No matter what field you’re in, today’s business environment is fiercely competitive.
Planning and optimizing your routes can make all the difference in staying ahead of the competition, whether you run a small in-house delivery service or a sizable fleet.
In this article, we’ll look in depth at 6 route planning software categories designed to cater to different industries and business needs.
From real-time GPS tracking to advanced route planning and complex delivery routes with multiple stops.
If you’re ready to take the hassle out of logistics, dive in to discover the types of route planning software that can help your business thrive.
What is route planning software?
Route planning software is a computer program or online tool designed to efficiently map out and optimize the most effective routes for vehicles, and build delivery routes, or travel itineraries.
It finds the simplest, fastest, or cheapest routes by using advanced optimization algorithms, real-time traffic data, and user-defined factors.
Types of route planning software
We will discuss 6 common types of route planning software that can cater to different industries and business sizes.
Depending on your focus, whether it is fleet management, delivery planning, or cost-effective routes, you can pick the category that is tailored to your business needs.
1. Free route planner
Like other types of route planning software, free route planner apps allow users to choose the best routes based on distance, road information, and user preferences.
Free route planning software often comes with certain restrictions in terms of the number of stops or availability of advanced optimization tools.
Benefits of free route planning software for businesses
Free route planners can provide numerous benefits to all sorts of businesses, particularly smaller companies with limited transportation expenses.
Let’s discuss some of the main advantages this type of software can bring to businesses.
- Cost-effective solution: Free route planner apps offer a budget-friendly option for smaller businesses that may not have the resources for expensive navigation systems or multi-stop route planning software.
- Works for a small fleet: Small fleet operations with minimal resources can have access to basic route optimization and navigation tools without the expense of dedicated software or hardware.
- Perfect for one-driver operations: Free route planner apps are particularly beneficial for one-driver operations due to their accessibility and convenience.
- Optimal for individual contractors: Route planning software that is free and easy to set up is a great choice for contract drivers.
Examples of free route planner apps
Free route planner apps, like AA Route Planner (max.5 stops), MapQuest (up to 26 stops), or MyRouteOnline (up to 20 stops), can be a great sustainable solution for smaller fleets.
While some GPS navigation apps might be classified as route planning software, they primarily focus on providing real-time turn-by-turn directions.
Some examples of GPS software that allows multi-stop routing are Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps, and TomTom Go. In fact, GPS navigators are often integrated with route planning software, as they provide useful data for analytics and improve navigation.
2. Route planner with multiple stops
A route planner with multiple stops, also known as a multi-stop route planner, is a software application that helps individuals or businesses plan efficient routes that involve visiting multiple locations in a specific order.
Benefits of multi-stop route planners for businesses
A route planner with multiple stops can bring numerous benefits to businesses relying on logistics.
Here are some of the key advantages of using this type of software for daily logistics:
- Optimized routes: Multi-stop route planners can calculate the most efficient and cost-effective routes by considering multiple stops and variables such as distance, time slots, and order priority.
- Time savings: Efficient routes between multiple locations save drivers time, allowing them to complete more stops in less time.
- Cost reduction: Multi-stop routing reduces fuel consumption and vehicle wear and tear.
- Easy integrations: Integration with fleet management, inventory, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems are just a few examples of how route planners with multiple stops can streamline daily operations.
The main drawback with multi-stop route planners is the limited number of stops that you can input, compared to the next category we will look at – route planners with unlimited stops.
Examples of route planners with multiple stops
Advanced route planning tools like DispatchTrack, RouteSavvy, BatchGeo allow multiple stops per route.
3. Route planner with unlimited stops
A route planner with unlimited stops is a piece of software designed to help businesses plan and optimize routes for deliveries or trips that involve multiple destinations.
Unlike GPS systems or route planners with multiple stops, which often limit the number of locations you can add, a route planner with unlimited stops lets you add as many waypoints as needed.
