The majority of fleet managers can sense that something has gone wrong. Orders are delayed. The cost of fuel is ever increasing. Drivers are becoming frustrated. Nevertheless, no-one can really place a finger on why, until the real route data is reviewed and finds that half the team are crossing the same suburbs as many times as they are drawing the scribble of a toddler on a map. Route optimization is not just a buzzword. It defines whether a company struggles or performs as intended. 
What many people don’t realize, shortest route and fastest route are not one and the same. The commuter who goes to work at 8 AM during peak time with a short route can take 45 minutes to travel an equivalent distance that a workmate completes in 20 minutes or even turn left rather than right. Advanced optimization software factors in traffic flow, delivery windows, vehicle capacity, and driver shift limits at the same time. Even the most experienced dispatcher cannot manage all these variables mentally across a fleet of twenty vehicles. That’s not a flaw, it’s just basic arithmetic. It is difficult to dispute the financial argument. It route optimisation is a norm that companies make fuel savings of 15-25 percent following implementation of the right routing tools. Scale that across an entire fleet annually and the savings become significant. Other than fuel, less kilometres translate to reduced wear and tear of vehicles, reduced servicing expenses and increased life of assets. One courier firm in the UK claimed it recouped the investment in just six weeks. Six weeks. This is not a slow-return investment but a quick win that keeps delivering value. It has a human aspect that is never taken into consideration. The drivers who are not in the gridlocks they can avoid are less stressed, commit fewer mistakes, and even complete their shifts in time. Driver retention increases. Training costs drop. The customers receive improved ETAs and this implies that there are fewer "where is my delivery" calls clogging your support line. An efficient route does not only represent a logistical success, but it silently enhances nearly all the downstream measures that a business is interested in. It’s like adjusting one thread and seeing the whole system tighten perfectly.
What many people don’t realize, shortest route and fastest route are not one and the same. The commuter who goes to work at 8 AM during peak time with a short route can take 45 minutes to travel an equivalent distance that a workmate completes in 20 minutes or even turn left rather than right. Advanced optimization software factors in traffic flow, delivery windows, vehicle capacity, and driver shift limits at the same time. Even the most experienced dispatcher cannot manage all these variables mentally across a fleet of twenty vehicles. That’s not a flaw, it’s just basic arithmetic. It is difficult to dispute the financial argument. It route optimisation is a norm that companies make fuel savings of 15-25 percent following implementation of the right routing tools. Scale that across an entire fleet annually and the savings become significant. Other than fuel, less kilometres translate to reduced wear and tear of vehicles, reduced servicing expenses and increased life of assets. One courier firm in the UK claimed it recouped the investment in just six weeks. Six weeks. This is not a slow-return investment but a quick win that keeps delivering value. It has a human aspect that is never taken into consideration. The drivers who are not in the gridlocks they can avoid are less stressed, commit fewer mistakes, and even complete their shifts in time. Driver retention increases. Training costs drop. The customers receive improved ETAs and this implies that there are fewer "where is my delivery" calls clogging your support line. An efficient route does not only represent a logistical success, but it silently enhances nearly all the downstream measures that a business is interested in. It’s like adjusting one thread and seeing the whole system tighten perfectly.