For multi-stop delivery, collection, and field service teams
AI Dispatch Software That Assigns the Right Driver to Every Job
Assign the day’s work, fit in new stops, and keep customers informed. Upper’s AI Dispatcher checks skills, vehicles, availability, and workload — then automates routine assignments so your team can focus on the decisions that need them.
See how your rules shape the plan — and which decisions Upper can take off your team’s hands. Or try Upper free for 7 days, no credit card.
What is AI dispatch software?
AI dispatch software assigns each job to the right driver or crew automatically, using your rules for skills, vehicle, hours, territory and workload, then re-plans the day when orders, delays or absences change it. Upper’s AI Dispatcher shows each match with its reasons and a confidence score, and Upper’s Autopilot can accept routine matches above your threshold.
Gartner expects 60% of enterprises using supply chain software to adopt agentic AI features by 2030, up from 5% in 2025 (Gartner, April 2026).
- Automated assignment:
- Match work using skills, equipment, location, availability, and workload.
- Dynamic route optimization:
- Recalculate the plan when new work, cancellations, or delays change the day.
- Human control:
- Review recommendations with their reasoning and confidence scores; automate routine matches within your settings.
- Customer communication:
- Send customer updates and tracking links through Upper’s notification tools.
- Delivery visibility:
- Track route progress and collect photos, signatures, and notes as proof of completed work.
Why manual dispatch breaks down
Who can take another stop? Do they have the right vehicle? What happens to the deliveries after it?
Answering usually means checking a schedule, opening a map, and calling a driver. Repeat that all day, and coordinating the team starts to take over your own work.
Upper uses your operating rules to recommend assignments and automate routine matches. Your team can see the plan, follow progress, and spend time on work that still needs a human decision.
How AI driver assignment works
Start with the work due today — including repeat customers and new requests. Upper checks which drivers or crews are eligible, then weighs travel time, availability, workload, and the effect on the rest of their route.
A route with fewer stops can still be the fuller day. Upper includes travel and time on site when weighing the next assignment, so workload is more than a stop count.
Dispatch rules: Skills, vehicles, hours and territories
People and vehicles:
Required skills, certifications, equipment, and vehicle fit.
Availability and workload:
Working hours, time off, job limits, and configured capacity.
Customer requirements:
Location, service territory, time on site, and preferred arrival windows.
Repeat work and priorities:
Recurring visits and urgent jobs alongside the day’s other commitments.
Required skills, equipment, and territories decide who is eligible. Arrival preferences help shape the schedule — with significant deviations flagged for review.
Your operating knowledge becomes part of the assignment process, even when someone else is covering dispatch.
Real-time route changes and driver reassignment
Before you say yes to a rush order or move a delayed stop, you need to know what else will be affected. Upper evaluates the wider schedule and suggests changes you can review.
When no eligible driver can take the work, Upper shows the blocking reason. Unassigned stops stay visible so your team can arrange cover, offer another time, or contact the customer.
Your dispatcher approves recovery changes and confirms practical details — like transferring goods already loaded onto another vehicle. McKinsey describes a last-mile operator with more than 10,000 vehicles that saved $30–35 million with virtual dispatcher agents on a $2 million investment (McKinsey, April 2025).
Autopilot: Automated dispatch with reasons you can check
You should be able to answer “Why this driver?” before you act on a recommendation.
Upper shows the recommended person, proposed start and finish, estimated travel, and a confidence score. Open the reasoning to see how skills, proximity, availability, and workload contributed to the match.
Review suggestions yourself, or let Upper’s Autopilot accept routine matches above your chosen confidence threshold. Critical conflicts are never automatically accepted. Recovery suggestions also stay subject to review before changes are applied.
A confidence score describes the match quality. It is not a probability of on-time delivery.
See a routine assignment — and what happens when a job cannot fit.
Driver app, live tracking and customer alerts
Driver dispatch app:
Send routes, stop details, and delivery instructions to drivers’ phones so they know what to do next.
Live GPS tracking:
Check locations and completed stops on the map before interrupting someone for an update.
Automated customer updates:
Send delivery notifications and tracking links by SMS or email so customers can follow progress.
Proof of delivery:
Drivers record photos, signatures, and notes at the stop — so the office has a record without searching message threads or calling the driver back.
How WIN Waste Innovations tracks every stop with Upper
WIN Waste Innovations uses Upper’s route planning, live tracking, and proof of service for daily cart-replacement visits. The team can retrieve photos tied to each stop — instead of searching phone galleries and message threads.
Route planning results from the story: 30% more stops completed per crew member each day, a 52% increase in driver productivity, and daily route planning in 10 minutes or less instead of 45–60 minutes.
Read the route-operations story →
“Upper just solved it — every photo is tied to the address, the date, the crew member.”
