Feeling overwhelmed with route planning? Managing driver schedules, delivery windows, and trying to keep fuel costs down can be daunting, especially when ensuring your deliveries are always on time. You’re not alone in this struggle. If you’re fed up with late deliveries, stressed drivers, or soaring fuel bills, rest assured—there is a better way. We’ve extensively researched and meticulously selected the top 8 fleet routing software solutions for 2024. These tools are not just about planning routes; they’re about revolutionizing the efficiency of your operations, enhancing driver satisfaction, and cutting costs significantly. Grab a coffee and settle in. We’re about to guide you through each option, showing you how these powerful tools can transform your fleet management from a daily grind into a streamlined, cost-effective operation. Stay with us as we unveil how to make your logistics smoother and more economical than ever. How We Reviewed and Selected the Best Fleet Routing Software? To ensure an in-depth and unbiased evaluation, our team collected information about 15 different popular fleet routing software based on our industry knowledge. Our in-house fleet management experts and developers tested and compared these options based on features, usability, prices, and routing accuracy. As per our findings, combined with user reviews on reputable platforms like Capterra and G2, we finally compiled a list of the top 8 fleet routing software for you. Forget Spaghetti Routes, Optimize Routes for Your Entire Team with Upper Start a 7-Day Free Trial Table of Content Top 8 Fleet Routing Software To Check Out in 2024 How to Choose the Right Fleet Routing Software? FAQ Manage Your Fleet the Smart Way with Fleet Routing Software Top 8 Fleet Routing Software To Check Out in 2024 1. Upper – Ideal for fleet management for all business sizes and types Number of stops: Up to 500 stops per route Route optimization: Available Multi-stop route planning: Available Works on: Web, iOS and Android Ideal for: Fleet companies and delivery/field service businesses Upper is an end-to-end fleet routing software designed to simplify and optimize your delivery operations. Whether you manage a small team of drivers or oversee a large fleet, Upper helps streamline your route planning, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. With features like real-time tracking, route optimization, and driver dispatch, Upper ensures your deliveries are on time and your team is always informed. It’s an intuitive tool that adapts to your business needs, helping you make data-driven decisions to enhance performance and customer satisfaction. Key Features: Easy import: Quickly import Excel or CSV to your route planner with just one click, streamlining your route planning process and saving time. Route optimization: Find the fastest, most efficient routes for your fleet in minutes, considering factors like traffic, working hours, delivery windows, vehicle capacity, and other constraints. Flexible route management: Drag and drop stops, swap routes between drivers, reverse entire routes, or make changes on the fly with a few taps. Real-time tracking: Monitor your fleet’s exact location and status, enhancing visibility and control. Driver dispatch: Assign tasks and manage driver schedules effectively, boosting operational efficiency. Customer notifications: Keep customers updated on their delivery status, improving their experience and reducing inquiries. In-app navigation: Integrate navigation to help drivers follow optimized routes without needing separate apps. Dispatcher-driver chat: Improve coordination and resolve issues quickly with enhanced communication between dispatchers and drivers. Want to know more? See Upper in action and explore our powerful features. Schedule a demo to understand how we can improve your fleet management processes. One-liner verdict: Best for your fleet routing management in case you have a stable internet connection. Pricing: Essentials: $40/user/month (billed annually) Growth: $48/user/month (billed annually) Enterprise: Contact Support Team Pros Drag and drop files for addresses Last-minute changes and updates to routes Budget-friendly packages Offers free trial Open API integration Cons Limited features in the Free version Usage may depend on stable internet at times Try Upper Risk-Free Experience Upper’s advanced features with our free trial. Start optimizing your routes and discover how effortless fleet management can be, all with no commitment. Try Upper 2. Optimoroute Number of stops: Up to 700 in Lite and 1000 in Pro Route optimization: Available Multi-stop route planning: Available Works on: Android, iOS, or Web Ideal for: Organizing a mobile workforce OptimoRoute can be your go-to solution if you want to automate your route planning. We input multiple addresses and added delivery constraints, including the day of the week, customer preferences for time windows, and vehicle type, to see how it plans delivery routes. To our surprise, it not only created the most efficient routes but also allocated them to drivers based on their hours of service, destination distances, and skills. The freedom it gives to make last-minute route modifications is also worth considering. With the ability to plan routes for up to 5 weeks ahead of time in a single click, this route-planning software deserves the second spot. However, our test revealed two limitations. First, it could not accurately recognize some locations, especially rural delivery addresses, at times. Another was that the