How to Optimize Snow Plow Route with Routing Software?

As winter blankets our landscapes, the challenges of snow removal impact daily commutes and emergency services. 

In the United States, every year, 24% of weather-related vehicle crashes occur on snowy, slushy, or icy roads and pavements. This makes winter a demanding season for snow-clearing providers.

However, the task of clearing snow swiftly demands optimized plow routes. Unoptimized routes can lead to wasted time, fuel, and resources due to duplication, uneven workload distribution, and overlooked streets.

So, for those in the snow plowing business or looking to start a snow removal business, optimizing routes becomes the key to maximizing limited resources.

To make things easier for you, in this blog, we’ll explore the fundamentals of snow plow route optimization. Our aim is to provide you with insights to enhance your snow-clearing capabilities and delight your customers this winter.

What is Snow Plow Route Optimization?

Snow plow route optimization is planning the best routes for snowplows to clear residents’ pathways and parking areas effectively during winter storms.

It uses special snow removal software to create efficient routes based on road conditions, weather forecasts, and traffic patterns. This optimization helps minimize fuel consumption, reduce labor costs, and speed up snow removal. 

Using real-time data, operators can quickly adjust routes to focus on high-priority areas and adapt to changing conditions. The goal is to make snow clearing faster and safer, making winter roads safer.

How to Plan Routes With Snow Plow Route Optimization Software?

When it comes to efficiently navigating winter’s challenges, snow plow route optimization software like Upper can streamline snow removal operations. 

It works as a powerful snow plow route optimization calculator that streamlines the process of planning routes, ensuring every street is cleared effectively without wasting resources.

Here’s your step-by-step guide on how you can plan snow-plowing routes with Upper:

Step 1: Import service addresses

Upper’s import spreadsheet simplifies adding hundreds of addresses from Excel or CSV files. Once imported, you can optimize routes quickly and easily. It also supports manual stop additions, offering control over route planning.

This combination of automated and manual features ensures that your snow plowing operations are efficient and adaptable.

Are you curious how importing addresses saves you time and efforts? 

Watch our quick demo video to see how Upper can streamline your snow plow route planning.

Step 2: Customize stop details

To streamline route planning, add detailed information, including address, name, priority level, and additional notes for each stop. Use the import function to align these details with the appropriate columns in your spreadsheet. 

By doing so, you streamline route planning and enhance the efficiency of your snow plow operations.

Step 3: Select drivers

Once you’ve added details for your snow plow routes, including stop locations, volumes, and priority levels, you can select drivers and input their name, email, speed limits, and vehicle type. 

The platform also allows you to set individual schedules and break times, ensuring smart driver-to-route assignments considering driver availability and route specifics.

Step 4: Generate optimized routes

After adding the drivers’ profiles, click the ‘Optimize and Assign Routes’ button. Upper’s advanced routing algorithm will intelligently optimize and generate the most efficient routes. It’ll also optimally divide snow-plow stops among multiple drivers.

The visual map review page allows for easy route adjustments before the routes get dispatched to the drivers. Upper even gives you the option to swap drivers.

Step 5: Send routes to drivers

Easily dispatch optimized routes to your snow plow drivers using Upper’s one-click dispatch software. Routes can be sent directly to drivers’ phones via the mobile app or text/email. You can also print hard copies for drivers who prefer a physical copy.

This ensures your team has all the necessary details to start their snow plowing tasks immediately, without unnecessary delays.

Step 6: Real-time visibility

Upper transforms your snow removal operations by offering real-time visibility into the routes. You can track your driver’s whereabouts and check service statuses instantly, leading to quicker, informed decisions and better service. This capability ensures efficient route optimization and resource management.

Step 7: Customer Notifications

Upper offers the benefit of sending notifications to customers along your snow-plowing routes. You can inform them when snow removal is about to start, when it’s completed, or send any other important updates. 

This proactive communication reduces complaints and increases customer satisfaction, giving you an edge over competitors.

Step 8: Paperless Proof of Delivery (POD)

Upper’s mobile app lets drivers collect signatures, notes, and photos for each completed service. This eliminates paperwork and provides visual proof of a clean driveway, reducing disputes and ensuring customer trust.

