Route planning is a tedious and time-consuming process that dispatchers have to deal with on a regular basis.

Industry experts say that inefficient routing directly causes a loss of productivity in truck drivers, leading to massive losses.

However, this can easily be done through dedicated truck routing software that automatically plans the most efficient route within a few minutes.

Though with a number of options in the market, it will quickly become challenging to identify which option is the best for you.

So, let us cut to the chase and look at the 14 best truck routing software solutions that have the best features and functionalities for providing consistent and high-quality routing services.

14 Best Truck Routing Software for 2023

1. Upper Route Planner (5.0)

Best Multi-Stop Route Planning & optimization Software

Starting Price

$80/month
up to 3 drivers

Free trial

7-days

Key features

Live driver tracking, proof of delivery,
prioritize urgent deliveries/pickups

Upper Route Planner is the best route planning and optimization software to manage fleet operations, like planning & optimizing routes and scheduling routes in advance. In addition to this, the software comes with all the required features, such as route planning, scheduling, optimization, proof of delivery, live tracking, and reports to smoothen the routing process.

With just a few taps on Upper, you can instantly create the most efficient delivery routes for trucks to follow. You can expect a significant reduction in fuel costs knowing how route optimization software can drastically reduce the distance traveled on business routes.

You also get the ability to collect proof of delivery and track your drivers in real-time and delight your customers with timely services.

Features

  • Simply import CSV or Excel file to add hundreds of stops at a time
  • Plan and optimize routes based on time or distance as per your preference
  • Plan driver routes considering factors like time window, service time, priorities, and vehicle type
  • Prioritize urgent deliveries and delight your customers
  • Schedule optimized routes in advance and dispatch them to drivers
  • Drivers can collect proof of delivery with photos, notes, and e-signatures
  • Swap routes between drivers in case of emergencies and make last-minute changes on the fly
  • Choose between left or right curbside delivery to avoid taking unnecessary turns, saving delivery time and fuel
  • No need to re-plan the entire route again; reverse it in a tap
  • Drag & drop any stop and update your timeline automatically
  • Make quick modifications even after routes are optimized with a multi-selector tool
  • Monitor driver’s compliance with optimized routes in real time by looking at their movements actively
  • Use the customer notification feature to keep your customers informed about their delivery status or with accurate ETAs
  • Upper allows verifying incorrect & duplicate addresses before you optimize the route
  • Set priority deliveries while planning the route
  • Have the routes be dispatched to the drivers through multiple channels with just one click
  • Get highly detailed reports and analytics to improve business operations
  • Archive planned routes and refer to them whenever you require
  • Dedicated driver app that allows dispatchers to allocate tasks and drivers to communicate delivery status and details
  • Integrate Upper with other businesses platforms with our API

What People Say About Upper

jason dudney

2. RouteXL (3.5)

Route Planning Solution for Small to Midsize Businesses

Starting Price

€35/month
up to 3 drivers

Free trial

Up to 20 Addresses

Key features

Plan a Route with Multiple Stops
& Calculate Route Only With One Click

RouteXL is perhaps best known for offering a completely free variant of its route planning solution. However, this free variant is heavily limited in terms of its usability. This is why RouteXL does still offer other packages that are more accommodating for heavier workloads.

Starting at just $35 per month, RouteXL stands as one of the most affordable route-planning software on the market. But it still misses out on important features, such as proof of delivery and active driver tracking.

Pros

  • Freebase variant
  • Live driver tracking
  • Drag and drop functionality
  • Ability to save previous routes

Jared. B

Free! How can you beat that? Also, the software has the ability to add multiple stops and locations. It also has the ability to save previous routes and add details to each stop. Overall, RouteXL is very comprehensive.

Cons

  • The color scheme of the UI makes it hard to navigate
  • Lacks a dedicated driver app
  • Adapting to the interface takes time

John. M

I feel it could be more user-friendly and intuitive.


