Understand Optimization Settings

Start route at

End route at

• Location of the team's base, often the fulfillment center
• Driver's home address
• Default location of the vehicle (like a predefined parking slot)

Start next route where previous route ended

Add a further starting point of a route as the end of the previous one.

Minimize resources

Lower your costs by creating fewer routes using fewer resources (vehicles and drivers). One such method might be to prioritize using larger capacity vehicles.

Predicted and real time traffic patterns

You can opt to add advanced traffic integration settings to RO to improve the efficiency and accuracy of your routes, as well as the estimated arrival times (ETA), and the selection of drivers. Advanced traffic integration considers past, historical, and predicted data during the optimization process to come up with the best possible routes for specific dates and times. It also considers road hazards and restrictions that are known in advance of the optimization.
For example, if a particular road has an overpass that limits access to vehicles under a certain height, traffic integration will factor that into the initial optimization of routes. 

Then, once the order assignments are locked into place, traffic integration uses real time traffic and information about new hazards like collisions or road work to update the ETA.  This ensures better oversight of routes from the control tower, and a more seamless consumer experience. Contact your Bringg customer service representative to add this to your configuration.

Without this feature, RO predicts traffic based only on previous patterns:

• You can manually reduce the average speed of all road segments by defining the traffic variable for that area.
• (Legacy RO only) You can define a service area's traffic variable.
• You can define zones that routes should avoid, like ferry crossings.

During a route, drivers use their preferred mobile navigation app to see live traffic updates and avoid slow moving areas. You can even add a dedicated navigation app for the safe driving of heavy goods vehicles (HGV) (using Trimble's CoPilot, purchased separately, Android only).

Allow the driver to reload

(Self-service) Ensure drivers can return to the fulfillment center between routes, and allow time for breaks and loading vehicles for the next route.

You can also configure RO to automatically estimate the loading or unloading times at the start or end of routes based on the amount of goods and the types of goods for that route.  
Otherwise, you can set RO to apply the same initial loading or unloading time to each reloaded route.

Service area

If you assign drivers to specific , you can limit routes using those drivers to destinations in that area.

A team can have more than one service area.

Allow route tweaks

Select to allow you to tweak a route to add unassigned orders.

Driver admin time

You can configure RO to add to the ETOS of a destination when you need to perform a specific driver action.

Maximum total distance per route

Configure the maximum distance of a single route. As you lengthen routes, RO can create fewer to cover the same number of orders.

Maximum total time per route

Define the longest time a single driver can work on a single route. As you lengthen routes, RO can create fewer to complete the same number of orders.

Maximum destinations per route

Define the maximum number of destinations on a single route. More destinations means fewer routes to complete the same number of orders.

Maximum capacity

(Self-service) In the vehicle profile settings, define the maximum load in a single vehicle/trailer for a single route.
If you load more goods in a single route, RO can make for fewer returns to the fulfillment center to reload.
You can measure capacity in length (meters/feet), weight (kg/lbs), or handling units (boxes, pallets, and so on).

Define on-time orders

You can allow RO to schedule arrivals at destinations so that:

• The ETA and ETL is within the order's time window.
• Only the ETA is within the order's time window.
• Allow late arrivals.

Driver fairness

Use the Driver Fairness setting to encourage more evenly distributed workloads for each driver in a shift, supporting a more fair and equal approach with your delivery workforce.

Route clustering

(Self-service) Use Route Clustering to create routes with far fewer intersections. Optimized routes sometimes crisscross each other, taking some drivers through the same streets or areas.
You can choose the default clustering level to limit the extent of intersections in routes, ranging from regular routes to more clustered routes which avoid crossovers.

Reduce intersecting routes with clustering

 

Avoid non-commercial roads

(Self-service) Configure RO to avoid roads which do not allow commercial vehicles (supported in the US only).
Typically, this includes state parkways, certain residential areas, roads with low-hanging bridges, and so on.

