Introduction
Mover gives you several ways to create routes, from building a single route by hand to letting the system plan recurring deliveries on a schedule. This article explains each option, when to use it, and where to find the step-by-step guide.
New to the TMS? Transport Management System (TMS) Explained gives a short introduction to how the system fits together.
What Is Route Planning
Route planning turns your orders and services into routes that drivers can execute. You decide how much of that work the system does for you.
When Mover plans the routes, it follows a rule set: your vehicle groups, capacities, working hours, departure times and other conditions. The number of routes in a plan depends on:
How many orders and services you plan
The rules in your rule set
The limits every route must meet to be feasible, such as time windows and vehicle capacity
Before You Start
Orders must have the status Ready before you can plan them. If your orders don't arrive through an integration, you can upload up to 250 at a time with the Excel template. See Importing Orders with the Excel Template and Managing Orders in Mover TMS.
How to Create a Route Plan
The right option depends on what matters most for your deliveries, for example lower costs, less manual work, fewer emissions or a better experience for recipients. You can also combine options, for example rule-set planning for daily volume and route templates for fixed shifts.
Mover offers four ways to create routes:
Option | Best for | Stop order optimized? | Where to start |
Manual route | A few orders, or orders that already belong on one route | No | Orders > Create Route from X Orders > Manual tab |
Route plan from a rule set | Day-to-day planning of varying orders | Yes | Orders > Create Route from X Orders > Optimized tab |
Automated route planning | Recurring deliveries on a fixed schedule | Yes | Route Planning > Order Groups |
Route template | Fixed routes or shifts with the same stops each time | No, the template sets stops and times | Create Route from Template (Routes list, Route Timelines or Templates page) |
1. Manual Route
You choose the orders, the vehicle and the start time, and Mover creates one route from them.
Use it when you have a small number of orders, or when all orders belong on one route and you don't need the system to work out the stop sequence.
Keep in mind: stops are added in the order you select them, and route optimization doesn't apply. Review the route before you assign it and rearrange stops if you spot a better sequence.
2. Route Plan from a Rule Set
You select the orders, pick a rule set, and Mover creates an optimized route plan: which orders go on which route, in what sequence, and with which vehicle group.
This is the method most suited to day-to-day planning, where orders vary from day to day. The rule set gives you control over vehicle groups, capacities, departure times, task times, geographic areas, and order rules such as grouping and priorities.
If Approve routes manually is turned on in the rule set, you review the plan before routes are created and can adjust it with Drag & Drop.
👉 Some orders not planned? Orders Left Unplanned? How to Improve Your Rule Set
3. Automated Route Planning with Order Groups
An Order Group collects orders automatically by organization or tags and plans them with a linked rule set, on a schedule you set. Planning can run at night or any other time, up to 7 days in advance.
Use it for recurring deliveries on a consistent schedule, such as daily fresh-product deliveries or weekly subscription boxes.
Keep in mind: a new Order Group stays paused until you click Unpause. Once routes are created, check them and assign them to drivers or contractors.
4. Routes from a Route Template
A route template stores a complete route setup: stops, vehicle type, times, instructions and tags. You can create a route from it in a few clicks, for one day or several in a row.
Use it for fixed routes that repeat with the same stops, or for shifts such as a 4-hour standby route.
Keep in mind: a template needs at least two stops, starting with a pickup and ending with a delivery. Routes created from a template start with the status Not Approved, ready to assign.