3. Samsara (4.1)

For Large Enterprises to Streamline Operations

Starting Price

N/A

Free trial

30-Days

Key features

Live sharing, asset scheduling,
vehicle performance tracking

Samsara, an all-in-one platform for fleet management, provides businesses with more than just optimized routes, as it also provides a myriad of fleet management solutions, including hardware solutions. Their hardware solutions include advanced dashcams and tracking for your fleet vehicle’s safety and compliance.

Seeing how they are able to incorporate so many fleet management solutions, they become the go-to option for enterprise businesses of all types. They use Samsara to simplify their daily operations and reduce costs.

Pros

  • Massive product lineup
  • Easy to use hardware and software systems in tandem
  • Allows to track your driver’s movements

Tate. F

Everything you need is included, and in one place. Fleet tracking, cameras, HOS, safety, performance, and dispatch tools all live in one place. Additionally, the team is very responsive in creating one-off or custom integrations should you need them.

Cons

  • Laggy and glitchy software
  • Lack of integration options
  • The customer service is not up to the mark

Mihail. S

Driver app its hard to use and it’s slow. Hard time to edit logs. Crossing border glitches. Doesn’t give warning to driver in case if driver forget to do DVIR.


4. Onfleet (4.7)

Last Mile Delivery Solution for Varied Businesses Worldwide

Starting Price

$500/month

Free trial

14-Days

Key features

Real-time data, analysis &
improvement, proof of delivery

Onfleet is the last-mile delivery solution that is made for larger fleets with many delivery vehicles to manage and optimize routes for. Along with all the standard features that go into creating an efficient route, Onfleet also has additional features, such as driver chat and proof of delivery.

These features can be immensely useful in the right scenarios and are definitely something to have at your side when you need it. Onfleet’s end-to-end route planning, dispatch, communication, and analytics platform does all the heavy lifting for you, so you can focus on your customers.

Pros

  • Intuitive user interface
  • Inbuilt driver chat
  • Visual representation of KPI

Jillian. T

With us needing to do 2,000 deliveries per day, we really needed a straightforward and high-capacity route optimization too. OnFleet is that and everything more. I love that there’s a driver app, in-app communication, and real-time tracking.

Cons

  • High price compared to its features
  • Time estimates are too pessimistic

Hannah. K

The price point feels a little bit too high since the last increase


5. FleetUp (4.4)

GPS Fleet Tracking Platform

Starting Price

$19/mo

Free trial

7-Days

Key features

Simplifies Route Planning &
Drag-n-Drop Your Location Data

FleetUp is an all-in-one platform for fleet management. It provides complete visibility into your vehicles, containers, equipment, and drivers. With the help of its mobile app, fleet managers centralize and accelerate communication among drivers. It also tracks staff time cards, assigns assets to operators, and even sends job orders.

FleetUp offers real-time diagnostics and previous & current GPS locations of vehicles and shipments. It improves driver efficiency by identifying high-risk drivers and reducing traffic violations and mishaps.

Pros

  • The software is easy to use
  • Customer service is usually helpful and active
  • Daily vehicle inspections in a disciplined manner

Lesley. J

Customer Service is awesome, but the software is great too. Being able to find a fleet at any time has saved us time and $$!

Cons

  • Software glitches
  • Connectivity to the fleet may be lost in rural areas with poor service range

Carrie. L

If you’re in a spotty internet area, then you get no signal.


6. Route4Me (4.4)

Route Planning Software For Logistics Services

Starting Price

$199/month

Free trial

7-Day

Key features

Curbside Delivery, Time Window,
Recurring Routing

Route4Me is an easy-to-use route scheduling and optimization software that helps plan routes and dispatch them to the mobile app, which comes with built-in navigation. It is specifically created for any business dealing with daily deliveries and logistics services.

It aims to reduce scheduled route planning time for businesses to less than 10 minutes per day. Companies looking for a routing software solution will save time and money than built-in GPS truck navigation.

