# Delivery route efficiency



## UberPyro (Dec 19, 2016)

I've been doing deliveries for a couple months now and I've noticed quite a few efficiency issues with the pre-planned delivery route that the flex app provides. Because of this I paid for a third party route planner and spend 10 mins post packing up my car to transfer data to it and it has saved me significant amounts of time on every block since. Just wondering if anybody else has resorted to doing the same


----------



## CatchyMusicLover (Sep 18, 2015)

I look at the map. Sure I occasionally mess up but I feel the amount of miles I save are far far more than the occasional time I drive a half mile extra because I took a different way.
Dunno why anyone would spend the time using a 'route planner' like that, unless routes in Utah are even that much worse than here but I suppose it's possible?


----------



## UberPyro (Dec 19, 2016)

On average I get 20-60 packages for a 4 hour block. The way the app routes those packages makes it take as close to 4 hours as possible while taking 10 minutes prep time saves me usually 1.5-2.5 hrs of circular driving


----------



## Side Hustle (Mar 2, 2017)

UberPyro said:


> On average I get 20-60 packages for a 4 hour block. The way the app routes those packages makes it take as close to 4 hours as possible while taking 10 minutes prep time saves me usually 1.5-2.5 hrs of circular driving


Which 3rd party route planner do you use?


----------



## UberPyro (Dec 19, 2016)

Route4me


----------



## Side Hustle (Mar 2, 2017)

UberPyro said:


> Route4me


Thanks!



UberPyro said:


> Route4me


I watched the video-Question do you have to enter each address one at a time or how do you upload the whole FLEX route at once like they say?


----------



## DeathByFlex (Nov 29, 2017)

For me, deviating from the generated route isn't the difficult part; just look at the map in your itinerary and it's pretty obvious where you need to go next. The problem I haven't fully solved yet is locating packages quickly upon arrival, especially during the first few stops when my SUV is fully packed. Here are some tactics I use that are better but not perfect:

1) all envelopes are in the passenger foot-well and sorted by address in ascending order

2) when it is reasonable to do so, I deliver large boxes first regardless of route efficiency so I can free up space to make finding packages easier the rest of the route

3) to help find packages I write the first part of the address (numbers only) on the box side, near a corner that will likely still be visible when the label is covered; this has helped a lot

4) at each stop I look at the map on my way back to the car to determine the next stop and, if the lift gate is still open, I'll locate the package before leaving. if it's a small box then I move it to the front passenger seat

At my WH I've seen a couple of drivers who scan every package and arrange them on the floor before loading them in their car. I assume they do that to optimize the initial load-in. It probably works but you don't want to get stuck behind them because they're slow as sh!t.


----------



## Amsoil Uber Connect (Jan 14, 2015)

Most of the time its ok. Sometimes ask why, then ok I see why. Then roll with it. 

Why not put the envelopes in an Avon box on the seat, group #'s in order as to the route sheet then address' or numbered as they are for evening routes.


----------



## CatchyMusicLover (Sep 18, 2015)

They actually made a new system here a couple months ago -- I assume it's not implimented yet elsewhere given I've never seen anyone post about it here. Basically, zones are now irrelevant, there's a number on each package of the stop number and package number (so like, 9 (15), which means stop 9 and 15th total package so far).....makes finding stuff in the car very easy now. Of course going out of order still happens a craptop, but instead of having to rely on zone, you just know that "hey, this is stop 30...I can just grab it from the spot in the trunk" or whatever.

And again, it's not hard to look at the map and see "oh, the route is dumb and stop 25 is next to stop 8....I'll just do 25 next then". I can't imaging wasting time using some 3rd party app which isn't necessarily going to do better.


----------



## oicu812 (Aug 29, 2016)

CatchyMusicLover said:


> They actually made a new system here a couple months ago -- I assume it's not implimented yet elsewhere given I've never seen anyone post about it here. Basically, zones are now irrelevant, there's a number on each package of the stop number and package number (so like, 9 (15), which means stop 9 and 15th total package so far).....makes finding stuff in the car very easy now. Of course going out of order still happens a craptop, but instead of having to rely on zone, you just know that "hey, this is stop 30...I can just grab it from the spot in the trunk" or whatever.
> 
> And again, it's not hard to look at the map and see "oh, the route is dumb and stop 25 is next to stop 8....I'll just do 25 next then". I can't imaging wasting time using some 3rd party app which isn't necessarily going to do better.


They've been doing that for at least a year for mini-sorts, same day deliveries and clean up routes.


