Why Traditional Route Planning Fails Modern Logistics Companies?

What if I gave you a map from the 1920s to navigate a modern metropolis? Your first words would be, ‘I can’t, as it’s outdated.’

That’s the point!

It holds for manual route planning, which falls short of meeting modern logistics needs. 

The reason is simple – it’s obsolete, inefficient, and will lead you nowhere but a web of unending routing chaos and inaccuracies.

We have closely observed numerous businesses facing significant setbacks and are here to help them. By introducing them to Upper, our end-to-end route management software to help them resolve their day-to-day routing problems.

So, let’s find out the challenges involved in manual route planning and how Upper can help overcome them.

3 Primary Challenges with Traditional Route Planning

Traditional route planning may involve pen and paper, an Excel spreadsheet, or a basic navigation app like Google Maps or Waze. However, businesses may face several challenges while using these apps.

1. Inefficient routes and limited adaptability to real-time changes

Traditional route planning relies mostly on static data, guesswork, or barebones tools like Excel spreadsheets. It also may fail to consider logistics constraints, including delivery windows, priority, real-time traffic patterns, and shift hours, rendering them inefficient.

Want to save up to 81% of time on planning your routes? That’s not a dream. Northern Clearways Inc., a leading landscaping and snow removal service provider based in Duluth, Minnesota, has achieved it by integrating Upper.

Click to plan routes in minutes!

Moreover, you cannot add or remove stops to accommodate last-minute orders or cancellations once you dispatch your routes. This may lead to missed opportunities to cover more stops in a stipulated time, increased idle time, and backtracking, increasing fuel and maintenance costs.

2. Absence of real-time tracking and communication

Logistics companies that rely on traditional route planning methods don’t have a mechanism to monitor their drivers’ real-time progress and live locations. They also fail to communicate with in-transit drivers to promptly identify and address their issues, leading to delays and exceptions.

A lack of visibility into delivery operations causes the inability to provide accurate estimated times of arrivals to customers, causing customer dissatisfaction. 

3. Limited customizability and scalability

Every business has unique logistics routing needs based on industry-specific regulations, vehicle types, and load capacity constraints. Traditional route planning platforms don’t allow customization to meet specific business needs.

As businesses grow, traditional routing platforms may fail to cope with increasing delivery demands and logistics complexity. The lack of integration with existing business systems like inventory management or CRM software can also lead to scalability issues.

Overcoming Challenges with Upper’s Route Planner

We at Upper understand what logistics managers go through and provide the features that help you stay resilient in the face of your daily routing issues 

1. Provides AI-powered route optimization 

Upper offers advanced route optimization algorithms that enable planning routes, considering multiple constraints, including drivers’ shift hours, customers’ delivery windows, drivers’ preferences (like avoiding tolls or highways), vehicle type, capacity constraints, and priorities. 

Further, Upper provides dynamic routing capabilities to facilitate real-time route adjustments. You can add or delete stops or reoptimize their sequence to handle last-minute orders, cancellations, or unforeseen issues, like road closures, bad weather, or vehicle breakdowns.

This helps avoid long detours, which add unwanted extra miles and vehicle wear/tear. It also ensures timely deliveries, reduces return trips, minimizes operational costs, and maximizes productivity.

Mathematically, shorter routes don’t always mean the most ‘practical’ routes, and we understand that. Our AI-driven routing algorithms handle that aspect by creating routes that reduce distances and avoid overlapping or crisscrossing. This reduces your drivers’ frustration and increases their convenience on the road.

2. Offers last-mile visibility and real-time communication with drivers

Upper fleet tracking software provides GPS-based tracking, allowing you to monitor your drivers’ live locations and gain visibility into their real-time progress. If you notice any driver behind the schedule, our route scheduling software lets you connect with them through in-app chat to identify and address the reason for the delay.

You can also address their concerns or queries while they are out for deliveries. Accordingly, you can take appropriate measures to prevent delivery exceptions. For instance, if your driver calls in sick, you can redistribute the pending stops along their route to another available driver.

