What Is Delivery Route Planning?

Delivery route planning is the process of sequencing customer addresses for the most cost-efficient and time-effective deliveries. Delivery route planning helps delivery businesses reduce delivery costs and improve customer satisfaction by optimizing the last mile. As a result, delivery firms using delivery route planning best practices can make more deliveries with fewer or the same number of drivers and vehicles.

What Problems Does Delivery Route Planning Solve?

Route planning solves two of the most complicated mathematical problems: the Vehicle Route Problem (VRP) and the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). So, delivery route planning is the process of finding the shortest route to service multiple stops. The more addresses and drivers you factor in, the more possible delivery routes you have to assess – you can get millions of delivery routing scenarios, making manual route planning impossible. Delivery route planning software solves this problem while also helping you:

• Avoid using too many vehicles and extra drivers
• Minimize late deliveries
• Solve complex delivery cases with customer availability time windows
• Utilize full vehicle capacity
• Handle last-minute cancellations and newly inserted deliveries

Delivery Route Optimization

Delivery route optimization helps last mile delivery businesses ensure the fastest deliveries possible at minimal costs. It is usually leveraged with digital tools such as route optimization software, last-mile delivery optimization software, delivery route planner apps, etc. Optimize your delivery routes to get the following benefits:

• Reduce route planning time from hours to minutes per day
• Dispatch routes to the most suitable drivers
• Utilize workforce and vehicles at full capacity
• Cut payroll, reduce fuel expenses, and lower last mile delivery operating costs
• Minimize late deliveries and increase customer satisfaction
• Get customizable and detailed reports on your team’s KPIs
• Collect actionable intelligence and make data-fueled decisions
• Discover hidden costs and new savings opportunities

Delivery Route Planner App

A delivery route planner app or delivery route planner software helps automate the planning and optimization of last mile delivery routes. Dispatchers and fleet managers can use delivery route planner apps to create routes with cost-efficient and time-effective visitation sequences. The best delivery routing software should:

• Let you use customer variables, fleet constraints, or business rules when planning a delivery route
• Account for driver skills, driver qualifications, and driver availability when dispatching routes
• Provide accurate Planned vs. Actual routing metrics and team KPI data
• Allow remote communication and coordination of distributed teams and fleets
• Be extremely easy to use, reduce training hours, and prevent miscommunications
• Allow flexible delivery route solution customization to accommodate your industry-specific business needs