What’s Up With Route Optimization?

In 1959, George Danzig and John Ramser published the first ever route planning algorithm in their paper “The Truck Dispatching Problem”.

Basically, they showed how you can use math to make a driver’s route more efficient.

Route planning has come a long way since then. Now, you can use route optimization software to guarantee that every route you give your drivers is 100% accurate and optimized. You can use it to track your drivers and manage your fleet, too.

Not All Route Planners Are Equal

Before you invest in route optimization software, you should know that some route planners are better than others.

To get the most bang for your buck, make sure the route planner you buy has the following three features:

#1: GPS Tracking

You can’t physically see your driver’s once they’ve left the office to complete their routes. They might be stopping for snacks or even running personal errands while they’re on the clock.

You can’t see them, so how do you know?

With GPS tracking, you’ll always know what your drivers are doing. It displays your driver’s location and how fast they’re going in real-time. Whenever you want, you can check in to make sure they’re sticking to their routes and staying on schedule.

#2: Territory Mapping

Efficiency is the name of the game. If you can make your drivers more efficient, you can serve more customers without hiring more employees.

Territory mapping allows you to do exactly that.

Sending your drivers back and forth across your entire service area is a waste of time and gas. Instead, you can use advanced route software to break your service area up into different territories and assign a driver to each territory.

When a driver’s assigned set of stops is closer together, they’ll be much more productive.

Download this ebook to learn more.