Kilometres and fuel
Duplicate turns and unnecessary kilometres are eliminated during planning rather than in the field. Fuel, tyre and maintenance cost per trip drops; trip cost is reported per vehicle and per driver.
Logistics · Dispatch Planning
Logistics route optimization and dispatch planning
The same delivery list, completed with a shorter path, fewer vehicles and a predictable schedule. Route optimization does not look for the shortest distance; it solves delivery time windows, vehicle capacity, geofence, traffic and driver working hours together.
We use the same planning infrastructure for LPG and fuel tankers, cold chain vehicles, ready-mix concrete trucks and distribution fleets. The plan does not stay on a screen: through our telemetry hardware and in-vehicle tablets it reaches the field and produces feedback the moment a route deviates.
- Time Window
- Compartment Capacity
- Geofence
- Live Traffic
- Driver Hours
- Priority Delivery
- Intra-day Replanning
- In-vehicle Tablet
- Trip Cost
- Fill Rate
- ADR Compliance
- Cold Chain
01 DEFINITION
Route optimization:
Route optimization:
not the shortest distance, the right plan
Planning that does not solve constraints together improves one figure while breaking another.
Route optimization determines the visit order and path for vehicles serving multiple delivery points by solving constraints together: delivery time windows, vehicle capacity, traffic conditions and driver working hours. It is often confused with finding the shortest path on a map, but these are different problems: the shortest path is not a valid plan if it misses the delivery window.
Three figures are linked in distribution operations: on the cost side, duplicate kilometres and fuel consumption; on the time side, trip duration and compliance with the delivery window; on the equipment side, how much of the vehicle and tanker capacity is actually used. A plan that only shortens distance can send vehicles out half loaded; a plan that only raises fill rate can miss the delivery window.
Trip duration and window
Because the delivery window, breaks and traffic density enter the plan, arrival time becomes predictable. Delay appears in the plan, not in the field.
Vehicle and tanker capacity
Delivery volume is matched to compartment capacity. The same work is completed with fewer vehicles, idle capacity becomes a visible number, and fleet size is planned against real demand.
02 CONSTRAINTS
The six constraints
The six constraints
optimization accounts for
When one constraint is left undefined the plan breaks in the field, and the missing constraint is always the expensive one.
- Delivery time window: The hours during which each customer can receive a delivery are defined as a constraint; a sequence falling outside the window is eliminated during planning, before the vehicle departs.
- Vehicle and compartment capacity: Tanker compartment volume and product type are taken into account; a load that exceeds capacity or leaves it half empty never enters the plan.
- Geofence: Defined operational zones are included in the plan; a stop outside the boundary is not added to the sequence by mistake, and a violation in the field raises an alert.
- Traffic and road conditions: Live traffic data affects route duration; at peak hours the same distance is planned with a different sequence.
- Driver working hours: Trip duration, breaks and maximum driving time are accounted for; the plan stays compliant and never produces a sequence the driver cannot complete.
- Priority deliveries: Urgent or contractually prioritised deliveries move to the front of the sequence; the remaining stops are reordered while preserving that constraint.
03 COMPARISON
The same delivery list,
The same delivery list,
two different sequences
Depot, stops and delivery volumes are identical; the only thing that changes is the visit order.
In the unplanned sequence the order is set from driver experience, so the route crosses itself twice; those turns become duplicate kilometres. In an illustrative example with eight delivery points and one depot, the total is 214 kilometres and 9 hours 40 minutes, with three deliveries falling outside their time window.
In the optimized sequence the same points are visited in a single loop, leaving the depot and returning to it. The total is 176 kilometres and 7 hours 35 minutes, with no delivery outside its window. These figures illustrate the method; real gains depend on fleet size and current planning maturity.
Distance
176 km instead of 214 km. The 38 kilometre difference comes from duplicate turns where the route crossed itself.
Trip duration
7 hours 35 minutes instead of 9 hours 40 minutes. More than two hours saved, which also relieves the driver working hours constraint.
Deliveries outside window
Zero instead of three. The window violation surfaces and is eliminated during planning rather than in the field.
04 LPG AND FUEL
LPG route optimization:
LPG route optimization:
compartment capacity and ADR together
Fuel and LPG distribution carries constraints that general cargo routing does not.
