Introduction
Buckle up for a complex ride! Our partially automated route planning feature offers a powerful toolset, but with great power comes...well, a few intricate details!
Planning a route plan from a rule set involves:
Creating a rule set that matches your last-mile delivery requirements
Creating a route from that rule set
Grab a metaphorical cup of your favourite drink and let's build your first rule set together!
What is a Rule Set and How to Create It
The Rule Set is an essential component of Route Planning, enabling you to define a set of criteria and conditions for adding orders and services on a route.
By setting up a Rule Set, you are instructing the TMS to generate optimised routes based on your unique requirements and operational flows.
Within a Rule Set you can define:
General Settings (mandatory)
Geographic Settings (optional)
Vehicle Groups (mandatory)
Departure Times (mandatory)
Task Time for Drivers
Grouping Rules for Orders (optional)
How to Access The Rule Set Builder
Go to the Route Planning page
Click on Rule Sets
Click "New Rule Set" in the top right corner
Rule Set: General Settings
Rule Set: General Settings
Allows you to define the overall parameters for how the routes will be planned.
In here, you will specify details like driver restrictions (U-turns, unloading sides), preferred arrival windows, starting point considerations (arrival at the distribution center and any related driver actions), and approval workflows for the route plans.
Rule Set Name. Choose a clear and descriptive name aligned with your existing workflows and ERP naming conventions. Consider factors like delivery frequency, geographic zones, distribution centers, or days of the week when choosing the name for your Rule Set. The name should help you to easily identify the purpose and logic behind the rule set.
For example: From what Distribution Center are the Routes departing? Which region are you serving with these routes? Are they morning, afternoon or night routes?
Driver Flexibility:
U-turns: Allow drivers to make U-turns, or enforce linear routes. Allowing U-turns might lead to shorter routes depending on traffic patterns and geographical limitations, but might some risk for the driver performing the maneuver, especially if they are driving a truck.
Unloading restrictions: Specify if drivers can unload from both sides of the vehicle, or just one. Consider the density of deliveries when deciding. If there are multiple deliveries on the same street, for example, driving up the street first and returning to deliver on the other side might be preferred to delivering in zig-zag.
Arrival window. This lets you control how flexible your delivery windows are for drivers.
More Flexibility (Positive Values): Drivers will have some buffer time to account for traffic, parking, or other unforeseen delays. This can help optimize routes and avoid delays.
Less Flexibility (Negative Values): Drivers will need to arrive closer to the exact time booked with the recipient. This might be useful for deliveries with specific time windows or perishable goods.
The best option depends on your needs. Consider factors like:
Delivery urgency: How important is it for the deliveries from this route to arrive exactly on time?
Traffic patterns: Does this delivery area of this route experience predictable traffic congestion?
Delivery types: Is this route delivering time-sensitive items or everyday goods?
Ferry / Private Road Access. Indicate if drivers can use ferries or private roads for deliveries. Consider the delivery area and cost factors when deciding for or against this. Does the driver need to cross borders that are serviced by both ferries and bridges? If so, what are the cost and time priorities for each option?
Arrival Time at Distribution Center. Here, you set the parameters for the route’s starting point (usually the pick-up location)
Account for charging times (if driving an electrical vehicle), paperwork and uniform changes by defining how early drivers should arrive at the pick-up location. The loading time will be then planned based on the latest arrival time.
Collection Points (optional): Designate specific orders for customer pick-up at designated locations based on Tags assigned to those orders.
Finishing Touches:
Route Reference. Freestyle it by typing in a name of your choice, or use one of the existing placeholders to automatically generate route names.
Route Tags. Assign default tags (e.g. city, zip code, delivery type) to categorise the routes.
Route Plan Approval (optional). Tick the "Manual Approval" box if you want to review and approve the route plan before the routes are created, or leave it unchecked for automatic route creation based on your defined rule set.
Pro Tip: Look for the handy Info Bubbles throughout the TMS, including the Rule Sets page. These bubbles are packed with helpful info and explainers about the features you’re using and the settings you’re about to adjust. Click them for a quick knowledge boost!
