route and multiple planned routes on the Routes List are the same.

In the “Breaks Wizard“, select a Break Type. Depending on your choice, you can insert breaks after a defined time period or, for Location Number, after a specified number of stops. Then, set the duration for each break.

To add multiple breaks, click “Add Break Rule” for each additional rule. To replace any existing breaks with your new rules, toggle “Replace all existing breaks“; leave it off to keep current breaks and add additional ones.

Route4Me automatically adds a Driver Break to each selected route according to your settings. On the Routes Timeline, breaks appear as a Coffee Mug Icon. Note: For efficiency, breaks are placed at the destination visited immediately before the break.

Insert Driver Breaks Into A Planned Route In Route4Me’s Route Editor

To insert breaks from the Route Editor, click “Insert” > “Insert Breaks” from the menu to open the “Breaks Wizard“.

In the “Breaks Wizard“, set the duration for each break and choose a Break Type with the desired interval. Click “Add Break Rule” to create additional breaks, then click “Insert” to apply all breaks to the selected routes.

To replace all existing breaks with your new settings, toggle “Replace all existing breaks“; leave it off to keep existing breaks and add new ones.

Route4Me automatically inserts Driver Breaks into each planned route according to your specified settings. Each break is added as an additional destination at the same address as the destination visited immediately before it, without altering the route order.

Breaks are designated with a Coffee Mug Icon and are also visible in the Mobile Driver App.

Use Interactive Multiple Routes Map To Insert Driver Breaks Into Planned Routes

To insert breaks from the classic Routes Map, select the routes you want, then click “Edit” in the top menu and choose “Insert Breaks” from the dropdown menu.

From the “Breaks Wizard“, choose a Break Type to define the break trigger, then set the interval and specify the break duration.

To replace all existing breaks with this new rule, check the “Replace all existing breaks” box; leave it unchecked to keep current breaks unchanged. Click “OK” to apply your settings.

Each Driver Break is added as an additional destination at the same address as the destination visited immediately before the break. This placement ensures route and driver efficiency without altering the sequence of stops.

Dispatch Routes to Mobile Route Planner Apps for Drivers

To dispatch a route with Driver Breaks, assign a vehicle or driver to the route. Once assigned, the route, including any scheduled breaks, will be sent to the driver via Route4Me’s Mobile Route Planning app or to the telematics-enabled vehicle.

Once a route is dispatched, the driver can access it immediately via Route4Me’s iPhone or Android Route Planning App.

After assignment, the route appears in the driver’s account in real time, allowing them to start, navigate, and complete it. Driver Breaks are labeled “Break” in both the Route Editor and the Mobile Apps.