Updated Date: June 15, 2023 
“Success is when the delivery driver finds the routes quickly and delivers in time.”
So how can your trucking business gain that success? Businesses and drivers have succeeded with different trucking apps that are integrated with routing management and GPS navigation features.
A delivery route optimization can help you finish your daily scheduled tasks keeping customers happy.
Find the best route optimization software that works for your business, and you will end up driving to the destination and delivering on schedule without any stress.
If you are confused or wondering what route optimization is, why you need such software or do apps for the same exist, then keep reading further.
There are terms like route planning software and route optimization software heard in the market. Are they similar? Not really, there’s a minor difference between the two.
To start with, let us understand the definition of each of them.
What is Route Optimization Software & Planning?
To keep it simple, route planning software is a process of following the pre-existing list of deliveries that fosters productivity and reduces cost. Route planning does not consider dynamic routes that impact a driver’s daily route to determine the best path.
On the contrary, route optimization software enables trucking companies to optimize their business by allowing them to find the quickest, shortest and cost-efficient route.
For customers, route optimization is a satisfying interaction with the company. If the customers have any specific needs related to delivery or the product, route optimization software provides instant conversation and ensures smooth delivery considering all the factors and needs. The right driver and vehicle are scheduled to complete the task.
From a business perspective, route optimization software controls the finest details. Set parameters for vehicle weight limits, driving time, and shift patterns, and optimize the routes as per the needs. This helps to fit more deliveries in a day.
Even if there are hurdles, route planning software will send you back to start from scratch, whereas the best route optimization software will change the parameters and receive a new route within seconds.
Now that you have a clear idea of what route optimization is, let us give you insights on why it is important to implement route management in your trucking business.
Reasons to Implement Route Optimization Software
“The global route optimization software market size is projected to reach $16,252.04 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 14.2%.”
Witnessing the statistics, it becomes clear that optimizing management is essential. Now, add a feather to your hat by incorporating routing software development into your company’s workflow.
The primary reason to implement a better route planner than the traditional one is to save fuel, reduce overtime, and minimize human effort. Here are a few more reasons that you cannot overlook.
Optimization as per Requirement
Whether you receive one or hundreds of orders daily, delivering in time at an affordable price is essential. Planning routes using the traditional method will result in improper arrival times with extended idle vehicles.
Therefore, this routing optimization contains different algorithms that meet diversified requirements, including fuel efficiency and customers’ whereabouts. Also, integrate route planning APIs to design the routes based on bridges, one-way sections, etc.
Better Route Planning Management
Drivers play a crucial role in delivering the correct shipment to the right destination. The custom delivery route software will allow the drivers to follow the scheduled course, order status, and real-time location.
The mobile application gives drivers quick access to routes and instructions and helps them upload necessary documents often unavailable in traditional systems.
Re-routing is Easy
How to react when you encounter unexpected hurdles while heading toward deliveries?
With high-performance route optimization software, the management can set convenient routes, if they experience any hurdle for e.g. heavy traffic, weather conditions, customer preferences, etc. With a practical route planner, drivers can optimize routes from one destination to another.
Low Operational Costs
Logistic or fleet management companies fail to organize and manage operational expenses, especially in large cities. The route optimization software will help reduce the costs and save up to 20% of the fuel cost, hourly wages, vehicle maintenance, vehicle idle time and other factors.
With the help of a custom software development company, creating efficient software for your business can lessen the wear and tear of the fleet and overhead expenses.
Enhanced In-time Delivery
Imagine your customers have to postpone their schedule or other tasks due to unexpected or inaccurate arrivals. This will turn down the loyalty of your customers towards the company. With the right planning software, determine the fastest delivery for your shipping, considering the customer’s requirements and the business hours.
Check out the difference between the old and new optimized route planning.
| The Old Way | The Optimized Way |
|---|---|
| Planning routes with navigation apps resulting delayed delivery | Plan, optimize, dispatch and deliver in-time |
| Tools like Google Maps or call to customers to guide the route | Plan a multi-stop route in a few minutes seamlessly |
| Unexpected deliveries come with long hours and stressful management | Grow your business with effortless optimization |
| Customers receive a long time window for delivery time | In-time delivery that includes tea breaks, tight-time windows |
| Route planning software takes a long time neglecting the other important task | Route Optimization gives you time to concentrate on every task |
| Inefficient route planning for driver | Saves money and fuel with route management |
| Unaware of the driver’s real-time location | Get the driver’s right location to update the customers |
So what are the features of the new route optimization software that helps truck managers and drivers manage the business efficiently?
Let’s check!
Features of the Route Optimization Software
Not all route optimization software is created the same, and some solutions have advanced features depending on the business needs. So, let’s check what features would an ideal software have.
