Overview
The NowGo route optimisation tool provides users with a ability to perform vehicle route optimisation on fleets in a day of operation scenario. It considers different parameters:
Driver Details : qualifications, hours, vehicle capacities and geolocations
Job Details: time window, service times, pickup address and delivery addresses
Using the driver information and job information, the NowGo route optimiser will process these results through an algorithm to produced route plans that are assigned to drivers that can be operationalised. Within NowGo there are three different ways we can optimise:
Sequencing
Smart Assing
Solver
Sequencing
Sequence solving only works for stops that are assigned to a shift. When stops are assigned to a shift users have the ability to use the sequence option to reorder the stops in a sequential order based on the drivers details and stop locations. This feature helps to represent a stop assigned to a shift in a sequence state for the driver to complete.
Use Case:
Businesses that have Drivers self onboard parcels via a loading bay, in this scenario sequencing will give the driver control of reordering the scanned parcels in a order that makes sense based on his start and end locations.
Franchise model businesses where drivers own their runs or regions sequencing is a tool that can help them optimise their routes as there are restrictions on parcels being shared across vehicles.
Smart Assign
Smart assign is a tool that allows users the ability to automatically assign jobs to shifts without the need to enter planning mode. It’s a easy way to assign jobs to shifts and automatically considers the sequence of the job or jobs being inserted to a shift or set of shifts.
This feature is accessible in dispatch when jobs are selected, and can be asked to attempt to assign jobs across all or selected shifts.
If some selected jobs are already assigned, you are shown the option to allow those to be reassigned.
You can assign "Insert only", inserting the job between the existing stops in their current order within any valid shifts, or "Allow sequencing", which lets shifts be re-ordered as part of the assignment (and allowing a potentially better result).
Use Case
Useful for businesses that have an active dispatcher team that monitor and manage operations via the NowGo Dashboard.
Useful for businesses that have their own internal fleet where package allocation can be shared across the fleet.
Useful in fleets where job assignment is at least partially handled by the solver.
Useful in fleets where dispatch users actively make assignment decisions, whether during the day or pre-planning.
Example
Users of the NowGo dashboard can quickly insert new jobs coming throughout the day into shifts that are already in progress.
When a day’s plan has been dispatched and new jobs come through you can select the unassigned jobs on the day and use the smart assign function.
You have the options of
Smart Assign Across All Shifts - This means the 5 jobs will be routed across the entire fleet.
Smart Assign Across Selected Shifts - This means the 5 jobs will be routed against a subset of the fleet selected.
In terms or routing options:
Click “Insert only”. This will insert selected jobs in between the current stop order for the appropriate shifts; or
Click “Allow sequencing”. This will allow the existing stops in a shift to be optimised.
Solver
Unlike Sequencing and Smart Assign that target a specific shift or a select few jobs, the Solver feature focuses on whole org based route optimisation. The solver will calculating various possible route combinations based on the day of operations fleet and job information and iterate it’s way to the most optimal solution it can find. To calculate the possible route combinations the solver uses a map layer consisting of the road network which gives the possible roads, the speed limitations informing travel speeds, and road-types which informs the routes the tool producers.
Use Case:
Full Solve - Same Day: Full solves on the same day might be a way to unlock even more potential in the shared fleet, however the risk of using it this way is that it may impact runs that are already active for the day.
Full Solve - Next Day: As long as all shifts and jobs are in the system for the next day, either in unassigned jobs or across shifts. Using the Solve function it will allow the entire next day operation to be optimised.
Example:
