Fuel prices, driver shortages, and increasing demands to decarbonize fleets to the greatest extent possible are driving municipal and private haulers to scrutinize not only their collection routes, but also the way they design them. The best route optimization system for your business is one that handles all these concerns in tandem.<\/p>\n
For many forward-looking haulers, route optimization software<\/a> answers both questions at once. As with any investment, however, it’s wise to observe best practices to make the most of it.<\/p>\n In our last blog about route optimization<\/a>, we featured several best practices for ensuring greater success with such projects. Today we’re rounding out the discussion with five more ways to ensure the best outcomes, starting with real-world data.<\/p>\n A worthwhile route design process needs real data. Without real data inputs, the outputs of even the best route optimization system will be guesses, whether you\u2019re working with pen and paper or software.<\/p>\n The advantage of using waste industry-specific software<\/a>, of course, is its ability to quickly crunch these real inputs from multiple sources, such as GPS and in-vehicle systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to note that while input data does not need to be perfect or absolutely complete, it must be real for the resulting plans to be realistic and achievable.<\/p>\n This real-world data will include inputs such as address lists, container details, current routes, access issues, facility details and material weights. Input data is so important, in fact, you should plan to spend about one-third of total project time gathering this information and implementing it within the route optimization system. Defining the data you need, creating a plan for collecting it, and then doing the collection are all critical tasks for a successful reroute project. It\u2019s hard to overstate the importance of this, so we\u2019ll say it again: Plan to spend enough time gathering robust, real-world input data. You\u2019ll be glad you did, and you’ll be sorry if you don’t.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting: Routing solutions from other industries don\u2019t work in waste. The optimization of solid waste collection routes is different and more complex than routing problems in other industries, such as deliveries or field service. It involves many more stops, different frequencies of collection, specific safety risks and unusual vehicle constraints that standard route optimization software may not be equipped to handle.<\/p>\n4 | Use real-world data<\/strong><\/h2>\n
5 | Gather data<\/strong><\/h2>\n
6 | Choose the right software<\/strong><\/h2>\n