Rule Set: Geographic Settings
Rule Set: Geographic Settings
Imagine streamlining deliveries within busy city centres or targeting deliveries with specific tags for priority handling.
Geographic Settings in the Rule Set allows you to do just that!
Just like combining orders by shared criteria optimises routes, Geographic Settings allows you to define unique delivery rules for designated areas on your map. This way, you can account for:
Temporary situations: Set adjustments for deliveries within a specific date range or days of the week
Order tags: Prioritise orders with specific tags by defining task or driving times within the drawn area
Delivery limitations: Completely block deliveries within an area for designated periods.
Define the Area
Click “New Area” to draw your desired zone on the map
Use the “+” and “-” symbols in the bottom-right corner, or your laptop’s touchpad to zoom in and out the map.
At least 3 points are needed to create an area, corresponding to the starting point of a vehicle, the various destinations along the way, and the returning point).
Use colours to differentiate between multiple geographic areas visually (if needed)
Give the area a clear name and click Done.
Edit the Area
If you need to make changes to the area or delete it, you can do so with the Pen or Trash Bin symbols.
Set the Rules for the Area
Click “New Area Rule”
In the right-hand side window, define one or all of the following:
Period and/or Weekdays: Specify the date range and/or the days of the week when the rule applies
Order Tags: Indicate if the rule applies to orders with specific tags
Limitations: Adjust task time and driving time for tagged orders within that area.
Task time change: Use this field to enter a positive or negative value (in minutes) to reflect the additional time (or time saved) required for loading/unloading tasks within a specific area. This could be due to factors like traffic congestion, limited parking, or specific delivery requirements in the area
Driving time change: Use this field to adjust estimated driving times within a designated area as a percentage. Enter a positive value to account for slower speeds (e.g. city centers), or a negative value for faster routes.
Area Blocked: Completely restrict deliveries within the designated zone during the chosen timeframe (e.g. events like marathons, parades, or road works). The vehicle will go around it.
Create the Area Rule
Once you’ve defined your parameters, click “Create Area Rule” to activate it for that specific zone.
Real-life examples of how Geographic Settings might come in handy
Furniture deliveries in the city centre often encounter heavy traffic during weekdays. Define a Geographic Setting for the inner city, setting a rule to increase driving time by 30% for all deliveries within this zone during weekdays. This accounts for the additional time drivers might spend navigating congested streets.
When executing grocery deliveries your drivers might report challenges with delivering on time in an area with limited parking availability. Set a rule to apply to all deliveries in this area, increasing task times by 10 minutes to allow drivers extra time to find parking.
Geographic Settings are an optional component of the Rule Set, so no worries if you’ve got nothing to add here. Just carry on to the next step, Vehicle Groups.
Rule Set: Vehicle Groups
Rule Set: Vehicle Groups
What Are Vehicle Groups and Why Are They Important
Vehicle Groups allow you to categorise your fleet based on vehicle types (e.g. cars, vans, trucks, lifts, bikes) and specify their characteristics and limitations.
This information is crucial for the TMS to optimise routes by assigning the most suitable vehicle type for each delivery. Vehicle Groups are therefore a mandatory component of the Rule Sets.
Benefits of Using Vehicle Groups
Reduced Costs: By considering factors like cost per distance, cost per time, and new route costs, the TMS prioritises routes that minimise overall expenses.
Improved Efficiency: Matching the right vehicle type to deliveries ensures faster completion times and avoids situations where a large truck is assigned to a small delivery.
Increased Delivery Flexibility: Defining vehicle groups that handle specific order types (bulky items, fragile goods, perishables, etc) ensures proper delivery conditions.