Pros

  • Ease of use and connects to GPS app in a click
  • Rearrange and move stops between routes
  • User-friendly both on the admin and user side

Matteo. G

Very easy to use with a fantastic interface that doesn’t require any kind of training. Platform speed is very high, and API availability makes Route4Me the standard de facto about route planning systems.

Cons

  • Limited support
  • Software glitches due to heavy site load

Stacy. S

Sometimes I can’t get a job to show up on the route where it is supposed to. When I need to rearrange the jobs it will throw one job way out in left field so to speak and all but ignore it. And then I have to report it as a problem on the map so customer service can fix it for me


7. RouteSavvy (4.7)

Automated Routing Software

Starting Price

$39/mo

Free trial

7-Days

Key features

Simplifies Route Planning &
Drag-n-Drop Your Location Data

RouteSavvy is a routing software that has helped many businesses organize and start optimizing routes to boost their bottom line. Given how early they started to offer route optimization services, they have a lot of relevant experience in the industry.

The price for their route planner by itself is quite affordable, though you will not get the GPS tracking and mobile app with it. Those options may be purchased as add-ons according to your requirements.

Pros

  • Convenient features that speed up operations
  • Simple to use interface

Tamiann. P

I love that this product was able to be set up with “bulk” entry, using a spreadsheet to enter all of our locations. It made it very fast and easy to get over 500 addresses into the program. The program is easy to learn and quick to set routes. It has been an extremely cost-effective solution that meets our needs beautifully

Cons

  • Not a cloud-based route planner

Verified LinkedIn User

After a short while, caching becomes an issue. stops removed sometimes stay on the list. locations or stops don’t always show up on the map, and you have to zoom way out and lets the locations or stops load to see them. The same goes for routes. It is a somewhat difficult process to transfer stops from one route to another. no ability to change the departure date.


8. Track-POD (4.6)

Delivery Management Software For Businesses of all Sizes

Starting Price

$35/month

Free trial

7-Days

Key features

Scheduling, Activity Tracking, Alerts/Notifications

Track-POD is primarily built to enable businesses to have proof of delivery capabilities, but this does not mean that it is not capable of routing operations. It can handle route planning for thousands of stops, making it very useful for larger shipping routes.

You also get features like 2-way communication between the driver and dispatcher for added clarity when conducting logistics.

Pros

  • Easy to use for dispatchers

Pavlos M.

This software is easy to use with many features that can make your life easier. You can see all your orders and routes on the map. So planning becomes child’s play. It gives a very detailed analysis of your working day/period. The support team is great. Quick responsive, and willing to help. Track-POD loosens your hands and really helps you control your delivery business.

Cons

  • Software glitches may occur randomly
  • The driver app is hard to navigate

Jake W.

There are many features that are essential that just aren’t implemented. For example, being able to see an updated ETA for delivery in the admin UI. The app has the info, so why not show it? They have a good API but make certain data hidden for no good reason. A complete lack of webhooks is also completely unexplained. The driver mobile app itself will randomly crash and require deleting and reinstalling. The whole ‘flow’ of the mobile app is confusing. Editing orders and routes after starting them is convoluted and unnecessarily difficult. If the drivers miss a step in the app, the admin user cannot fix it.

9. DispatchTrack (4.6)

Delivery Management Software For Businesses of all Sizes

Starting Price

$55/month

Free trial

7-Days

Key features

Accurate ETAs, Adjust Routes & Seamless Execution

DispatchTrack is an easy-to-use last-mile delivery solution for truckers that will help to refine the speed and scope of your deliveries. DispatchTrack places a lot of emphasis on sustainability and claims to lower your CO2 emissions by 10% while showing the emissions for every stop.

This lowering of emissions is a natural by-product of route optimization as it lowers the overall length of any route. It also contributes to lower fleet operating costs, such as fuel costs and maintenance costs.

Pros

  • Tracking of carbon emissions
  • Live GPS vehicle tracking

Susan E.

Increased efficiency, less overtime, less fuel used. We know where our truck is at all times. We were able to provide proof that our truck did not cause damage to a building because of the GPS feature.