travel times it showed differed from those in Google Maps, causing discrepancies. Want to know more about OptimoRoute? We went ahead and tested all OptimRoute features so you don’t have to. Read our detailed OptimoRoute review to get a better idea of the tool. One-liner verdict: It’s best for automated route planning as long as most of your delivery addresses are not rural. Key Features: Live Tracking + ETAs: Let you track your technicians’ or drivers’ progress to determine and convey accurate estimated arrival times to your customers accordingly. Workload balancing: This enables you to balance the workload between your drivers or technicians while ensuring optimization. Mobile app for drivers: This app equips your drivers or field technicians to view and manage their routes on the go. Pickup & delivery: This option accommodates pickups and deliveries on the same route to create a hybrid workflow, reduce the number of trips, and decrease operational costs. Pricing: Lite: $39 per driver/month Pro: $49 per driver/month Custom: Varies based on your unique needs Pros Higher cost-effectiveness over some other apps Plan routes in advance for your delivery team Easy to use software Ability to add stops to routes in progress Cons No SMS notification for customers No option for delivery verification Can’t adjust routes easily using drag-and-drop interface 3. Circuit Number of stops: Up to 5000 stops based on the plan and works on the pay-as-you-go model. Route optimization: Available Multi-stop route planning: Available Works on: Android, iOS, Web Best for: Couriers and online retailers Circuit for Teams claims to be the most popular delivery software. It offers routing solutions customized for teams of drivers, individual delivery drivers, and package tracking. Whether you are a small retailer, large courier company, or enterprise owner, it caters to your routing needs. Taking control of your fleet operations becomes easier with features like route optimization, driver tracking, route monitoring, SMS notifications, and accurate ETAs. Circuit software allows you to optimize routes with up to 500 stops per route. Fleet-based businesses often underestimate the need for proof of delivery. But Circuit has resolved the vehicle routing problem and offered proof of delivery through the customer’s signature. Check out the detailed guide on vehicle routing problems and the solutions to fix them. However, your drivers won’t be able to add breaks along their routes unless they have iOS phones. We also found the spreadsheet import feature a little tedious, as it required us to fill in too much data in sheets. Zapier integration also didn’t work as desired, as we learned from one of our customers who earlier used Circuit. Wondering if Circuit is worth it? We’ve taken an in-depth look at Circuit to give you an unbiased review. Check out our findings and decide for yourself! One-liner verdict: Best for delivery businesses if you don’t mind spending a little more time filling in data to import addresses and checking their accuracy. Key Features: Dynamic customer notifications: Keep your customers of delivery status updates through custom text and email notifications. Driver analytics: This helps you monitor your drivers and fleet’s performance based on the percentage of successful and unsuccessful delivery attempts per day or week. Dispatcher view and driver app: This allows you to modify routes in real time, notify your drivers of changes, and let them add or remove stops as needed. Integration: This provides a two-way API to integrate with your existing systems, such as Shopify and Zapier, for automated and seamless route planning. Pricing: Starter: $100/month for up to 500 stops Essential: $250/month for up to 1000 stops Standard: $500/month for up to 2000 stops Pro: $750/month for up to 5000 stops Pros Quick and easy to use for admins, dispatchers and drivers Route creation and optimization is easy both in-browser and on the app Cons Editing routes on the app can be a bit of a pain Detailed Live-Tracking at Your Disposal Use Upper’s advanced fleet routing software to create optimal routes and track drivers in real time. Trace their movements even when they go off-grid to determine and minimize variances. Get Upper 4. Route4Me Number of stops: Up to 5000 stops based on the plan and works on the pay-as-you-go model. Route optimization: Available Multi-stop route planning: Available Works on: Android, iOS, and Web Ideal for: Shipping businesses that need customization flexibility Route4Me is a cloud-based route planning solution that saves businesses from routing chaos. It is ideal for shipping organizations with multiple stops for one driver and claims to generate shorter routes. It gives a ton of information as well as allows for a lot of customization on your routes. It provides a lot of information and allows for extensive customization of your delivery routes. Further, whether you want to view your routes as a grid on a big map or view one route at a time, Route4Me lets you do that without any hassle. However, our test revealed a limitation: This delivery management software assumes your delivery team or driver starts simultaneously from the same point. The optimized routes it provided were also not clean in some cases, routing vehicles to the wrong destinations and providing inaccurate ETAs. Considering Route4me for your business? We’ve done the legwork, exploring every aspect of this routing app. Read our unbiased Route4me review to make an informed decision. One-liner verdict: Suitable for