How to Set Up a Vehicle Group
In Rule Sets, go to Vehicle Groups and click on "New Vehicle Group"
Name and Vehicle Type. Choose a clear and descriptive name for your vehicle group (e.g. Small Delivery Vans, Copenhagen Inner City Bikes, Amsterdam Warehouse - HOLL21) and select the corresponding vehicle type from the drop-down menu (bike, car, van, truck, lift)
Define Cost Factors:
Cost Per New Route. This influences how many vehicles are included in one route. The higher the cost per new routes, the fewer routes the system will generate. The generated routes will be longer (in distance and duration) and have more stops. This can be beneficial if you have a high volume of deliveries in a concentrated area and driver time is a significant cost factor.
Cost Per Time. Covers labor costs associated with driving, loading, and unloading. Assigning a higher value priorities route plans that take less overall time to complete, even if the distance travelled might be slightly longer. This can be beneficial if driver wages are a major expense.
Cost per Distance. Prioritizes shorter routes, potentially increasing overall route time and number of routes created. Assigning a higher value encourages the TMS to create routes with the shortest total distance travelled. This can be beneficial if fuel costs are a major concern.
Overall, the route optimization engine will try to minimize the total cost of the route plan, which is a combination between cost per new route, cost per time, and cost per distance. This also means that, within a single route plan, you might obtain some apparently inefficient routes. This will be compensated by higher efficiency in the other routes from the route plan. The system optimizes across all routes, not individual ones.
The relative values you enter for these costs determine which vehicle group is most suitable for a specific delivery. By carefully considering these cost factors and setting them appropriately for each Vehicle Group, you can balance efficiency, cost savings, and delivery timelines in your route optimization process.
Define Limitations
Specify the maximum capacity of the vehicle group in terms of volume, weight, number of colli per route, stops, driving distance, and total route duration.
Indicate whether the vehicle group functions as a pick-up location for customers.
The limitations defined here are applied to an entire group of vehicles, not to individual vehicles. You cannot use this space to define limitations for a specific car, van, or other vehicle in your fleet.
Locations. Define the starting and ending addresses for the specific vehicle group, including any associated task time at those locations. These fields are mandatory for the rule set creation, because the system needs to have an A and a Z point in order to calculate a route.
Task time includes any activities that the drivers may need to perform when picking up or returning a vehicle, such as changing uniforms, paperwork.
Route Refill. Specify if drivers can return to the starting location for refills (i.e. pick-up of additional orders) before continuing on the route. If yes, define the earliest arrival time, latest departure time, and task time for refilling.
Order Tags (Include / Exclude). If you use Tags to organise and label your orders (e.g. CityCentre, Perishables, 2ManDelivery), you can use this section to instruct the system to group orders that belong together on the same route, or to ensure that orders tagged with specific tags are not included on the route.
Route Tags (optional). Assign default tags to routes planned using this specific vehicle group (e.g. vehicle group name).
Break Rules (optional). Define regulations for driver breaks, including maximum total work time, maximum time since the last break, and break duration.
Click "Create Vehicle Rule" to save your choices.
Editing Existing Vehicle Groups
You can easily duplicate existing vehicle groups as a starting point for creating new ones. Additionally, you can edit or delete vehicle groups at any time to adapt your TMS settings to your evolving fleet and delivery needs.
Click:
on the vehicle rule itself to make changes to it. Once done, click Save to confirm the changes.
on the Trash Bin icon to delete it
on the Clipboard icon to duplicate it
Difference Between Vehicle Groups and Physical Vehicles
It is important to differentiate between Vehicle Groups in Rule Sets and individual vehicles as Resources.
Vehicle Groups represent different types and models of vehicles in your fleet, along with their associated costs and limitations. For instance, a group named “Small Delivery Vans” may include specifications like maximum weight and volume for city deliveries and prioritize cost per time for frequent stops.
Physical Vehicles are specific vehicles in your fleet. For example, a “Ford Transit Connect 2023” can be assigned routes optimized for “Small Delivery Vans” based on the group’s characteristics.
This two-tiered approach allows for efficient delivery planning with Vehicle Groups and real-world route execution with Physical Vehicles.
Rule Set: Departure Times
Rule Set: Departure Times
Departure Times enable you to create gate reservations for vehicles at your warehouse (or any designated start location).