Cons

  • The mobile app is very slow and sometimes fails to boot up
  • Errors with proof of delivery system

Melendezmr1

If you don’t have the internet, forget it! This won’t even open! Pictures will constantly multiply, or not show up. My company is a $26 million a year business in Massachusetts, and I am disappointed in the performance of your Mobile platform.

10. Logistia Route Planner (4.7)

Delivery Management Software For Businesses of all Sizes

Starting Price

$55/month

Free trial

7-Days

Key features

Accurate ETAs, Adjust Routes & Seamless Execution

Logistia is a simplistic yet capable route planner that lets you plan routes based on priority, vehicle capacity, time windows, and delivery areas. You can not only plan multiple routes but can also edit them on the fly at any time in case of an emergency.

Using Logistia, both the dispatcher and the customer get a live tracking link that shows the precise location of the designated driver. The Logistia Route Planner is also capable of integrating itself with e-commerce platforms that make your workflow more streamlined.

Pros

  • Live tracking link for both customers and dispatchers
  • Integrations with e-commerce platforms

Graham R.

This was the only app that filled my need of providing a logistics solution to my team while also integrating with Shopify. I had been running demos of other route optimizers and found the lack of Shopify integration meant that I spent an incredibly long time importing and generating routes. Logistia is simple to import orders, generate routes for multiple drives and is able to notify customers of their estimated delivery time. The best part is that once the order has been marked as “Delivered” on Logistia it automatically marks the order as fulfilled on Shopify.

Cons

  • The app sometimes fails to load maps

Jon H.

The app is a bit buggy and often doesn’t load maps when in use. The user experience is confusing and takes a while to get the hang of. Could be simpler.

11. WorkWave Route Manager (4.3)

Route Optimization Software For Your Delivery Business

Starting Price

N/A

Free trial

4-Days

Key features

Automated Scheduling, Track vis GPS, and Customer Notification

WorkWave has a long history of providing field service management software to different businesses and has developed dozens of software solutions over a span of 40 years. One of these solutions for route planning and optimization is the WorkWave Route Manager.

The WorkWave Route Manager allows delivery businesses to not only plan routes for their fleet but has several fleet management features, such as its ability to connect to ELD devices. This helps you actively track the performance of your fleet operations.

Pros

  • Time window planning allows drivers to reach customers with specific time windows
  • Supports hard-wired GPS and ELDs for telematics as an optional add-on
  • Seamless integration with other tools

Steven K.

Workwave is a very flexible product and easy to use. The integration with our work order management system was very easy, and we were able to improve our field technician productivity by 25%.

Cons

  • Quite expensive compared to the other route optimization software
  • Key functionalities like notifications and barcode scanners are not in basic plan
  • Driver GPS is not included in the basic plan

12. PC*MILER (4.7)

Commercial Routing and Mileage Software

Starting Price

$84.99

Free trial

15-Days

Key features

Accurate Rates for Lane Analysis & Estimate Route Distances

PC*MILER is a dedicated fleet management solution that helps businesses in the transportation industry to streamline processes related to route planning and optimization. This gearing towards routing specifically for trucks is reconfirmed by their advanced geographic information systems (GIS), which has a comprehensive street-level digital map of North America.

According to PC*MILER, this map has the most details regarding truck restrictions on the market, making it ideal for fleets with larger trucks that need to keep track of restrictions. They also support global routing operations on their web app.

Pros

  • A detailed list of all the truck restrictions across North American road systems
  • MileOn app for drivers to plan their routes powered by PC*MILER
  • Integrations with other business applications for faster routing operations

Adam S.

What I like most about PC*MILER is that it can be integrated into Microsoft Excel, which makes it easy to calculate and estimate route distances for large amounts of data.

Cons

  • Pricing can get expensive if you have multiple users and additional add-ons
  • There is little transparency regarding the usage of user data

Jeff D.

Add-ons can get pricey as many used to be included in the base product but have been rolled out into separate modules over the past 8 or so years. Licensing is fairly expensive.