optimizing your routes when your driver’s start point remains the same. Key Features: Multi-stop route planning: It lets you create optimal multi-stop routes to handle increased volumes of orders and service appointments efficiently. Email & text notifications: This keeps your customers informed with custom SMS or email notifications for delivery status confirmations, cancellations, schedule changes, and specific instructions to handle deliveries or appointments, if any. Analytics: It provides detailed insights into mileage, fuel, and drivers’ costs to determine and work on areas of improvement to enhance your overall efficiency. Real-time collaboration: This app enables continuous communication between you, your drivers or technicians, and customers to identify any issues, queries, or concerns immediately. Pricing: Route Management: $200 per month Route Optimization: $300 per month Business Optimization: $450 per month Pros Easy to use and quick Improves scheduling and makes effective deliveries Easily add new stops Ability to plan routes using pre-set ETAs Cons It is very expensive No room for customizing driver profile Add-on features have additional fees 5. Tookan Number of stops: Start from 200 Route optimization: Available Multi-stop route planning: Available Platform: Android, iOS, Web Ideal for: B2B and B2C delivery businesses Tookan is one of the leading route optimization software that helps you streamline dispatch operations and facilitate communication between you and your delivery team. What makes it stand out is a web-based dispatcher dashboard that enables you to track orders via real-time location tracking and monitor day-to-day movements. It is one of the best fleet route planning software, allowing users to analyze the performance metrics of delivery fleets and drivers using actionable analytics. However, testing revealed issues with fleet tracking and more-than-normal downtime, causing a loss of productive time. One-liner verdict: Overall good for your delivery operations except for the downtime that may sometimes hamper your operational efficiency and productivity. Thinking about trying Tookan? Hold that thought. Our comprehensive review of Tookan reveals the good, the bad, and the surprising. Key Features: Driver app: This app lets your delivery agents access customer information, navigate optimized routes to ensure on-time deliveries, and collect images or signatures as proof of delivery Fleet tracking & management: This fleet delivery route scheduling software facilitates monitoring your drivers’ behavioral issues, like vehicle idling or rash driving, and scheduling proactive vehicle fleet maintenance. Inventory management: It allows you to match your customers’ orders against your drivers’ inventory to assign deliveries to each driver accordingly. End-to-end encryption: This enables securing your customers’ data in an encoded format. Pricing: Early Stage: $49 per month Startup: $129 per month Growth: $299 per month Standard: $599 per month Pros 24/7 customer support Drivers monitoring Integration with other apps Cons No customization options Auto-allocation doesn’t work properly 6. Workwave Route Manager Route optimization: Available Multi-stop route planning: Available Platform: Web, Android, iOS Ideal for: Logistics professionals involved in managing fleets of 500 vehicles This forms the best logistics routing software for businesses that need to optimize routes in real time and accommodate changes easily. You can use WorkWave to dispatch these routes to your delivery team’s mobile devices and get real-time updates regarding your core business process. You can also send the same SMS notifications to your customers and keep them informed about their package location. What piqued our interest and stood out for us is the ‘route simulations’ that it provides. You can change different variables in a simulated environment to evaluate route modifications and implement the most suitable changes. However, a major limitation is that less comprehensive reports fetched data for only a few days against what was required, leading to reliability issues. Users also reported poor onboarding and customer service several times. Is WorkWave worth your time and money? Our team spent weeks testing every feature. Discover the truth in our no-nonsense WorkWave review. One-liner verdict: Good for your fleet management in general if you are okay with spending some time, ensuring reporting accuracy. Key Features: Reporting & Analytics: This feature helps monitor your vehicle usage, track your drivers’ behavior to identify and reward good performers for retaining them, and make informed business decisions through data-driven insights. Barcode scanning: It lets you label and track your products through different stages of the entire supply chain by scanning different types of barcodes on your products based on their type. API Integration: It facilitates integration with your customer management portal to auto-update your route plan based on the incoming orders from your customers, saving time and labor. Route Manager Voice: This feature enables your drivers to call your customers through their mobile app and notify them of the upcoming or canceled delivery Pricing: Starts at $54 per month per vehicle. Pros Easy-to-use driver application Better technical support team Affordable route planner Cons A little bit pricey Smarter and Better Scheduling Get Upper to put an end to last-minute scheduling chaos. Schedule your delivery routes weeks and months ahead of time and dispatch them all to your drivers in a single click. Try Upper! 