Display routes on roads in route planner

(Default behavior) Configure the route planner to display the actual directions of the optimized routes which connect the destinations.

Keep previous route unless explicitly overwrite

(Enabled by default) Configure RO to keep the existing route definitions unless you explicitly want to re-optimize the orders.

Create routes in the future

(Enabled by default) Assume RO needs to create routes where all destinations are after this moment in time.

Time window

A time window is the time range when you intend to fulfill an order. Therefore, an order is considered fulfilled on time if it arrives within the time window. The time window is set when you schedule an order in Bringg and is usually defined by the no_earlier_than and no_later_than fields. Narrower time windows are seen as better service, like 9 to 10 am, while longer windows are more typical of larger carriers.

Estimated Time on Site (ETOS)

Time on site starts when a driver arrives () at a destination on a route, and ends when they leave () to continue to the next destination. This can include finding parking, gaining access to the building, security passes, elevators, onsite activities like payment, assembly, unpacking and so on, then exiting, and returning to the vehicle ready to leave.

Bringg uses the time between check-in and checkout to (ETA) at the following destinations in a route.

You can choose between:

• A fixed ETOS for all destinations from a specific team.
• A different ETOS depending on the details of the goods in the order, or other details about the order, like the location of the destination. You can make these calculations with our API and insert it into the order's payload.
• IntelliTOS uses machine learning to predict the ETOS by finding the most salient properties of an order which influence ETOS, then building a model to predict ETOS.

Type of order

The type of order can have an impact on its ETOS. An order can be:

• Dropoff when the customer receives the goods.
• Pickup when the customer hands over goods.
• Pickup at one destination and dropoff at another.
• Pickup at one destination, dropoff at another, and at that second destination you can also pickup the goods you are replacing.

Service plan

A service plan is a type of service that you provide to consumers like express, basic, or over the threshold. Service plans enable you to fulfill service level agreements by letting the Bringg Platform, dispatchers, and drivers know when you have committed to providing a specific service, such as delivery at the customer's home or workplace, or a specific handoff procedure like requiring the customer's signature as proof of delivery.

Order's skills

Set up skills  in Bringg to automatically assign orders to routes with the right drivers and vehicles that have the capabilities necessary to fulfill them. For example, when delivering groceries you can set up a refrigerated skill that applies to all perishable orders so that route optimization and AutoDispatch automatically assign these orders to the vehicles that also have the refrigerated skill.

Ranking

Some orders can have a rank signifying how important they are. High ranked orders must be delivered as a matter of priority, while a lower ranked order may be moved to the next route.

Weight

The weight of the goods in lbs or kg.

Dimensions

The dimensions of the goods in terms of their height, width, length and volume.

Fragile

If an order's goods are fragile, they must be on top. This is applicable for use with specialist loader apps.

Palette

Sometimes an item must be on the bottom of an order's goods, like a palette, for use with specialist loader apps.

Maximum vehicle capacity

Derived from the vehicle type, measured in ft/m, or as weight in lbs/kg.

Cost per km or mile

(Legacy RO only) Define the cost of using this driver and/or vehicle, to help pick the most cost effective combination of drivers, vehicles and routes.

Define the cost when driving and when waiting, stored in the vehicle type.

Availability

RO checks the delivery blocks, and factors in break times, and vehicle loading times (see Driver admin time).

Limited to service area

Limit this driver or vehicle to destinations in a specific service area.

Default start location

Defines the default location of the vehicle at the start of a route.

Default end location

Defines the default location of the vehicle at the end of a route.

Skills (Driver or Vehicle)

Set up skills in Bringg to automatically assign orders to routes with the right drivers  and vehicles that have the capabilities necessary to fulfill them. For example, when delivering groceries you can set up a refrigerated skill that applies to all perishable orders so that route optimization and AutoDispatch automatically assign these orders to the vehicles that also have the refrigerated skill.