In LPG and fuel tankers the load is not a single block: the vehicle is divided into compartments and each compartment can carry a different product. Planning therefore has to be solved per compartment rather than by total volume. When delivery volume is matched to compartment capacity, the number of trips departing half loaded drops and vehicle fill rate becomes measurable per trip.
The second difference is dangerous goods transport. In an operation run under ADR, route selection is not only a question of duration; driver working hours, rest patterns and defined operational zones have to enter the plan. Geofence definitions mean loading and unloading only count inside authorised zones.
Compartment-level planning
Tanker compartment volume and product type are defined as constraints; delivery volume is matched to compartment capacity.
Dangerous goods compliance
Driver working hours, rest patterns and authorised zone definitions are included in the plan; a delivery attempt outside the boundary is detected immediately.
Station replenishment rhythm
When station stock level and consumption rate enter planning, replenishment is sequenced against real demand instead of a fixed calendar.
The whole of fuel and LPG logistics — telemetry, tanker tracking, in-vehicle cameras, driver behaviour analysis and ADR compliance — is covered on a separate page.
05 OTHER SECTORS
One infrastructure,
One infrastructure,
constraints that change by sector
The planning engine is the same; which constraint dominates depends on the sector.
06 PLAN REACHING THE FIELD
The hardware layer that keeps
The hardware layer that keeps
the plan off the screen
Most route optimization software produces a plan and stops there. The real difference is knowing what happened to that plan in the field.
Createch builds route optimization not as standalone software but as a layer that runs together with hardware we manufacture ourselves. The practical meaning of developing hardware and software in the same R&D centre is this: there is no integration layer between plan and field, both run on the same data model.
Once the plan is computed, the loop closes through the in-vehicle tablet, telemetry and geofence monitoring. Planned sequence and actual sequence become comparable; post-trip measurement becomes the input for the next plan.
In-vehicle tablet
The driver receives the current sequence, delivery details and field instructions on the tablet, and confirms delivery back to the centre instantly.
Telemetry
Vehicle position, trip status and vehicle data flow continuously to the centre. Planned sequence and actual sequence become comparable.
Geofence monitoring
A delivery attempt outside a defined zone is detected immediately; an audible and visual alert is raised in the cab and the management centre is notified automatically.
Intra-day replanning
When a cancellation, delay or new order arrives, the remaining stops are resequenced the same day and the updated order reaches the tablet.
Post-trip reporting
Planned versus actual kilometres, duration and fill rate are reported per trip and become the input for the next plan.
07 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common questions about
Common questions about
route optimization
The questions we meet most often in project discussions.
What is route optimization?
Route optimization determines the visit order and path for vehicles serving multiple delivery points by solving constraints together: delivery time windows, vehicle capacity, traffic conditions and driver working hours. The goal is not the shortest distance but the most efficient plan that satisfies every constraint.
What does route optimization change in LPG and fuel distribution?
Tanker compartment volume and product type become explicit constraints; delivery volume is matched to compartment capacity. The number of trips departing half loaded drops and vehicle fill rate becomes measurable per trip. Geofence definitions mean loading and unloading only count inside authorised zones.
Which constraints does route optimization take into account?
Delivery time window, vehicle and compartment capacity, geofence, live traffic and road conditions, driver working and rest hours, and priority deliveries. These six are solved together; optimising for only one of them violates the others.
Can the plan be updated when orders change during the day?
Yes. When a cancellation, delay or new order arrives, the remaining stops are resequenced the same day and the updated order reaches the driver through the in-vehicle tablet.
Does it work with our existing fleet tracking system?
The route plan runs together with Createch telemetry hardware and in-vehicle tablets; vehicle position, trip status and delivery confirmation meet in the same platform. If you use a different fleet management system, integration scope is assessed at the start of the project.
Is this developed in Türkiye?
Yes. Createch is a Türkiye-based technology and R&D company that develops its own hardware and software at its R&D centre in Seferihisar, İzmir.
08 CONTACT
More deliveries with the same fleet
We start with your current delivery list. We define your time windows, vehicle and compartment capacities and operational zones, then show the difference between the planned sequence and today's sequence in kilometres, duration and fill rate.
Contact us for detailed information, project consultancy and demo requests. Our technical team is ready to plan the deployment scope around your fleet size and delivery density.