7. GeoTab Route Optimization: Available Multi-stop route planning: Available Works on: iOS, Android, and web Ideal for: Commercial industrial trucks Equipped with actionable insights and suggestions to boost fleet efficiency, GeoTab is one of the popular fleet routing software for your business. This fleet dispatch system software provides everything you need to ensure seamless fleet management, from driver/asset tracking or fuel management to fleet management reporting. A feature that sets it apart from Circuit or other planner apps is fault code notifications, which let you detect an issue in your vehicle and fix it before it breaks down. However, one problematic aspect was the less interactive user interface, which made it hard to find what we were looking for. One-liner verdict: Best route planner for commercial telematics for global fleets if you can afford extra effort and time to learn to use it. Key Features: Routing & dispatching: This helps create the most efficient sequence of stops that accommodate both your deliveries and pickups, saving time and fuel costs. Fleet insurance: Leverage your drivers’ safe driving behavioral patterns to convince your insurers for insurance subsidies, save money, and improve your bottom line. Fleet maintenance: This allows you to get information on engine diagnostics, maintenance schedules, and maintenance cost reports to ensure your delivery fleet performs optimally. Keyless access management: This method uses fully digitized keys to help you grant or manage your drivers’ access to your fleet vehicles remotely and reduce theft incidents. Pricing: Not disclosed. Completely based on the number of vehicles in your fleet. Pros IFTA compliance Accurate GPS tracking Timely speed alerts Cons Reported issues with Wifi or hotspot Steep learning curve 8. Verizon Connect Route Optimization: Available Multi-stop route planning: Available Works on: iOS, Android, and Web Ideal for: Commercial industrial trucks Verizon Connect is the software for route management specifically designed for fleets of all sizes, especially small and medium-sized businesses. With its active smart dashboards and advanced route optimization tools, it evaluates millions of route options to determine the best multi-stop route for your fleet. One of the best parts of this software is the drag-and-drop interface, which makes it easy to shuffle stops, no matter how packed your route is. With round-the-clock monitoring, you can effectively manage drivers’ unsafe behavior, unauthorized use, or deviations from the standard procedure. You can operate dynamic routing with fewer fleet vehicles and a small delivery team. One of the major issues it posed during testing was that it didn’t have dedicated ITFA report formats. Customer service support was also not up to the mark. One-liner verdict: Best for small to mid-sized fleets if you can patiently deal with their customer service. Key Features: Multi-stop route planning: This lets you plan and optimize your multi-stop routes based on traffic patterns, drivers’ working hours, and customer preferences. Emergency dispatch: Allows you to pick the most suitable driver for an urgent delivery based on skill requirements, where they are, and the type of vehicle they have. Accurate job costing: This allows for taking into account fixed and per-mile costs, labor expenses, and accommodation for long trips when planning routes. Smart fuel card tracking: This helps you track your fuel card usage to spot dubious transactions and reduce fuel card fraud. Pricing: Not disclosed. Depends on the number of drivers in your fleet, routing requirements, and location. Pros Live tracking app Easy navigation for drivers On time notifications Cons Service time issues Customer service is not great Master the Art of Fleet Routing With Upper, fleet routing is simplified more than ever. Optimize routes to ensure timeliness that matches customers’ expectations while minimizing costs and maximizing routing efficiency. Start Now How to Choose the Right Fleet Routing Software? Choosing the fleet route planning software is a strategic decision that influences your business’s efficiency, safety, and operational costs. Therefore, here are a few considerations when picking fleet routing software. 1. Ease of use An easily navigable user interface helps ensure smooth onboarding, reduce the learning curve, and maximize your software’s potential. Your fleet routing optimization software should be easy to use, especially if you operate a large, non-tech-savvy fleet. “Upper’s fleet route planning software is designed to make fleet route planning simple, even for those who aren’t tech-savvy, ensuring everyone on your team can use the software effectively.” 2. Team size and cost The price of your fleet dispatch software is a critical factor that may vary based on your team size and fleet routing requirements. Therefore, comparing the available software options in terms of pricing plans, maximum users allowed, and the features provided is important to pick the software that fits your unique needs, team size, and budget. “With Upper, you get flexible pricing plans tailored to your team’s needs, ensuring you pay only for what you use.” 3. Real-time tracking Real-time GPS tracking software helps monitor your vehicles’ real-time locations, enhancing your visibility into on-field fleet operations. It, thus, helps identify issues like traffic jams or vehicle breakdowns and address them proactively to prevent delivery schedules on track. So, you must look for this feature in your fleet dispatch software. “Stay ahead of any issue with Upper’s real-time tracking software– ensure smooth deliveries by addressing problems before they impact your schedule.” 