Upper’s live tracking feature has transformed how we manage our delivery operations. With real-time visibility into driver locations, we can proactively respond to delays and ensure timely deliveries, enhancing transparency and customer satisfaction.

Kam Kendell, Northern Express Logistics

4. Allows for customization to meet unique business demands

Whether you run a small business serving few customers or a large business handling hundreds of orders, Upper has got your back. It lets you add capacity constraints (like weight, volume, or count), type (pickup/delivery), average duration, or specific delivery notes for each stop to plan routes accordingly. 

Our software provides extensive integration capabilities. Its open API lets you integrate with existing business software, such as CRM, ERP, and inventory management solutions, helping you establish well-connected workflows and scale your business seamlessly. 

Hold on, that’s not the end!

We have more in our treasure trove to explore to make your routes more efficient. 

Upper’s Additional Features to Transform Your Route Planning

As you can see how Upper can help you overcome all the issues faced in route planning, let’s dive into some more features that make it a perfect route planner for your business. 

1. Quick address import 

No more wasting time typing in a long list of delivery addresses and locations. Import hundreds of multiple addresses from XLS or CSV files without fearing duplication errors. Upper’s address validation capabilities flag inaccurate and duplicate stops to prevent manual errors.

Importing data, regardless of how many deliveries you have, is superbly easy on Upper. This ease of use helps us speed up the delivery process.

Tracy Sturdy, Owner of Residential Cart Solutions, LLC

2. Advanced route dispatch for recurring customers

Don’t start from scratch when planning routes for recurring customers. Upper lets you save them as contacts, map them as stops, and plan routes. You can save them and schedule their dispatch, expediting planning time and minimizing last-minute scheduling chaos.

The Contact Book feature has transformed how we manage our customer information. What used to take hours now takes minutes, and we can easily update our routes with the latest contact data. This streamlined process saves time and allows for better organization of contacts, with options to categorize them as favorites or recent addresses, enhancing Northern Clearways’ overall operational efficiency.

Maxwell Sterling, Northern Clearways Inc 

Click here to experience Upper in action

3. Single-tap dispatch

No more selecting drivers one by one to send them their daily routes. Add stops, assign drivers, and share them with everyone in one click. Keep the headaches of manual and time-consuming dispatching away – it’s as simple as pressing a button!

4. Adaptive delivery notifications

Don’t let your customers wonder where their orders are. Upper lets you create customized delivery status updates and ETA notifications to customers, ensuring their trust and loyalty. It also lets you customize these messages to reflect your branding the way you want.

5. Delivery zones

Manage your deliveries effectively with Upper’s zoning feature. Divide your delivery area into different delivery zones and assign them to drivers based on start/end points, driving preferences, and familiarity with an area. Maximize on-time completion while minimizing unwanted detours and operational costs.

6. Paperless delivery documentation

Upper lets you capture customers’ e-signatures, upload photos of delivered products, and add delivery notes for every order. This enhances transparency and drivers’ accountability, reduces lost parcel liabilities, and minimizes fake delivery attempts.

We tried many software programs for collecting proof of delivery and maintaining records but ended up with Upper because it is too easy to use.

Tracy Sturdy, Owner of Residential Cart Solutions, LLC

7. Route analytics

Never lose track of your delivery performance. Upper provides detailed reports & analytics to assess drivers’ performance based on tasks covered, missed, pending, time taken, and mileage. Spot operational inefficiencies and make data-driven insights to enhance your delivery efficiency.

Upper – Your Key to Planning Routes that Never Fail

If you still rely on traditional route planning, time’s running out—and you can soon be replaced by businesses that utilize advanced routing solutions! We at Upper have you covered, as we have the solution to help your business thrive.

To secure your business’s future, we’ve designed software to provide smart routing capabilities that eliminate the countless hassles of traditional route planning. We aim to equip you with everything you need to handle your most complex logistics needs effortlessly and lead your business to success.

So, don’t think twice and partner with your well-wisher – Upper!