Benefits of route planners with unlimited stops
In addition to the benefits of multi-stop route planning that we discussed above, this type of software gets some extra points for:
- Increased capacity: With unlimited stops, businesses can make the most of their current resources and potentially avoid the need to purchase extra vehicles or hire more drivers.
- Flexibility: With unlimited stops, you have the freedom to plan routes with as many destinations as necessary. This is especially useful for businesses or individuals with complex itineraries or multiple deliveries to make in a single trip.
- Better customer service: When you can efficiently plan routes with unlimited stops, you’re more likely to meet delivery time slots and order priority.
- Real-time updates: Unlimited-stop route planners can adapt to real-time route changes, such as traffic issues or new stop additions. This flexibility can help drivers avoid delays and stay on schedule.
Examples of route planners with unlimited stops
Track-POD, Routific, Circuit, and WorkWave Route Manager are a few of the cutting-edge route planners with unlimited stops.
4. Trucking route planner
Truck route planner software is a specialized type of route planning software, tailored specifically for the needs and challenges of commercial trucking.
Similarly to other types of route planners, it uses advanced algorithms and real-time data to determine the most efficient routes based on road data, traffic, and other factors.
However, it also takes into account truck-specific parameters, such as vehicle capacity, size, weight limit, etc.
Benefits of truck routing software for businesses
About 72.6% of the freight weight in the US is moved by trucks, so the demand for route planners tailored for trucking grows every year.
Truck route planners can benefit a wide range of businesses that rely on transportation and logistics for their operations.
These include but are not limited to e-commerce companies, distributors, wholesalers, manufacturers, courier services, construction firms, waste management companies, and any organization with a fleet of trucks for frequent deliveries or pickups.
Truck route planners offer several distinct benefits when compared to other types of route planning software:
- Vehicle-specific routing: Truck route planners consider the unique specifications of commercial trucks, including size, weight, height, capacity, and load type.
- Compliance with regulations: Businesses can use trucking route planners to make sure they follow local and regional rules about commercial vehicles, such as weight limits, bridge clearances, and bans on hazardous materials.
- Efficiency and cost reduction: Truck route planners optimize routes to minimize fuel consumption, reduce transportation costs, and save resources.
- Customization: Trucking route planners can be customized to accommodate industry-specific needs, such as delivery time windows, vehicle types, and specific customer requirements.
- Environmental benefits: Shorter and more effective routes help minimize fuel use and emissions, which aligns with sustainability goals.
Examples of truck route planner apps
Some of the most popular trucking route planners on the market include Impargo, TruckMap, Teleroute, Road Lords, and FarEye.
5. Delivery route planning software
Delivery route planning application is a specialized type of software that helps businesses and organizations optimize and plan the most efficient routes for their delivery vehicles.
This software is commonly used by companies involved in delivery and logistics, such as courier services, e-commerce retailers, food delivery services, and transportation companies.
Benefits of delivery route planner apps for businesses
Compared to other route planning software, delivery route planning software has various advantages.
These benefits are customized to delivery and logistics companies’ requirements.
Let’s look at some of the main advantages of delivery route planning software:
- Customer-centric approach: Delivery route planning software prioritizes customer locations and delivery time slots, ensuring that deliveries are made on time and in the most convenient order for customers.
- Vehicle-specific optimization: Such software considers vehicle size, capacity, and weight. This helps ensure that the chosen routes are suitable for the specific vehicles being used.
- Delivery visibility: Most delivery route planner apps include delivery-specific estimated time of arrival (ETA), customer notifications, and live tracking tools. It improves overall visibility and customer service.
- Advanced analytics and reporting: Delivery route planning apps often provide robust reporting and analytics tools that enable logistics companies to continually analyze and improve their operations.
Examples of delivery route planners
Some examples of delivery route planners include RouteSavvy, OptimoRoute, and eLogii.
6. All-in-one route planning software
This category reunites all of the discussed types of software under one umbrella – all-in-one route planning software.
All-in-one, or integrated, route planning software is a tool that helps businesses and individuals optimize and plan routes for various purposes, such as transportation, trucking, delivery, field service, and more.