13. GSMtasks (4.6)

Automated Route Planning Software

Starting Price

€14

Free trial

14-Days

Key features

Complex Multi-Stop Routes & Live Tracking

GSMtasks is a service dispatch software. The routing engine of GSMtasks dispatches plans to and manages mobile fleets of drivers, couriers, and technicians. With efficient route & task optimization, it reduces fuel costs and improves efficiency.

GSMtasks offers a real-time web dashboard for dispatchers and fleet managers, an intuitive app for drivers and driver tracking, and automatic SMS notifications for customers.

Pros

  • Active and helpful customer service team
  • The user interface is easy to navigate and understand for the crew

Heather P.

Daily use of the software is user-friendly and easy to learn. Some great features like route optimization and customizable PODs. The support team is excellent. Developers are open to requests and are quick to fix any bugs (of which there haven’t been any we haven’t inadvertently created ourselves).

Cons

  • Software glitches and crashes on a regular basis

Johann K.

Technical problems from day-to-day – poor quality. It really makes you mad if you are in a hurry, but the app just crashes.

14. Rand McNally (4.6)

Automated Route Planning Software

Starting Price

N/A

Free trial

NA

Key features

Live Tracking, ELD Compliance, and Excellent Implementation Support

Rand McNally is mainly known for its fleet management solutions, such as ELD devices and hardware trackers. A lesser-known product from RandMcnally is their cloud-based route planning and optimization software for creating and managing efficient routes for your fleet.

Because Rand McNally offers similar fleet management solutions like Samsara, it becomes ideal for those who want superior staff monitoring capabilities.

Pros

  • Great API integrations are made available
  • A complete fleet management ecosystem is available
  • The software solution is adaptable to fit your needs

Brian M.

a great api with very responsive servers which make integration a simple exercise. The breadcrumbs’ sliding time scale is great and the distance traveled by each vehicle

Cons

  • App is riddled with bugs that prevent the app from functioning regularly
  • Persistent issues with regular notifications

Dereck S.

The mapping portion does not work with our browser. I contacted customer support, however they were unable to help me and told me to contact my IT department. We are a small company, and have very limited IT help. I’m not sure what happened as the mapping used to work. Now the program is essentially useless to us.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Does truck routing software take into consideration the size of the vehicle and its load capacity?

    Yes, many truck routing software does give you the option to select your vehicle type, which gives the software a rough estimate of its size and capacity. The route will then be optimized to follow ways that have enough clearance for your vehicle while accommodating all the delivery stops.

  • Will my staff require special training to use truck routing software?

    No, usually, your truck routing software will be built to be as user-friendly and straightforward as possible to allow for easy onboarding. To ensure that users are informed, many routing systems will have dedicated support teams or guides to help you navigate through the software.

  • How can companies benefit from using truck routing software?

    Apart from streamlining the route optimization process to make operations more efficient and reduce delivery costs, truck routing software does come with additional benefits. Such benefits include improving delivery times and customer satisfaction with timely deliveries.

  • What are the top features to look for in good truck routing software?

    Ideally, good truck routing software will have the following features to make performing services and deliveries easier.

    • Ability to collect proof of delivery
    • Live driver tracking
    • Customer notifications
    • Delivery data reports
    • Easy dispatching options

Conclusion

Using a route planner to manage all of your route planning is undoubtedly better than using Google Maps, given the additional perks granted by routing software. Such perks include not having to spend hours planning the perfect delivery route and saving money on fuel and maintenance costs.

Given the automated workings of a route planner, they are the best option for creating efficient truck routes in a jiffy. The real challenge is comparing and finding the best software solution for your fleet with all the options that are available to you.

Though, why go through the hassle at all when you have Upper? Upper Route Planner is the best route planning and optimization software that amps up your route planning process with its host of amazing features. If you are still unsure, try it out today for yourself with Experience it yourself and decide how this software is beneficial for your business.

Author Bio
Rakesh Patel
Rakesh Patel

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