Fleet Route Planning Software Frequently Asked Questions

Your fleet has gotten to breaking point—your fleet manager is always pressed for time and your drivers are already running at full capacity. You know that your current route planning processes aren’t working, because you often spend more time planning the day’s routes than it takes to run them. Your customers and your drivers are grumbling, and you’re not growing as fast as you’d like.

You’ve been looking into fleet route planning software, but there are hundreds of vendors out there and you’re not sure how to narrow down your choices.

We want to help you find the fleet route planning software that works best for your company. As you evaluate potential vendors and their systems, you need to ask the right questions. In the guide below, we’ve compiled a list of the most-commonly asked questions and answers about fleet route planning software to help you choose.

Can We Tailor the Software to the Specific Needs of Our Fleet?

We know that every logistics operation is different. If you have a small enterprise and only one distribution center (DC), basic routing software packages should work well. However, most medium to large transportation companies will need specific configurations that support their existing business operations and can be adjusted as your business grows or changes. Aptean’s fleet route planning packages are all configurable, which means that your users can adapt the interface to suit their needs and working environment.

What Are the Main Benefits?

The value of installing fleet route planning software goes far beyond truck miles. Moreover, the longer your team uses the software, the more benefits they’ll realize. We’ve listed some of the main advantages below.

• Save money. The typical savings is 10-30% of fleet operating costs—a savings that is almost immediate and continues year after year.

• Reduce planning time. Automated, route optimization can reduce planning time from hours to minutes.

• Improve customer service. Your delivery ETAs will be more accurate, so your customers will be happier.

• Retain your drivers. Driver recruitment is problematic right now, so retaining your veterans is crucial. Implementing routing and scheduling software can increase driver confidence and satisfaction by showing an organizational commitment to rooting out inefficiencies. They’ll get home on time and get better, more efficient routes every day.

• You can stay agile in a competitive landscape. Fleet route planning software has business modeling functionality that allows you to examine and test hypothetical changes to your delivery network before making a single change. This allows your fleet to remain agile in the face of changing business conditions.

• Create a feedback loop for continuous improvement. It’s easy to create a route plan, but do you know if your drivers follow it? With fleet route planning software, you can compare planned vs. actual routes in real time and then adjust routes as needed.

• Reduce or remove paperwork. Aptean offers electronic proof of delivery software which gives you the option of contactless delivery to the customers that want it. With proof of delivery software, there are no more lost or damaged paper delivery notes, no more manual data entry and no more delays in data processing.

What Are the Deployment Options?

Many providers out there offer you the choice of either on-premise or SaaS platforms. Be sure to ask if your vendor has the right solution to fit your needs and budget constraints.

If you have a good internal IT department and most of your staff works in house, on-premise solutions might be the best option for you. You’ll enjoy lower internet costs, you can access data without internet access and you can modify the hardware to suit your needs.

However, if you are looking to scale and most of your staff works remotely, nothing beats cloud solutions for flexibility, scalability and ease of access. Aptean Routing & Scheduling has both on-premises and cloud software solutions to meet your needs.

How Many Vehicles Do We Need in Our Fleet to See a Benefit?

Aptean Routing & Scheduling is designed to handle fleets with ten (10) vehicles or more. However, even these smaller fleets will note huge gains in efficiency. In addition, if you’ve been using third-party couriers or carriers to complete deliveries, you might find that you can reduce or eliminate your reliance on outside help, which means more profit for your enterprise.

What Industries Can Use Routing Software? Is It Only for Distributors?

Any industry that has a fleet of trucks can use routing software. The software serves global partners in a wide range of industries to help them optimize daily route planning. For example, we have served clients in food and beverage, retail, supermarkets and wholesale, discrete manufacturing, and, of course, logistics and distribution.

Can It Handle Complex Fleets?

Yes. Route planning for larger, multi-depot fleets with a mix of trucks is where Aptean Routing & Scheduling really shines. With a centralized control portal, the multi-depot feature lets you manage complex routes for multiple sites from one location and at one time. This reduces planning time and maximizes the use of vehicles throughout the enterprise.

What’s the Typical ROI and When Will I Start Seeing It?

Every business is different, but the average return on investment (ROI) for most fleets that start using the software is 10-30% within just a few months. Obviously, companies that do not have any existing route planning software will get the biggest bang for their buck, as they’ll see gains in efficiency almost immediately. For example, the AKI Group implemented Aptean’s fleet route planning software and was able to reduce its average cost per delivery by 65%.

Is It Difficult for Route Planners or Customer Service Staff to Use? Will They Need a Lot of Training?

All new software has a learning curve; but when choosing a system as integral to your distribution operation as fleet routing software, you’ll need to ensure your final choice is easy for your staff to use day in, day out.

At Aptean, our software is designed by experts in the logistics industry to meet the specific needs of growing fleets. Your team doesn’t have time to spend months learning a new solution, so we kept that in mind when we created our fleet route planning software and made it simple for anyone to use right out of the box.

The User Interface (UI) can be tailored to the user and is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. In addition, our team will work with you to understand the unique needs of your company. We’ll design a solution around your business, not the other way around. We’ll stick around to train your team and you will always have access to our online help portal. We’ll be with you throughout the life of the software and beyond.

What’s the Typical Implementation Time and Process?

Aptean’s routing experts have fine-tuned the implementation process. We have a step-by-step guide designed to get you started fast and without substantial disruption to your current operations. We’re committed to ensuring a successful implementation and our industry experts will be with you every step of the way.

Can It Integrate With Our Other Business Systems?

Absolutely. Not only does our fleet route planning software integrate with your existing business systems, but we’ve also already built integrations with most leading warehouse management systems (WMS), in-cab telematics programs and GPS tracking systems. Since we’ve already created an interface management layer, you won’t need any additional software development for integrations.

If you combine the power of fleet route planning software with vehicle tracking and advanced proof of delivery software, you get better visibility, reduced costs and increased customer service. No matter what industry you serve, route planning software can help you streamline your live daily planning and route optimization process.

So, are you ready to transform you logistics operation? Aptean Routing & Scheduling, Aptean Proof of Delivery and Aptean Home Delivery software helps any transportation company maximize efficiency and profitability with advanced functionality. Our industry experts can help your enterprise deliver the perfect customer experience. Contact us to find out how, now.

Alternatively, if you need more information before getting in touch with our experienced team, you can try these resources to find out more about the top benefits of a dynamic routing system or discover the key characteristics to look for when choosing the best route software for your fleet.