Best Route Optimization Software to Choose From in 2024
Best Route Optimization Software to Choose From in 2024
Yuliia Fedyk
Content Marketer at inVerita
Scroll down
8 minutes read
Every extra mile results in additional fuel consumption. Poor weather forecasting leads to delays and sometimes even vehicle crashes. Manual route optimization can’t solve these problems. Therefore most businesses today opt for logistics route optimization software.
What is Route Optimization?
Route optimization is much more complex than just finding the shortest route. It includes all the relevant factors such as traffic congestion for a particular day and time, the number of turns on a specific route, the number of turns that require crossing the line of traffic, the best places to stop, and many other factors that affect delivery route planning.
Just one vehicle that stops 10 times during its route has more than 3 million route options available. That’s why route optimization is handled by computer algorithms, not manually, and route optimization software quickly tests different what-if scenarios to choose the best one.
Why is Route Optimization Software Important?
Effective transportation route optimization software can save up to 20% in mileage and boost order capacity by 100% even without growing your fleet.
A great example is UPS, one of the biggest and most trusted shipping companies. By leveraging big data analytics, the company has found out that turning left resulted in more traffic jams which provoked bigger numbers of delays and more fuel consumption. Therefore the routes were rebuilt so that in 90% of cases trucks go right or straight. As a result of these changes, UPS saves 10 million gallons of fuel, manages to deliver 350k parcels more annually, and averts emissions equivalent to 20k+ cars.
However, these are not the only benefits route optimization software can bring to your business.
5 Benefits Of Using Route Planning Software
# Reduced Expenses and Increased Revenue per Driver
A key function of route optimization software is to ensure that your business operates in the most efficient way possible and you don’t waste too much time, fuel, or manpower.
For example, when Patriot Transport implemented a full-cycle application developed by inVerita, they managed to reduce their supply chain costs by 16%and significantly exceeded the delivery time by excluding wasted time between stops.
# Better Customer Experience
Customer reviews no longer affect just behemoths like Amazon, they have an impact on any business that deals with people. And if you want your customers to trust you, you must have a positive reputation online.
SMS messages and emails sent ahead of time, real-time ETAs, and tracking helps you minimize the calls and inquiries to your customer service support as your customers get immediately informed about the changes in their order status and if there is any possibility of delay.
# Faster Route Planning
Simple navigation apps like Google Maps or Waze offer convenience to ordinary drivers but for delivery drivers they are not enough. Though smart route optimization software can provide the shortest and the most economical route in less than a minute. It also takes into account factors such as customer tier priorities and customer desired time windows, saving hours of your efforts.
# Enhanced Driver Safety
The best truck routing software allows you to monitor vehicles remotely. Fleet managers have access to tracking the speed levels, immediately identifying harsh braking, or seeing if the driver is breaking the driving rules. This feature is also useful in returning stolen vehicles.
Remote diagnostics shows when the vehicle is due for maintenance and helps to detect the problems that might be unnoticed by drivers.
Among other features of the best truck routing software, it’s worth mentioning accident detection. The software collects the data from the incident for insurance purposes and calculates the approximate cost of repairs.
# Full Task Automation and Compliance
Route planning, maintenance of vehicles, monitoring driver behavior, delivery, and collecting customer information and feedback — all these things are automated which saves companies time and money. Some of the best routing software also can integrate with an organization’s payroll and accounting software eliminating the need to manually calculate expenses.
Route planning systems also maintain compliance with regulations that govern safety, hours of operation, etc.
How To Choose a Route Optimization Software?
# Define the Needs of Your Organization
Before you start looking at the possible options on the market or developing your own software, ask yourself a question “what is the best delivery route planning software for your business?” Think about how your current fleet management process can be improved and what features are needed to improve it.
# Examine Vendors
Once you have defined the requirements for your route optimization platform, create a shortlist of vendors that meet your needs. Write down the must-have features and those that would be nice to have, and define the deployment options that the vendor offers (cloud, on-premise, etc), or options you would like to have in custom route optimization software.
# Contact Vendors
If you opt for a “ready-made” solution, ask for a demo or try a free trial period, usually 7 or 14 days available. If you want to develop your own customized application, carefully examine customer reviews on independent platforms such as Clutch, GoodFirms, etc., study the vendor’s website and case studies, and make sure you choose the best cooperation model for your type of project.
