Route optimization guide
Route optimization: which vehicle, to which point, in which order?
Route optimization computes the daily plan that completes your stops with the fewest kilometres, the fewest vehicles and within the shift, using the vehicles you already have. Akılkent does this for municipal fleets, waste collectors, parcel and distribution fleets: with your existing vehicle list and stop locations, no extra hardware.
Request a free pre-analysisWhat is route optimization?
Every fleet asks the same question each day: which vehicle goes to which points, in which order? Even for five vehicles and fifty stops the number of possible orders is far too large to compare by hand. Route optimization evaluates those orders with software and picks the plan that lowers total kilometres, time and vehicle count. In operations research this is known as the vehicle routing problem.
A good route is not just a short road. Unless vehicle capacity, shift length, the return to the facility when full, stop acceptance hours and heavy vehicle bans are considered together, the plan stays on paper. Route optimization software evaluates these constraints over the real road network; distance and time are computed street by street, not as the crow flies.
Route optimization is often confused with vehicle tracking. A tracking system shows where a vehicle is; route planning software decides in advance where it should go. Akılkent does the latter and sits on top of your existing tracking system.
What does route optimization save?
The gain comes from three places: fewer kilometres, fewer vehicles and work that fits the shift. Fuel and emissions fall with kilometres; doing the same work with one vehicle fewer is a direct cost advantage.
- Shift time spent outside collection, model analysis
- 30.9% 6.2%
- Fuel consumption and emissions, model analysis
- 34.5% reduction
- Fuel and distance reduction in published Turkish cases
- 13–25%
The first two values are a model analysis on the real vehicle, container, shift and road network data of a metropolitan district municipality; they are not savings realised in the field. The third value belongs to municipal waste collection cases published in peer-reviewed journals and to other operations. Your result is computed with your own data.
Which fleets is it for?
Any operation with vehicles and points to visit. The core is the same; each sector's rules (capacity, unloading, time windows, driving time) are defined separately. Your sector's page explains the full set of constraints.
- Municipal solid waste collection
- Used cooking oil collection
- Parcel, delivery and distribution fleets
- Street cleaning
- Hazardous and liquid waste
- Medical waste
- Municipal field crews
- Disaster logistics
You can also write to us about a fleet not listed here: water, gas cylinder and food distribution, maintenance and service crews, recycling collectors and organised industrial zones are planned with the same solver.
What to look for when choosing route optimization software
Whichever software you choose, we suggest asking these six questions at the proposal stage. The answers for Akılkent are written here too.
- Are the constraints inside the plan? Capacity, shift, unloading returns, time windows and vehicle-point compatibility should be rules that determine the route, not a report corrected by hand afterwards. In Akılkent these constraints are in the core.
- Is distance taken from the real road network? As-the-crow-flies calculations do not hold in the field. One-way streets, turn bans and heavy vehicle restrictions must be reflected in the plan.
- What data does it start with? A vehicle list and stop locations should be enough. A requirement for sensors, terminals or new devices means extra cost and an extra project; Akılkent needs none.
- What happens to work that does not fit? When capacity or shift length is insufficient, the software should not hide it. Akılkent lists unassigned points separately and states the additional vehicle need.
- Where is the data kept? For public bodies and data under privacy law, there should be a domestic hosting or on-premises option.
- Can you see your own result before buying? Someone else's case result is not yours. In Akılkent the pre-analysis is free and done with your own data.
If you are curious about the technical side, we explainhow route optimization works on a separate page.
How to start
Stop list and vehicles
Stop addresses or coordinates, estimated quantities, the vehicle list and working hours. Uploaded with a KML or Excel template; gaps are filled together in the first conversation.
Free pre-analysis report
Your current routes and the planned routes are compared by vehicle, kilometres, time and fuel. You see your own result before deciding.
Trial and rollout
A trial of a few weeks with one vehicle and one area; planned and actual kilometres are measured. If it fits, the service continues on a monthly subscription.
Frequently asked questions about route optimization
What is the difference between route optimization and vehicle tracking?
A vehicle tracking system shows where a vehicle is right now; route optimization plans in advance where it should go and in which order. One observes, the other plans. Akılkent does not replace your tracking system; it adds a planning layer on top and can use tracking data for comparison.
Isn't route planning in Excel enough?
For a handful of vehicles and fixed stops a manual plan can work. As vehicles, stops and constraints (capacity, shift, time windows, unloading returns) grow, the number of possible orders becomes far too large to compare by hand. Route optimization software compares those orders over the real road network. Uploading your data with the Excel template is all it takes.
From how many vehicles does it make sense?
The difference usually becomes measurable with five or more vehicles, or with hundreds of stops a day. Smaller fleets can also gain when time windows or capacity limits are tight. Rather than guessing, we compute it with your own data in the free pre-analysis.
Do I need to buy new devices or sensors?
No. Route optimization needs a vehicle list, stop locations and working hours. No sensors, vehicle terminals or new hardware are required. If you already have sensor or tracking data, we assess whether it can be imported.
Do the results hold in the field?
The rates on this site come from a model analysis of one specific dataset; your result depends on your vehicles, area and working conditions. That is why we recommend a pre-analysis first, then a trial of a few weeks in one area: planned and actual kilometres are measured in the field.
How long does it take, and what does it cost?
The pre-analysis is free and creates no purchase commitment. Producing the plan depends on the number of points and vehicles; on a metropolitan district's 27-vehicle shift data the district-wide plan was produced in under 20 minutes. If you continue, the service runs on a monthly subscription; scope and terms are agreed together after the pre-analysis.