4. Customer support Software support is one of the important factors to consider when picking from route planners. You can check for the range of channels that your software company provides to connect with their customer service. A higher number of communication options indicates greater flexibility in accessing customer support. You can browse discussion forums and review platforms to learn what existing customers say about the support quality and make an informed decision. “At Upper, we prioritize your experience with 24/7 support to help you tackle any challenges swiftly and effectively.” 5. Long-term reliability Large companies with advanced transportation management features often acquire small fleet routing software providers due to mounting losses and a lack of funds to continue operations independently. If the parent company’s niche is not fleet routing, it may inadvertently remove the focus from continuously updating fleet routing technology, resulting in declining investment and ongoing support. So, check your software company’s financial stability to see if it can continue to exist as an independent entity for years. “Upper’s focus on staying independent and investing in our technology means you’ll have a trustworthy solution now and in the future.” 6. Comprehensive reports & analytics Your fleet route planning software should feature comprehensive reports that provide valuable insights into metrics such as total stops covered or missed per driver or zone. These help identify and address routing-related issues proactively and enhance your fleet’s performance. “Obtain deeper insights with Upper’s smart reports and analytics – enhance performance by understanding every detail of your fleet’s operations.” 7. Integration capabilities Your fleet dispatching software must seamlessly integrate with essential business systems, such as ERP, CRM, fire alarms, or panic buttons. This helps ensure a smooth flow of information across your different business parts, eliminating data silos and enhancing overall efficiency. “Upper integrates seamlessly with your existing business systems, ensuring a smooth flow of information and enhancing overall operational efficiency.” FAQ What is fleet routing? Fleet routing is the process of determining the most efficient routes for vehicles that need to visit a set of locations. It helps minimize overall transportation costs and improves fleet dispatching performance. Is there an app for routing multiple addresses? Yes, you can choose free apps like Waze and Mapquest for this purpose, but they have their limitations. For better results, you can use fleet routing and dispatch software like Upper Route Planner to plan multiple deliveries with multiple locations at once. What is the primary role of a fleet management company? A fleet management company is responsible for maintaining the performance and safety of vehicles. By ensuring fleet safety, vehicle maintenance, and reduced fuel costs, the company improves overall productivity. How does the fleet route planning and optimization process work? The fleet route planning includes optimizing delivery fleets by considering fleet size, vehicle capacity, and driver availability. Fleet routing and optimization will reduce vehicle costs and help your delivery team complete deliveries on time while meeting ETAs. What is the role of fleet administration? Fleet managers or fleet administration are known for managing delivery fleets based on the number of deliveries or service appointments. The role of the fleet administration user is to deploy vehicles and drivers for deliveries or services. Nowadays, fleet route planners have taken over the role of fleet administration. Which software is good for fleet routing? While your choice of fleet route planners depends on your business needs and problems, Upper routing software is an advanced multi-stop fleet route planner. Some other best route management solutions are Route4Me, Circuit, OptimoRoute, Tookan, and Omnitracks. Manage Your Fleet the Smart Way with Fleet Routing Software Picking the right fleet management route optimization software is key to balancing the three aspects crucial to fleet management success: accuracy, efficiency, and adaptability. However, the choice of fleet routing software can be tricky. This is why we’ve explored the top 8 software to simplify it for you. Upper can be an ideal fit for fleet businesses of any size and industry looking for end-to-end route management software capabilities to maximize efficiency and profitability. If you want to organize a mobile workforce, OptimoRoute is an ideal choice. If you need to manage commercial vehicle routing, you can try out GeoTab and Verizon Connect. You can even go beyond this list to explore more options and eventually pick the one that meets all your expectations and requirements for fleet software. Author Bio Rakesh Patel Rakesh Patel, author of two defining books on reverse geotagging, is a trusted authority in routing and logistics. His innovative solutions at Upper Route Planner have simplified logistics for businesses across the board. A thought leader in the field, Rakesh's insights are shaping the future of modern-day logistics, making him your go-to expert for all things route optimization. Read more. 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