Stop Letting Your Drivers Run In Circles

Most companies have no idea they are quietly losing money until someone finally maps out daily driver activity. 43 stops. It made six turns to the highways. Lunch happened right in the middle of peak deliveries. www.saphyroo.com/solutions/route-optimisation It’s not about laziness but it is simply no one ever wondered to ask about the process.

The actual process of route optimisation begins when you finally start asking questions, and the findings can be eye-opening. Were we really doing it this way all along?

This is what really matters, distance alone doesn’t define the best route. Traffic, delivery windows, vehicle limits, driver hours, fuel costs, and even weather all play a role.

A 3 km trip can take longer than a 10 km one depending on the time of day, or at a different time of the day. All these variables are simultaneously crunched by route optimisation software, far beyond what any dispatcher can manage manually, no matter how skilled they are.

A logistics manager once told me it felt like putting on glasses after years of blurred vision.

The benefits are real and grow fast. Fewer kilometres mean less fuel consumption. Fewer emissions are caused by fewer fuel burnt. Reduced driving time improves on-time arrivals instead of being stuck in yet another evening traffic jam.

Firms that employ adequate route optimisation systems always note fuel savings of between 10 and 30 percent and for a full fleet, that’s a significant financial boost.

Customer satisfaction improves as well, as more accurate ETAs reduce missed deliveries and less customer frustration over delays.

Small businesses tend to think that this form of technology is only applicable to large companies with their fleets and well-organized operations teams. That mindset is outdated.

There is an abundance of contemporary tools available as subscriptions, which can easily support even a three-van operation and do not need a PhD to use.

A florist having five drivers can not be worse off than a national courier. Success depends on good data input, by inputting proper schedules, load times, and vehicle specs.

Like baking without proper measurements, poor data produces poor outcomes.