Samsara is a cloud-deployed route optimization software with built-in preventative features to avoid unexpected breakdowns, compliance with ELD mandates, and an AI dash camera (that can be quickly installed) to track driver’s behavior and traffic conditions to detect collisions. The software also offers a range of customizable features to meet the needs of different businesses. Samsara offers a wide variety of modules including routing and dispatch, trailer and GPS fleet tracking, and reefer monitoring.
Above all, there is also a driver application that tracks hours, sends alerts, creates driver-vehicle inspection reports, and more.
Key Features:
Video technology powered by AI;
IoT gateway hardware with real-time GPS monitoring in every vehicle that connects to a Wi-fi hotspot;
Fuel and maintenance diagnose and alerts;
Coaching tools and suggestions to reduce fuel costs;
Reefers temperature monitoring through wireless sensors.
Pricing: Samsara doesn’t publicly show its pricing. You have to choose what you would like to monitor, the number of vehicles, or amount of equipment, and the features you need. Then, they contact you directly.
OptimoRoute is one of the best route planning software that operates in more than 30 countries. To start using the software, you can easily upload orders from Excel or a CSV and integrate the software with your CRM, ERP, or any other platform. OptimoRoute builds multiple routes of any level of complexity and has more than 50 functions to optimize for the best routes and schedules. Some of them are:
Key Features:
Calculates allowed working hours and driver costs to eliminate overtime and cut down expenses;
Instantly imports thousands of orders to build the best routes and schedules for drivers;
Automatic feedback requests and real-time order tracking;
Optimizes the routes taking into account all order and task criteria: priority, time windows, day of the week, reverse logistics orders, variable job durations, etc.
Native app for iOS and Android users.
Pricing: Free 30-day trial / Lite version: $35.10 per driver per month / Pro version: $44.10 per driver per month.
Verizon Connect is an integrated fleet management tool with a set of customizable features. It comes with native integration to third-party systems such as accounting software, supply chain management solutions, etc. Due to its modular system companies can scale up or down as their requirements change.
Key Features:
Integration with fuel card systems to track fuel spending and consumption, malfunctions tracking;
Real-time vehicle activity tracking with GPS tracker installed in every vehicle;
Customizable reports and dashboards on daily driver activity, harsh braking, fuel consumption, etc.;
Video integration with road-facing and driver-facing that stores data in the cloud;
The compliance management module is to adhere to the ELD mandate.
Pricing: Verizon Connect doesn’t publicly display its prices, you need to contact them.
Fleetio takes place among the best routing software that is deployed in the cloud. The software offers two separate applications with an unlimited number of users, one for fleet management and another for inventory management. It integrates with an organization’s existing GPS hardware and different telematics software so that managers can track vehicle location, receive and send notifications, analyze fuel consumption, etc.
Key Features:
A VIN decoder that automatically saves more than 90 vehicle specifications for easy tracking;
Fuel cards integrations;
Smart maintenance and service reminders;
Role-based dashboards with more than 25 charts and graphics;
Two mobile apps: for fleet tracking and for inventory management tasks.
Pricing: 14-day free trial / Starter version $3 per vehicle per month / Pro version $5 per vehicle per month / Advanced version $7 per vehicle per month.
Route4Me is among the best routing software with more than 2 million users since 2009, especially widely used among medium-sized and small businesses. The main benefits of the software its users highlight are instantly optimized routes, easy access to databases, and increased ROI.
Key Features:
GPS trackable notes and media, ETAs update in real-time;
Advanced customer management system;
Instantly optimized routes in less than a minute;
Mileage and driver itinerary tracking.
Pricing: Free 7-day trial / $199 a month for route management / $249 a month for route optimization / $349 a month All included
Conclusion
A basic route planner cannot address many challenges in fleet management. However, a robust route planning application can significantly boost profitability, increase driver safety, and reduce overall costs.
You can choose one from our list of best route optimization software or build your own customized best route optimization app tailored to the specific needs of your business.
If you need help with route optimization software development, drop us a line to get a free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is route optimization only for large businesses?
Definitely not. Modern route management software is an effective tool for small and medium-sized businesses as well.
Why don’t I just use GPS or Google Maps?
GPS or Google Maps can’t optimize a route plan with multiple destinations and don’t take into account all order and task criteria such as vehicle load capacity, delivery time windows, vehicle features, etc.
Which is the best route planning software for small companies?
Any of the above-mentioned options could be a good pick for small businesses. However, the “ready-made” solutions do not always meet the specific transportation and fleet requirements of a particular business so it’s always better to build your own customized solution.
