Descartes

+44 (0)1249 477099

Routing and Scheduling Software

Home
Software
Routing and Scheduling Software

Utilise route optimisation and dynamic delivery scheduling to deliver more for less

Routing and scheduling software enables fleet managers to effectively optimise the routes taken by their delivery and servicing vehicles, whilst route scheduling creates an efficient schedule for these vehicles to follow.

Descartes' route optimisation software and dynamic delivery scheduling software responds to new orders in real time, taking full advantage of chances for improved customer service and increased sales. 

Start a Conversation

Increase your delivery capacity by up to 35%

Existing clients have increased their delivery capacity by 35% without increasing the size of the fleet.

Optimising van and HGV fleet operations with vehicle planning, scheduling and route mapping software will minimise costs through:

Reducing the miles driven.
Decreasing fuel consumption.
Cutting vehicle servicing and maintenance.

Using our route optimisation planner and delivery scheduling software existing clients have achieved savings of over £2m per annum from fuel costs, vehicle servicing and consumables.

Reduce costs and lower CO2 emissions

Our products will help you optimise fleet resources, reduce emissions reduction, and cut costs.

To find out how much money you'll save using our software solutions, try our handy tool.

Use the CO2 and fuel savings calculator

Why use our routing logistics software?

Delivery reservations

Enhanced customer experience
Costed delivery options
Increased delivery density
Allows for added services

Route planning

Dynamic optimised routes
Turn by turn routing with latest traffic data
Accommodates all fleet sizes and mix of vehicles
Integrates with Mobile Applications & Telematics

Continuous optimisation

Reduces time spent planning routes
Creates more efficient routes
Delivery slots matched to resources available
Costed delivery options at point of sale

Planned v. Actual

Links route planning with vehicle tracking
Alert customers to delays
Monitor and review import KPI’s
Improves future operational performance

Trusted by

Descartes' Routing and Scheduling Solutions

Delivery Reservations

Automated delivery scheduling, the ability to allow customers to choose their own delivery slots, determined by resources available will improve customer satisfaction.

View solution

Delivery Route Scheduling

The concept of delivery route scheduling is to determine which delivery vehicle an order should be transported on and the best order in which a delivery vehicle should make its deliveries.

View Solution

Route Optimisation

Use clever mathematical algorithms and artificial intelligence to dynamically optimise delivery routes from the latest road network data in real time.

View Solution

Delivery Route Planning

The creation of optimised delivery routes, allocating resources and refining delivery routes in order to maximise a company's operating efficiency.

View solution

Multiple Drop Route Planner

Plan and optimises multiple drop delivery routes, including address verification and the ability to track a vehicle's progress in real-time against the planned route.

View Solution

Last Mile Delivery

Improving customer satisfaction with your deliveries, from delivery slot selection to customer tracking apps and digital proof of delivery with our last mile delivery services.

View Solution

Customer Successes

“Descartes ePOD solution has unlocked considerable benefits for both our business and our customers. We have seen the number of requests for PoD decline dramatically and have received increasingly positive feedback from our customers.”

Peter Russell, IT Director, Carpet & Flooring

Customer POD requests reduced 80%

Successful 1st Time Deliveries Increased

Operations costs Reduced

“Descartes Reservations™ and Route Planner™ solutions were integral to our strategy of offering a more extensive, but unified delivery service. The advanced optimisation capabilities and architecture of the Descartes solutions were critical, bringing new delivery service options to our customers in an economically feasible way. ”

Andrew Gay - Systems Manager

Fulfilment costs reduced £1.8m

Increased delivery productivity 35%

Delivery windows provided at POS

“We were impressed by the investment and support that Descartes put into this product and the roadmap. This technology has allowed us to be agile, forward-thinking and work optimally with our fleet with benefits on costs, sales and satisfaction across the business and with our customers. ”

Edward Corbett - Head of Programme

Delivery capacity increased 25%

OTIF deliveries increased 15%

Fleet size 500+

“Redefining the Customer Experience in the Tyre Replacement Market”

Jobs/van/day increased 194%

Mileage reduced 13%

Fleet size 400+

“In the past year since having the Descartes' system our jobs per route has improved by just short of 10%.”

Martin Alldritt - Planning & Optimisation Manager

Jobs per route has increased 9.9%

Average mileage between jobs reduced

Improved Customer Service

“We estimate that we've reduced our transport costs by 10% per ton delivered.”

Frédéric Poirier - Logistics & IT Manager

Transport costs reduced by 10%

Optimised mix of own vehicles and third parties

Maximised driver and vehicle utilisation

Combined Route Optimisation & Scheduling Software

The problem with most route planning & scheduling software products is that they are disconnected. Descartes' integrated approach means that scheduling deliveries and routing are one process. The number of missed deliveries can be eliminated if your scheduling system has the ability to check 'true' route availability and consider all the relevant logistics variables such as drive time, service time, vehicle capacity, drivers’ hours etc. - all in real-time.