Dispatch automation for delivery, waste and field teams
Also fits other logistics teams Upper serves, such as foodservice and beverage, industrial supply, building materials, fuel and propane, industrial gas, linen, furniture and bulky items, multi-site supply, snow, and other multi-stop days.
How to set up AI dispatch in 4 steps
Step 1: Bring in your work.
Import jobs and team records from CSV. Check addresses, visit durations, availability, and job requirements.
Step 2: Set your dispatch rules.
Configure skills, equipment, territories, work schedules, and capacity settings.
Step 3: Test before you automate.
Check a normal day and an awkward one — an absence, an urgent request, or work that cannot fit.
Step 4: Turn on Autopilot for routine matches.
Set your confidence threshold and keep critical conflicts with your team.
Judge the difference against your current process: time spent assigning work, time spent resolving changes, and stops left unassigned.
Run dispatch from your browser. Keep the telematics you already trust. We’ll review how order and customer data can reach Upper as part of evaluating the setup.
AI dispatch vs manual dispatch vs route optimization
Route optimization orders the stops on each route. Manual dispatch leaves every match to a person. AI dispatch suggests who takes each job and re-plans when the day changes.
| Compare | Manual dispatch | Route optimization tools | AI dispatch (Upper) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who picks the driver | A dispatcher, by hand | A dispatcher; the tool orders the stops | The software suggests or auto-assigns by your rules |
| Skills, vehicle, hours, territory | From memory or spreadsheets | Varies by tool | Checked for every match |
| When the day changes | Phone calls and re-planning | Re-run the route | Suggests reassignments; your team reviews |
| Explains the choice | No | Usually no | Reasons plus a confidence score |
| Who has the final say | The dispatcher | The dispatcher | The dispatcher; Autopilot only accepts routine matches above your threshold |
| Customer updates and proof | Manual calls | Varies by tool | SMS or email updates, tracking link, proof of delivery |
| Cost | Dispatcher time | Upper Starter: $50 per user per month ($40 yearly) | Upper Optimize: $89 per user per month ($71 yearly) |
| Best fit | A few drivers, few changes | Stable routes that only need sequencing | Multi-stop teams with skills, vehicles and same-day changes |
See how Upper would assign one of your real days.
AI dispatch software FAQs
What is AI dispatch software?
It is software that decides which driver or crew should take each job, based on your dispatch rules, and updates those assignments as the day changes. Upper’s version adds explained recommendations and Autopilot for routine matches; see how it works above.
Is Upper’s AI dispatch the same as automated dispatch software?
The terms overlap. Automated dispatch software carries out assignments using rules and workflows; it may also use AI. Upper’s AI dispatching software scores eligible matches, explains recommendations, and can automatically accept routine assignments within your settings.
How is Upper’s AI dispatch different from route optimization?
Route optimization can allocate stops across vehicles and sequence routes around constraints. AI dispatch adds assignment review, routine automation, and exception handling as work changes throughout the day. Upper brings these jobs together.
Does Upper’s AI Dispatcher replace the human dispatcher?
No. Your dispatcher sets the rules, reviews exceptions and makes the hard calls. Autopilot only accepts routine matches above the confidence threshold you choose, and critical conflicts are never accepted automatically.
What if Upper picks the wrong driver?
Every suggestion shows the driver, the proposed start and finish, the estimated travel, a confidence score and the reasons for the match. You can change any assignment before it goes out, or raise the threshold so fewer matches are automated.
What changes for our drivers with Upper?
Drivers receive their route and stop details, navigate to each location, and record completion from the driver app. Include a driver in the evaluation to check that this handoff works for the people using it every day.
Can Upper handle recurring routes and jobs?
Yes. Set recurring jobs on weekly, biweekly, or monthly schedules. Upper considers those commitments alongside new work. If your routes rarely change and you only need sequencing, route optimization alone may be enough.
Will we have to enter orders twice in Upper?
No. You can import jobs and team records from CSV, and Upper connects with Shopify, WooCommerce, monday.com and GrazeCart. For other order systems, check during the demo how new orders, changes and cancellations reach dispatch.
How much does AI dispatch software cost?
AI dispatch software is usually priced per user, per month. The cost depends on your team size, how much of dispatch you want to automate, and the integrations you need. See current plans on the Upper pricing page.
Can I try Upper before I buy?
Yes. Upper has a 7-day free trial with no credit card. The trial includes Professional plan features except SMS. AI driver assignment is in the Optimize plan, so book a demo to see it on your own jobs.
See Upper’s AI dispatch live: Book a demo
Bring one messy day: your jobs, drivers and rules. We’ll show you the plan Upper’s AI Dispatcher builds, the reason for each match, and which decisions stay with your team.