Planning and Optimization
- Predictive estimated arrival time
- Optimize single and multiple routes with unlimited stops
- Multiple route optimization with time windows
- Minimize the number of routes per day
Route to Drivers
- Show routes to the driver’s mobile device
- Receive real-time changes and updates
- Drivers can add personal information
- Add custom fields
Easy Route Planning
- View, and modify multiple routes on the same screen
- Compatible with all file formats and devices
- Geofencing to plan routes
- Create and save planned routes
Route Scheduling
- Schedule routes in advance
- Specify start time and date
- Tailor-made route schedule with recurring addresses
Telematics Data
- Display actual routes
- Detect stops and traffic
- Allow customers to track their shipment and order status
Customer Notifications
- Offer customers scheduled time for completed tasks, start and left time, etc.
Operations Management
- Review team progress and real-time routing schedule
- Get advanced reporting
- Get metrics of following routes for the day
Get your own app with the above features or if you are still confused, check the top 5 route optimization apps to understand better.
5 Best Route Optimization Apps
RoadWarrior
If you are only interested in a simple and essential cloud-based route optimization software, RoadWarrior is what you will need. Team RoadWarrior comes with a basic plan of 50 optimized stops and 50 searches daily.
RoadWarrior offers essential features with the lowest price that is hard to beat for any company that needs budget-friendly route optimization software.
WorkWave Route Manager
WorkWave is a cloud-based service that enables routing plans for couriers and seamless communication between all the parties involved in the shipment. It includes managing schedules, getting proof of delivery images, tracking real-time location, and providing driver panel applications.
Integrating this application into business systems is excellent, while ready-made solutions are difficult to develop from scratch. Customizing the application and getting highly adaptable software according to your business requirements is better.
Upper Route Planner
The upper route planner is both a web and mobile-based application that builds multiple routes for multiple drivers. It can manage 500 routes instantly and covers more than 10 different industries.
The key features of upper route planning are one-click driver dispatch, scheduling routes for months, reports and analysis, multi-stop planning for drivers, and importing addresses via software.
Route4Me
A full-scale route planner software with a series of add-ons and automation allows companies to quickly dispatch cargo to the scheduled destination. Exciting features like in-built voice-enabled navigation, maps and routes for every country you travel to, and complete pricing plans for customers and businesses as per requirement.
This software is suitable for SMEs and enterprises with over 35,000 customers
OptimoRoute
User-friendly software allows users and businesses to optimize the routes within seconds. The route manager can generate reports and schedules for drivers considering the order and type of the task to improve the business flow. They also have an application for drivers for location guidance to make the work simple and easy.
ETA, live tracking, API integration, and proof of delivery are some of the best features of OptimoRoute.
Here we end with the top listed apps for route optimization.
Whether you want to opt for software as an application or a mobile application for your business, we are a great help to startups and established enterprises.
You need to contact our team of expert developers to discuss your route planning software idea to streamline your business.
Developing an application like any of the above will instantly improve your route planning and optimize the business. If you think this is the right way to ensure prompt delivery of goods and want to create an app, read below the implementation process.
The Process of Implement Route Optimization
A proper procedure to develop and integrate route optimization software is the key to success. Let’s see how it is done.
Define Business Strategy
Start with business strategy, defining the project requirements, its objective to develop and what challenges you may face. The enterprise may fail to establish if you do not define the strategy.
Understand what business needs and how route optimization can solve the issues. It should set up the direction towards the improvement of the business. Successful automation is based on the data about the ongoing and future deliveries.
Therefore, it is essential to scrutinize the operations and adapt route planning software to optimize.
Pick the Right Team
It is the best option to opt for custom development to save costs, but choosing the right development team can be tricky. Today, multiple companies in the market hold their best practices and expertise in the same field.
aPurple can give you the best route optimization software. They have a team of certified experts to give you a reliable solution within your budget and per your requirements. The team’s manager takes over all peculiarities regarding the development until its final release.
Development Process
Find the SDLC process for designing route optimization software before starting the development.
- Discover the heart of the project. It consists of project specifications that describe the features of the software. Creating wireframes is a simultaneous process for each app screen.
- UI/UX designers make the prototype based on the wireframes created.
- Then comes the development stage, when the developers transform the mockups into a real-time functioning app with a tech stack.
- Quality tests the app under a series of processes to ensure and guarantee responsiveness, reliability, and operability.
- The final stage is launching or releasing the top-notch app with all the required project details.
Maintenance
Knowing your IT vendor is not the end. Route software may need multi-tier tech support with complexities and interconnections involved. Integrating and adding more features to the software, upgrading the version, etc., will keep up with the clients, and the latest trends in the market will improve user experience.
Start Optimizing Your Route Today- Conclusion
As we covered above the entire route optimization benefits and top applications in the market, you should now have a good understanding of route optimization applications. Depending upon the deliveries of your business, you can customize and develop your app.
The routing software is the best way to improve fleet management and is more than enough for SMEs. At aPurple, we have re-built the existing route optimization software implementing the needs of our client’s business.