Combining route optimisation and scheduling software will help to build route density by allowing available delivery slots to be offered to customers as options for their delivery.

With the scheduling system connected to the routing system and validating true delivery capacity in real-time, the delivery cost is known in real-time and can be leveraged to influence buyer behaviour in selecting delivery slots.

This is ideal for multi-drop deliveries where route density is important and vehicles need to be as efficient as possible. The software allows for rerouting of delivery vehicles while on the move to allow for congestion or changes in orders and collections.
Continuous Background Optimisation

Continuous background route optimisation provides a better end result and saves planning time when compared to traditional batch optimisation techniques (where slots and capacity are fixed).

The optimisation engine continually adjusts route plans as new orders come in. Costed delivery options can be presented to customers in seconds at the point-of-sale (on-line, in-store or over the phone) and deliveries committed in real-time.

More time can be spent processing the orders, capacity and business constraints to provide a better end result. Any changes such as new incoming orders can be easily accommodated, and deliveries scheduled to give a truly dynamic scheduling capability.

Orders are visualised on a map, the software then considers the street level network and parameters in order to build delivery routes automatically. Dispatchers will then still have full control to manage exceptions with easy drag and drop moves.

Companies that have moved from 'manual route construction' to 'exception management' with a Descartes routing tool find that their route planning time can often be reduced to just 15 minutes per day.

INFOGRAPHIC: Advantages of Continuous Route Optimisation
Delivery Reservations

With the continued growth in online retailing, customers increasingly want the option to pick delivery slots that are convenient to them. Choice and cost of delivery times are big influencers with online buyer behaviour.

Descartes Reservations™ is used by leading retailers around the globe to offer a range of home delivery options to consumers at differentiated price points including premium and green deliveries.

Integrated with the Route Optimisation & and Scheduling software the consumer can be incentivised to select delivery slots where a vehicle is already in their area to increase the density of deliveries on the route. Offering choice and tighter delivery slots also minimises missed deliveries and the high cost of returned goods for re-delivery.

Retailers of goods such as electrical white goods can also factor in value added services such as installation and removal or disposal of goods to ensure the delivery options presented at point of sale accommodate the value-added services selected, while ensuring that the delivery crew have the correct number of people or skills and time to do the job.

A leading UK retailer has achieved a 500% increase in the take up of value-added services and added tens of millions of pounds in revenue by incorporating the sale of value-added services at the point of sale when scheduling the delivery of their electrical goods.

Read more about Delivery Reservations
ERP Systems

Our route optimisation and scheduling software can be integrated with most ERP systems, resulting in seamless delivery bookings.
Telematics Integration

Descartes Route Optimisation Software is perfect for Multiple Drop Route Planning and Dynamic Delivery Scheduling, ideal for fleets with at least 10 to thousands of vehicles, it isused to perform a wide variety of tasks from fixed routes to dynamic and high-density multi-drop home delivery operations..

Discover more about Telematics
Multiple Drop Route planning

Descartes Route Optimisation Software is perfect for Multiple Drop Route Planning and Dynamic Delivery Scheduling, ideal for fleets with 10 vehicles or more, it can be used to perform a wide variety of tasks from fixed routes to dynamic and high density multi-drop home delivery operations.

Discover more about Multiple Drop Route Planning
Other Fleet Solutions

Route Planning and Optimisation Solutions have been designed to work with Descartes Mobile™, Telematics, Transportation Management and Compliance Management solutions. This provides a one-stop-shop for the effective management of in-house fleets and third party transport operations or a mix of both.

Discover more about Mobile Applications

Routing and Scheduling FAQs

How routing and scheduling software can benefit your business

Descartes Route Optimisation and Scheduling Software is used every day by road transport operations to streamline route planning and cut costs. Once implemented, they often observe operational advantages and ROI within months.

Descartes Route Optimisation Software makes it simple to enter or import information such as delivery addresses, order volumes, time frames, vehicle sizes, and driver shifts. Then, with only a click of a button, our software will generate practicable, affordable and achievable delivery routes. The end result is a transport strategy that meets business KPIs and customer delivery objectives while making the greatest use of your fleet resources.
What is routing and scheduling?

Routing and scheduling refers to the process of efficiently planning and organising delivery routes for fleets.

It involves determining the most optimal paths for vehicles to reach their destinations while considering factors such as delivery windows, vehicle capacities, traffic conditions, and driver availability. Descartes' Routing and Scheduling Software leverages advanced algorithms and real-time data to streamline this process, resulting in improved operational efficiency, reduced costs, and enhanced customer satisfaction.