Save time and money with long-haul route optimizers

Consumer goods are increasingly short-lived, and the range of products purchased by consumers is growing larger and more diverse every day. In addition, the geographic alignment between manufacturing and delivery points—necessary decades ago—has faded, with companies’ reach extending to any point on the planet; while online consumption of goods continues to grow. In this context, the growing importance of transport in the globalized world we live in is indisputable.

In fact, freight transport costs are a significant part of the price of consumer products and a major challenge for companies, where both the investment associated with these operations and customer satisfaction come into play—two factors directly linked to the organization’s profitability and earnings. It is neither acceptable nor understandable to the market for a product to arrive after the estimated delivery date or in poor condition. These types of logistical ‘errors’ can jeopardize the buyer and directly affect the organization’s image and, therefore, its future.

Route planner: an essential tool

Consequently, transport route planning—in this case, long-distance—is a fundamental activity, increasingly so, to ensure business success. Achieving the cheapest, fastest, and most efficient routes is no longer an option; it is an obligation if you want to remain competitive in today’s tough market. But how can we get the most out of distribution operations?

The answer lies in new technologies and all the potential that data science offers us. Today, thanks to the convergence of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, processes are automated with planners that make routes more efficient, monitor fleets in real time, and resolve unexpected events as efficiently as possible.

These systems optimize all types of transport operations and take all their characteristics into account to design the most efficient routes. In this way, they base their results on the type of operation to be carried out (direct trip, with driver changeover, with return to base…); its time frame (hours, days, weeks…); whether or not it requires loading at satellite warehouses; whether they are long journeys with monitoring of drivers’ driving and rest hours; the type of load to be distributed (bulky, heavy, light, fragile…), the vehicles to be used, and a long list of internal variables, to which other external factors are added, such as the work calendar, traffic, weather, alternative routes…

Savings of up to 15% in operations

The information provided by the combined analysis of all these data, compiled thanks to big data and processed with algorithms and artificial intelligence, enables the design of efficient routes that cover fewer kilometers, reducing delivery time, fuel consumption, and the overall cost of the distribution operation. Consequently, automating long-distance route design with fleet planners delivers savings of up to 15% in operations.

With these systems, when trucks leave their base, it is ensured that they will reach their destination while making the most of every kilometer traveled. Although, as we noted at the beginning, the direct returns are not only financial, since the cost and time savings achieved thanks to planners will immediately translate into customer satisfaction and will make it possible to adjust the final price of the product. In addition, there is a clear social return, since by using fewer kilometers to make deliveries and doing so in a shorter time frame, CO2 emissions into the atmosphere are reduced, making transport an activity that is more efficient and more sustainable.