This allows you to orchestrate smooth staging and coordinate vehicle loading with maximum efficiency and minimum driver waiting times.
Benefits of Departure Times
Coordinate Multiple Vehicle Groups: Assign specific departure times to different vehicle groups, ensuring a steady stream of departures without congestion. It is also useful for controlling which vehicle groups can access the gates. A gate might be too small or too large for a vehicle group.
Efficient Loading: Pre-assigned departure times allow warehouse staff to prepare deliveries for vehicles arriving at specific times, optimizing loading times.
Continuous Traffic Flow: Staggered departures prevent traffic jams at exit points, ensuring a smooth flow for departing vehicles.
Reduced Driver Wait Time: Drivers arrive at the designated gate close to their departure time, minimizing unproductive waiting periods.
Capacity handling: Route Planning will utilize each vehicle group accordingly to how many departures are possible per gate.
How to Set Up Departure Times
In Rule Sets, go to Departure Times.
Define Start Location. Click on "New Start Location" to specify the starting point for your deliveries (e.g. your warehouse). Ensure that the address matches the one added as Start Address in Vehicle Groups.
Create Gate Reservation. After setting the location, click on "New Reservation" to establish a new gate reservation.
Gate Reservation Details. After setting the location, click on "New Reservation".
Reservation Name: Create a clear and recognizable name for the reservation (e.g., "City Centre Deliveries").
Gate Name: Select the gate you are reserving for departures.
Vehicle Group: Assign a pre-defined vehicle group to this reservation.
Time Between Departures: Set the buffer time between vehicles departing from the gate (e.g., 15 minutes) to avoid congestion.
From Date & To Date: Specify the timeframe during which this reservation will be active.
Earliest & Latest Arrival Times: Define the acceptable window for vehicles to arrive at the gate before their departure time.
Days of the Week: Choose the specific days of the week on which this reservation applies.
The maximum number of times a Vehicle Groups will be used by Route Planning is computed as (Latest Arrival - Earliest Arrival)/Time between departures, rounded up to the next integer.
If you only want to use your vehicle group once (e.g. because you have only one vehicle of that type) make sure that only one departure is possible for that gate and vehicle group.
Click "Create New Reservation" to save changes.
Pro Tip: If you need to temporarily suspend a gate reservation without deleting it, simply uncheck the “Enabled” box. This will release the reserved gate until you re-enable the reservation by checking the box again.
Good to Know
You can create multiple starting locations and gate reservations within a single rule set to accommodate different vehicle groups or departure times.
Existing gate reservations can be duplicated, edited, or deleted for added flexibility. To make changes, start on the Departure Times page and click:
“New Start Location” to create an additional new location
“New Reservation” for an additional gate reservation
“Enabled” box to disable/re-enable an existing gate reservation
The Clipboard icon to duplicate a reservation
the Trash Bin icon to delete a reservation
Rule Set: Task Time
Rule Set: Task Time
Task Time allows you to define the expected time a driver will spend at each stop along the route. It takes into account factors beyond just driving distance, resulting in more accurate route optimization and improved delivery efficiency.
Benefits of Task Time
Increased Planning Precision. By factoring in realistic stop times, Task Time helps create routes that account for loading/unloading times, specific delivery requirements, and even building factors like number of floors. This reduces the risk of overscheduled drivers and unrealistic delivery windows.
Improved On-Time Deliveries: More accurate route planning with Task Time leads to a better understanding of achievable delivery times. This allows you to set realistic expectations with customers and avoid delays.
Reduced Costs: Optimized routes with Task Time can minimize wasted driver time and fuel consumption. This translates to cost savings for your business.
Enhanced Driver Performance: Task Time empowers drivers with realistic expectations for each stop. This reduces stress and allows them to focus on safe and efficient deliveries.
How To Use Task Time
In Rule Set, go to Task Time.