This multi-use category of route planning software offers an extensive range of tools suitable for most businesses. From route planning with unlimited stops to truck routing and delivery route optimization.
Benefits of all-in-one route planning software
All-in-one route planning software offers several advantages compared to other categories of route planners that specialize in specific functionalities or industries.
- Comprehensive approach: Integrated route planning software provides a comprehensive solution that covers various aspects of route planning and optimization in a single platform.
- Cost savings: While all-in-one route planning software may have a higher upfront cost compared to specialized solutions, it can ultimately lead to cost savings in the long run. You avoid paying for multiple software licenses and reduce the need for extensive training and support for multiple tools.
- Centralized solution: Managing multiple software tools can be complex and time-consuming. Integrated route planning software simplifies your tech stack, making it easier to manage and support.
- Improved customer service: With a unified route planning system, you can better manage customer information and order history.
Examples of all-in-one route planners
Some route planning applications that we’ve mentioned before can offer a wide range of route planning tools, making them comprehensive solutions for businesses.
Track-POD (all-in-one route optimization, unlimited stops, transportation management), Route4me (multi-stop route planning, route optimization), Onfleet (comprehensive route planning tools), and Upper (advanced route planning and optimization) are some examples of universal route planning solutions.
Businesses that can employ route planning software
According to a recent study, traffic data analysis and route planning are two important processes that should be accommodated in the new city environment.
Route planner apps are universal tools that can be used by various businesses, from medical courier services to on-demand food delivery companies.
Let’s discuss some of the industries that can benefit from route planning software the most:
- Delivery services: Companies that provide delivery services for food, packages, or other goods can optimize their routes to ensure efficient and timely deliveries to multiple destinations.
- Courier and logistics companies: Courier and logistics companies often have to make multiple stops to pick up and drop off packages. Route planners will help to optimize routes to reduce fuel costs and delivery times.
- Field service businesses: Field service companies, such as telecommunications, vending maintenance, electrical, or repair services, can use multi-stop route planners to schedule and optimize service calls to various locations throughout the day.
- Sales representatives: Salespeople who visit multiple clients or prospects in a day can use route planning software to ensure they maximize their time and minimize travel between appointments.
- Utility services: Utility companies responsible for maintaining and repairing infrastructure (e.g., gas, water, electricity, waste collection) can use route planner tools to coordinate service calls to different locations.
- Medical courier services: Medical courier services can use this type of software to quickly and securely transfer patient samples from several healthcare institutions to testing laboratories. They can also optimize routes for delivering vital medical supplies and prescriptions.
- Manufacturers and distributors: Such software can help manufacturers plan the most efficient routes for transporting raw materials to production facilities and finished products to distribution centers or customers.
- Retail merchandising: Retailers with multiple store locations can benefit from such route planner apps to schedule visits from merchandising and restocking teams.
- Construction and contracting: Construction companies can schedule equipment and crew movements to multiple job sites thanks to route planners with multiple stops.
These are just a few examples, but route planning software can be beneficial for a wide range of companies with multiple warehouse or service locations, a fleet of more than 1 vehicle, or several orders per day.
Wrapping up
Efficient route planning is crucial for businesses to stay competitive in today’s environment.
There are six types of route planning software, each catering to specific business needs:
- Free route planner software is budget-friendly and suitable for smaller companies.
- Route planners with multiple stops offer optimized routes for businesses with complex logistics.
- Route planners with unlimited stops provide flexibility and adaptability for businesses with extensive routes.
- Trucking route planner software is tailored for commercial trucking, focusing on compliance and efficiency.
- Delivery route planning software prioritizes customer-centric features.
- All-in-one route planning software offers comprehensive solutions that cover various aspects of route planning.
Various industries, including delivery services, courier companies, field service businesses, sales representatives, utility services, medical courier services, retail merchandising, and construction, can benefit from route planning software.
Now that you have all the necessary information about route planning, you can choose the best software for your company.
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