----------



## Iann (Oct 17, 2017)

DeathByFlex said:


> For me, deviating from the generated route isn't the difficult part; just look at the map in your itinerary and it's pretty obvious where you need to go next. The problem I haven't fully solved yet is locating packages quickly upon arrival, especially during the first few stops when my SUV is fully packed. Here are some tactics I use that are better but not perfect:
> 
> 1) all envelopes are in the passenger foot-well and sorted by address in ascending order
> 
> ...


What i have been doing is taking the packing sheet or whatever it's called and look at the zones.

Let's say you have 30 packages in 4 zones.
The packages on the bottom zone get loaded first. The sheet will area number like 4200 and then look for those packages to be scanned first and load those into your vehicle first.

Once you have a zone loaded in your vehicle. I like to alphabetize the packages by first name.

Keep the zones separate if you can in your car and the packages in that zone together alphabetized.

Now that you loaded the zones from the bottom to the top.
When you start, your first stops package will be at a spot you can easily access in your vehicle.
Now just go through the zone at the stop to find the name.

For me this is a huge time saver.

In this picture I loaded zone 5418 then 5416 and worked my way up. Each box will have the same zone number.
Each bag at the loading area all have the same zone on each package inside the bag.


----------



## DeathByFlex (Nov 29, 2017)

Does anyone ever just take the bags (besides the vans)? Are we allowed to?


----------



## Transporter316 (Jan 12, 2018)

I always separate the bags in different areas in my car so I put similar addresses in different sections so since I live in Columbus for example I'll put Columbus in the front seat Dublin in backseat, powell on the right, etc. That farthest deliveries goes in the trunk, or in the back of the car, so in my head I know where the packages are for different areas so I can get them quickly


----------



## UberPyro (Dec 19, 2016)

Side Hustle said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I watched the video-Question do you have to enter each address one at a time or how do you upload the whole FLEX route at once like they say?


If you can I don't know how to. You are supposedly able to scan the label like you do at pickup but that option hasn't ever worked efficiently enough for me so I copy 10 addresses from the flex app and transfer to R4M in batches. Usually takes me 10 mins or so to have them all transferred and route prepared to start driving



DeathByFlex said:


> For me, deviating from the generated route isn't the difficult part; just look at the map in your itinerary and it's pretty obvious where you need to go next. The problem I haven't fully solved yet is locating packages quickly upon arrival, especially during the first few stops when my SUV is fully packed. Here are some tactics I use that are better but not perfect:
> 
> 1) all envelopes are in the passenger foot-well and sorted by address in ascending order
> 
> ...


 My total loading time is usually 10-15 mins and I sort all packages on the floor by the I'd number on the label( When I arrive at the address it gives you a batch number to look for see image) this generally gives me 4-5 groups of packages that then get strategically packed into my car



CatchyMusicLover said:


> And again, it's not hard to look at the map and see "oh, the route is dumb and stop 25 is next to stop 8....I'll just do 25 next then". I can't imaging wasting time using some 3rd party app which isn't necessarily going to do better.


Since using the app I have not had a 4 hr block take me more than 2-2.5 hrs to complete so 10 mins spent post packing my car for 1.5+ hrs saved doesn't seem wasted. Other than the time savings it gives me the most milage efficient route to save gas/miles. I have never had a route through flex that matched up more than 2-4 stops the same way that R4M did for the same block and the few times I checked (first couple using R4M) I put the route from flex directly into gmaps and it was generally 10-20 miles more than R4M route.


----------



## DeathByFlex (Nov 29, 2017)

I was recently assigned a block of 50+ envelopes/polybags with literally no boxes in the route. It was the only time I've encountered such a route and it was easily the most efficient block I've had in terms of load-in and delivery (tight geographic grouping, all houses, no gates). Unicorn block...


----------



## Brandon Wilson (Aug 13, 2017)

Depends. My last route had me ignoring flex navigation completely. No reason for me to jump from one place to another and back again over and over when the stop five stops away is 50 feet away from where I currently am.


----------



## oicu812 (Aug 29, 2016)

Unicorn block is one stop. Everything to a business.


----------



## Dash_D_Cadet (Nov 10, 2017)

I never go by amazons pre planned route unless it leads me home


----------



## UberPyro (Dec 19, 2016)

Brandon Wilson said:


> Depends. My last route had me ignoring flex navigation completely. No reason for me to jump from one place to another and back again over and over when the stop five stops away is 50 feet away from where I currently am.


This is exactly why I use R4M to preplan my most efficient route. When I first started I had a 4 hr block that was basically 3 groupings in 3 apartment complexes and the flex route had me bouncing between the three in a circle until competion. It drove me crazy enough that I vowed to never waste that much time again and downloaded the routing app


----------

