If you’ve been doing static route planning for a long time, it can be hard to give up on it. Dynamic route generation can seem like a potentially wasteful thing to implement. However, we are here to change your mind on the topic due to the top benefits of dynamic route planning in logistics.

Reducing total travel time and expenses through dynamic route planning

The first of the benefits of dynamic route planning in logistics is that it allows for a reduction in expenses and travel time. Because this type of route generation always chooses the shortest and most accessible path between the provided addresses, you travel fewer miles than you would when doing static route planning. As such, even if the difference seems relatively small when looking at a single trip, you start saving considerable time and money. If it’s possible to shave off a couple of miles every trip, this would eventually trickle down to massive differences in the budget required. That makes dynamic route planning ideal for reducing fleet costs per mile. And anything that can do this is just a good practice to consider incorporating into your business model.

Using dynamic route planning to deal with emergencies

Another one of the benefits of dynamic route planning in logistics is that it lets you handle emergencies much more easily. Say that you do static route planning and even have a few alternatives if something goes wrong. However, if your original route experiences a pile-up or just generic road congestion, the rest of the people on it won’t just shrug and take it. They’ll likely try redirecting you into the routes you’ve discovered. That means you’d effectively fail to avoid high truck detention times. With dynamic route planning, you are not limited to the few routes you planned. Instead, the route generation software can quickly develop as many alternatives as you need. Perhaps not all of them would be as ideal as your pre-planned routes. But, in the end, they’d still be faster to travel.

Dynamic route planning makes the job easier for truckers

A significant benefit of dynamic route planning is that it makes things easier for truckers. Static route planning is not hard to follow, especially if they’re given just a single pre-planned route. After all, you just need to remember the one route. However, as we stated before, static route planning can’t properly respond. As such, most of the weight falls on the driver. That isn’t too big a deal if you have experienced drivers who have traveled the routes often. But the problem is that they’re a rarity nowadays. Due to the trucker shortage, most companies are forced to use inexperienced drivers and train them from scratch. And such drivers are not exactly good at responding to emergencies or sudden route changes. Since dynamic software can immediately push out route changes and links to a truck’s GPS, following the changes is as simple as using the route instructions.

Dynamic route planning is often easier

We must also acknowledge that dynamic route planning is easier than static route planning. Dynamic route planning relies on advanced route generation software. Such software works with minimal data entry, and you can automate that too. You can admittedly automate static route generation, too, of course. But the second a sudden change to the route is required, all the data would have to be pulled again, and a new route would need to be rushed out.

On the other hand, due to dynamic route planning, you can change things on the fly by necessity. Even if you need to alter a couple of delivery points, you can still achieve it relatively quickly and with minimal effort on your staff’s part. That makes everyone’s jobs much more manageable and convenient and opens them up to being able to do more meaningful work.

Last-mile logistics are far easier using the benefits of dynamic route planning in logistics

The last of the benefits of dynamic route planning in logistics is that it is much better for last-mile logistics. Due to the nature of delivery, it is impossible to account for every address during static route planning. Even if you pick out the major roads that can grant easy access to the side roads the addresses are on, this is still not an optimal solution. On the other hand, dynamic route planning software can immediately generate a route. And even a delivery schedule that lets you visit the delivery targets in an optimal order. You’d save time and effort and likely avoid heavily congested main roads. Roads that the static route planning would have forced you to use. Since the importance of efficiency is one of the first things you learn about logistics, dynamic route planning is superior.

Making use of the benefits of dynamic route planning in logistics

Due to the top benefits of dynamic route planning in logistics, it is hard to justify sticking to static route planning. There is just too much in favor of the new and improved route planning method to pass up on it. Even just the lower operating expenses it provides are enough to motivate a switch to it.

Author Bio

Ford Talison is an experienced moving team manager and a former warehouse manager with plenty of experience. His past work arranging shipments, inventory, and truck schedules has made him a crucial employee at amplemoving.com.