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How route optimization works

Route optimization decides the order of your stops. These guides explain how it works, where it ends and navigation begins, and how to plan a full day of deliveries.

The basics

How AI Route Optimization Works for Last-Mile Delivery, Step by StepFrom addresses to an ordered route: geocoding, travel-time matrices, the travelling salesman and vehicle routing problems, and the algorithms that solve them, explained with a worked example. AI Route Optimization vs Traditional GPS Routing: What's the Difference?Navigation apps answer 'how do I get to the next stop?'; route optimizers answer 'which stop should be next?'. Here is how they differ and why delivery drivers use both. GPS Fleet Tracking vs Route Optimization: Which Does Your Delivery Fleet Need?Telematics records where vehicles are and how they are driven; route optimization decides the plan. Learn what each does, when you need both, and the Australian notice rules for tracking employees. Route Optimization and Real-Time Traffic: Average, Predicted and Live Explained'Real-time traffic' can mean three different things in route optimization software. Here is how average, predicted and live travel times differ, when each matters, and the questions to ask.

Planning a day of stops

Multi-Stop Delivery Route Optimization: How to Plan a Day of 20 to 150 StopsA practical, step-by-step method for planning and optimizing a delivery day with dozens of stops, including a route-length formula and what to do when stops change mid-route. Why the Closest Delivery Stop Isn't Always the Fastest RouteOn a real 24-stop route in Sydney, two stops 177 m apart were about 3.1 km and 6 minutes apart by road. We compared the original order, manual reorderings and a straight-line order. How to Organize a Big Delivery Route Without Losing Track of Any StopColor-coded tags, one-tap Edit/Navigate from the map, and a route that saves itself — how to keep a big multi-stop day organized instead of scrolling a plain address list. How to Scan Delivery Addresses With Your Phone CameraMiliRoute's live camera scanner reads delivery addresses off a printed manifest in real time — no typing, validated against real address data as you go. Multi-Depot Route Optimization: How to Plan Deliveries From More Than One BaseTwo warehouses, one pool of orders: how multi-depot route optimization assigns stops to depots and vehicles, why boundary stops matter, and a practical method for small multi-site fleets.

On the road

How to Capture Proof of Delivery: Signature, Photo and NoteTurn on proof of delivery once, then capture an optional signature, photo and note at each stop, or record one of 12 failure reasons. Works on the phone and the web. How to Share a Delivery Route With Another DriverShare a saved route as one link. The other driver adds their own independent copy with the same stops, tags and notes, without retyping anything.

Try it yourself

Get the MiliRoute app (free for routes of up to 10 stops)

Free calculators

Will my day fit my shift?Enter your stops, the time at each door, your total driving time and your shift. See if the day fits, with a safety buffer. Stops per hour calculatorEnter how many stops you completed and how long you worked. See your pace per hour and per stop.

More guides

Route optimization software comparisonsDelivery costs and savingsRoute optimization in AustraliaAll free tools