Define Starting Point Time. Click the edit icon (pen symbol) next to "Starting Point." Here, you can define the baseline time a driver spends at the starting location for deliveries, along with any additional time per floor (for deliveries in multi-story buildings) and time per round (for loading/unloading a typical delivery amount).
All these fields are mandatory, and the time must be defined in seconds. Be sure to convert into the right time unit before entering the desired values.
Click the Save icon to confirm your changes.
Set Round Limits. Click the edit icon next to "Round Limits." This section allows you to define the limitations for each delivery round.
A delivery round refers to a single trip made by the driver from the vehicle to a specific delivery destination to deliver goods. This definition focuses on the individual delivery legs that make up the overall delivery route.
Specify the number of packages (colli) a driver can handle per round, the maximum weight they can safely manage, and the total volume capacity. Similar to Starting Point Time, all these fields are required.
Click Save to save your changes.
Define Task Time for Tagged Orders (Optional): Click on "New Task Rule" if you want to allocate specific time adjustments for deliveries with certain tags. For example, you might add extra time for deliveries marked "fragile" or "signature required."
Here, you can choose whether the Task Time applies to orders that include or exclude specific tags.
Save Your Rule: Once you've finished defining your Task Time parameters, click on "Create Task Time Rule" to save your settings.
Rule Set: Grouping Rules
Rule Set: Grouping Rules
As part of the Route Planning feature, you can improve recipient satisfaction by combining orders that need to be delivered to the same recipient. This allows you to achieve:
Reduced Delivery Attempts
Improved Recipient Experience
How it Works
You can choose to group orders by:
Recipient Details: Group orders going to the same address, considering either recipient name or phone number (or both).
Booking ID: Group orders that originated from the same booking, typically representing a single online shopping cart or customer order.
Considerations
When orders or services are grouped, the stops within the group will be prioritized in the following order:
Deliveries
Services
Pickups
If maximizing route efficiency is your priority, you may want to plan orders separately, as this can lead to more efficient results, albeit resulting in multiple stops for efficiency.
How to Set Up Grouping Rules
In Rule Set, go to Grouping Rules.
Select the relevant grouping option: Consider whether you want to book by recipient information, or order ID and click on the relevant toggle to activate it.
Choose how to handle conflicting delivery times: While our system attempts to find a delivery window that works for all grouped orders, there might be situations where times clash. In these cases, you can choose how to proceed:
Keep Orders Grouped (Unscheduled): The orders remain grouped but won't be automatically assigned to a route. This allows you to review the time conflict and potentially adjust delivery times manually.
Split the Group: The grouped orders are separated and planned individually. This might result in separate deliveries for the recipient.
Once you've finalised the settings for each Rule Set component, click "Create Rule Set" in the top right corner to save your changes. The new rule set will be listed under the menu Rule Sets, where you can make changes whenever needed.
Creating a Route From a Rule Set
Once you have finalised the settings for each of the Rule Set components, it's time to create a route based on it.
Select the Orders or Services that you want to plan on the route.
Go to the Orders Page (or the Services page if you are route planning services)
Organise your Orders using filters (this step is optional and helpful if you have a high number of orders and need to navigate the page easily)
Make sure the Order Status is Ready, as otherwise the route plan will fail.
Select the orders that are ready to be route-planned and click “Create Routes from X Orders” in the top-right corner
In the side window to the right, click on the Optimised Tab. Give an appropriate name to the Route Plan. Select the applicable Rule Set from the drop-down menu and click Create Route Plan.
A pop-up message will show up to confirm when the route plan has been created. Click on it to be redirected to the relevant route plan, or click on the Route Planning page to view the newly created Route Plan.
If you set up an Approval Flow for the Route Plan in the Rule Set, go to the Route Planning page to verify and approve the route plan. The "Approve" button will appear in the bottom left corner of the page, as soon as all the routes have been created. This may take a couple of minutes depending on the optimization complexity resulting from the Rule Set.
Done! As soon as the Route Plan has been Approved, you can proceed to route execution, and start by assigning the route to a contractor or a driver.