How to Plan the Fastest Route for Delivery Drivers
For maximum profitability, route planners need to find the shortest and fastest route for each ride that couriers and delivery drivers take. And this is no easy feat when done only with a pen and paper or when using tools that are not meant for optimization like Google Maps. Manual route planning is not only difficult and prone to error, but it’s also time-consuming. On the other hand, planning routes with route optimization software will help you make more money and save time.
Keep reading to discover how you can plan the shortest and fastest routes in 6 steps.
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How to Plan the Fastest Route Using a Route Planner
The best way to route multiple locations is to utilize route optimization software. There’s no other way around it – if you want to plan optimized routes with multiple stops and not spend hours when doing so, you need routing software.
To ensure you’re planning the shortest and fastest delivery route possible, you need to consider investing in a route optimization software solution that can cater to your unique business needs. With route planning software at hand, you’ll plan the most optimally-sized, cost-efficient, and time-effective delivery routes in minutes, with only a few clicks. Route4Me can help you automate route planning and get more done with the same – or even fewer – fleet resources.
Here’s how you can plan the fastest route in 6 easy steps:
1. Import Customer Addresses
To import your customer addresses with ease, Route4Me offers you multiple data import options to choose from. You can integrate Route4Me with your preferred eCommerce platform, sync your CRM contacts, copy-paste delivery addresses, choose locations straight from the map, import spreadsheets from your computer or cloud storage, and more. Route4Me can be easily integrated with virtually any system.
2. Select the Preferred Route Optimization Type
After uploading the necessary routing data into the route planning software, you have to choose whether you’d like to plan the fastest route for a single delivery driver or split the route into optimally-sized routes for multiple drivers.
3. Input Route Optimization Constraints for the Fastest Route
Next, you can fine-tune the route as per your needs. With Route4Me, you can account for different route optimization constraints and business rules, having full control over the route optimization outcome. You can:
- Add delivery time windows
- Set limits for the maximum cargo volume
- Restrict the maximum number of parcels that should be delivered per a specific route
- Input dangerous zones you want your drivers to avoid
- Limit the maximum distance per route
- Set order priorities
- And much more!
4. Dispatch the Fastest Route to One of Your Delivery Drivers
As soon as you adjusted the route parameters to your liking and optimized the routes, you can proceed to dispatch the planned routes. Route4Me allows you to send planned routes straight to your drivers’ iOS or Android route planner apps. With the route planner apps, couriers can also collect electronic proof of delivery, mark stops as visited and departed, and communicate with the headquarters with ease.
5. Navigate the Shortest Route With in-App Voice Guide Navigation
As soon as they receive the planned routes, your drivers can use the in-app voice-guided navigation to increase their focus on the road and stay away from accidents caused by diverted attention. Route4Me’s built-in voice navigation accounts for live traffic, continuously optimizes the in-progress routes, and updates the driving directions instantly. By using the in-app voice-guided navigation, your drivers will always drive the shortest and fastest route.
6. Track Couriers in Near Real-Time on a Map
As your drivers progress through the routes, you can track them on a live map in near real-time. By doing so, you’ll ensure that there are no route detours, longer-than-approved lunch breaks, etc. Alternatively, you could also watch the drivers on the map after the fact – in a video format. Having this in-depth view of your delivery operation will help you identify the high-performing drivers and reward them accordingly. Consequently, you will also be able to tell who’s not doing their job right and take the necessary steps to fix it.
7. Analyze Driver Performance Metrics and Delivery KPIs
The last thing left to be done is monitoring the relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) that will show you how efficient your whole operation is. Route4Me’s route analytics and reporting tools allow you to check:
- Total number of planned routes
- Total stops visited
- Planned vs. actual traveled distance
- Planned vs. actual route time
- Planned vs. visited stops
- Notes added as proof of delivery or POD
- And more!
8. Track Fuel Consumption
With Route4Me, you can track your vehicles’ fuel consumption and fuel expenses. Additionally, you can define the type of fuel and input the average fuel consumption for each truck and van from your fleet. You can also set a specific fuel price for each type of fuel. By doing so, Route4Me will help you track how much each route costs.
Ready to automate your route planning processes? Sign up for our 7-Day Free trial today.