With these photos, you can showcase the quality of your service, reassuring customers and enhancing your business reputation.

Thus, using Upper’s user-friendly route optimization software, your snow removal business can work smarter this winter, streamlining operations, maximizing resources, and ensuring top-notch service.

Why Do You Need Snow Plow Route Optimization?

Unoptimized plow routes can seriously hurt the productivity and profitability of snow removal companies. Without careful snowplow route planning, you may grapple with the following issues:

• Inefficient overlapping routes: Trucks wasting time repeatedly plowing the same streets means slower overall clearing.
• Uneven workload: Imbalanced route assignments will leave some trucks overloaded and others underutilized.
• Missed streets: Lack of coordination can result in gaps, with streets left unplowed after a storm.
• Excess fuel and labor costs: All the duplication, backtracking, and delays add unnecessary expenses.
• Slow customer response: Key accounts and high-priority locations may not get serviced early enough.
• Equipment wear and tear: Unbalanced usage and mileage decrease the lifespan of your snow plow fleet.

9 Benefits of Snow Plow Route Optimization

Implementing optimized snow plow routes can significantly improve your snow-clearing operations:

1. Faster service: Strategic routing allows you to focus on high-priority areas first. This enables faster response times to open roads and provides customers access.
2. Increased productivity: Eliminating duplicated streets and wasted mileage means trucks can plow more area and service more customers within the same shift times.
3. Cost savings: Reduced duplicate plowing, fewer miles driven, less wear on equipment, and better allocation of labor hours result in lower fuel costs, maintenance costs, and wages.
4. Balanced workloads: Analyzing route density and timing ensures plows are not overworked or underworked. This confirms that drivers are not too busy to finish their routes or sit around with nothing to do.
5. Complete coverage: The route maps and assignments are carefully reviewed, and the plows are organized to systematically cover different areas. This way, the entire area gets the attention it needs, leaving no gaps in the snow removal service.  
6. Driver satisfaction: Less chaotic, overlapping routes reduce driver frustration. Logical route sequences, territory assignments, shift scheduling, and designated rest stops improve the drivers’ experience.
7. Customer satisfaction: Organized, rapid snow clearing improves customer confidence and loyalty. Quickly reopened streets and parking show reliability.
8. Environmental benefits: Route optimization means less overall fuel burned and emissions released. Trucks drive fewer excess miles. This supports sustainability.
9. Data-driven improvement: Detailed data on route timing, completion percentage, and other metrics helps make relevant adjustments for future storms. Continuously optimizing snowplow routes based on analytics improves route planning results over time.

Top 5 Future Trends in Snow Plow Route Optimization

As technology evolves, snowplow route optimization is not immune to innovation.

Though route optimization and GIS applications are already delivering major benefits for snowplow operations today, the future holds some exciting developments that will further enhance capabilities:

1. Artificial intelligence (AI) integration: AI algorithms will analyze vast sets of data, considering real-time weather conditions, traffic patterns, and historical data, to dynamically adjust routes for maximum efficiency.
2. Predictive insights: Predictive analytics will enable snow removal businesses to anticipate and plan for traffic and weather conditions in advance.
3. Autonomous snow plow vehicles: Self-driving plows are being developed and equipped with advanced sensors and navigation systems to automate snow removal. This could enable 24/7 clearing without human drivers.
4. Drone technology for surveillance and mapping: Drones equipped with advanced cameras and mapping technologies will be deployed to monitor and map snow-covered areas.
5. Hybrid equipment: Electric and hydrogen hybrid plow trucks will provide environmental benefits through reduced emissions and noise.

Winter with Efficient Snow Plow Routes

Winter’s challenges demand strategic solutions, and snow plow route optimization emerges as the key. 

In this blog, we uncovered the significance of route optimization for the snow removal business. We’ve also addressed the pitfalls of unoptimized routes while introducing Upper, a powerful tool for streamlined operations.

Following Upper’s step-by-step guide, snow removal businesses can work smarter, ensuring faster service, increased productivity, and cost savings.

As winter approaches, take a 7 days free trial of Upper to transform your snow-plowing challenges into opportunities for excellence and sustainability.