Commercial Vehicle Routing Made Faster and Better with HGV App
What is HGV Route Planner Software?
An HGV route planner (also known as a truck route planner) is a software solution that helps create the most optimal routes for heavy goods vehicles.
Here’s how it works: An HGV route planner helps plan routes based on the factors that matter the most for commercial vehicles. These include vehicle size, capacity constraints, height restrictions, real-time traffic, and road conditions. Plus, you get an interactive map to view and manage your routes, track your drivers, and respond proactively if needed.
Upper’s HGV route planner app allows you to manage all your commercial routing operations with ease. Whether it’s scheduling deliveries, optimizing HGV routes, managing their dispatch, or tracking drivers, Upper does it all centrally and efficiently.
Want to see how Upper transforms your HGV routing? Let’s dive in to find out!
Features That Simplify Your HGV Routing
Manual HGV routing is a nightmare – and we know that! You’ve got to handle long-haul multi-stop routes, schedule delivery dispatch, monitor drivers, and enforce regulatory compliance. Worry not, as Upper comes packed with extensive features to help you out.
- AI-powered vehicle-specific routing
- Stop customization
- Dynamic route adjustments
- GPS-based tracking
- Mobile app for drivers
- Capacity optimization
- Manifest-based loading
- Reports & analytics
- Quick order import
- Truck Stop Suggestions
- Compliance with HoS Regulations
With Upper, you can create routes that avoid tolls, highways, road closures, one-way streets, or congested urban areas. Our system lets you configure vehicles’ capacity specifics to ensure cargo doesn’t exceed the capacity constraints of vehicles’ routes.
Proven Performance: Upper by the Numbers
We Don’t Claim Our Excellence: Our Numbers Do!
200%
Increase
in deliveries
90%
Automation
in route planning
100%
Drivers’ productivity
Top Benefits
You Can Get from HGV Routing
Improved productivity
With optimal HGV routes, your drivers can minimize time at each stop and maximize stops per route. This translates to fewer trips and higher productivity.
Lowered operational costs
Efficient HGV routes reduce idling, backtracking, and unwanted detours. They also minimize the total distance traveled and fuel and maintenance costs.
Enhanced drivers’ safety
Configuring vehicle-specific capacity constraints and ensuring trucks follow routes that match them ensure drivers’ safety.
Reinforced regulatory compliance
When you schedule drivers and stops based on drivers’ shift durations and breaks, you can easily achieve compliance with Hours of Service (HoS) regulations.
Elevated customer satisfaction
Upper’s real-time tracking lets you monitor drivers’ progress and inform customers of estimated arrival times. Further, optimized routes help ensure on-time deliveries, enhancing customer satisfaction.
Reduced environmental impact
Less distance on the road means less fuel costs and lowered carbon emissions. Establish forward-thinking sustainable fleet operations and set yourself as an eco-conscious business.
“At Northern Express Logistics, Upper’s route manifest management feature proved to be revolutionizing. By automating manifest creation, we’ve saved valuable time and minimized errors, ensuring accurate and efficient delivery execution.”
Integrations that Make
HGV Route Management a Breeze
Upper integrates with the most essential tools you need to streamline your HGV routing operations.
What Things Should
a HGV Route Planner Do?
When selecting HGV route planning software, prioritize the key features specific to the HGV industry. Below are a few you can consider.
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Begin with scheduling and dispatching. Your HGV route planner must schedule and assign loads based on vehicles’ capacity specifications. It should also automate your route dispatch to multiple drivers so your process becomes faster.
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Pick software that provides advanced vehicle-specific routing. It must consider multiple constraints, such as delivery time windows, drivers’ shifts, capacity specifics, and order priority when planning routes.
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Real-time route adjustments are essential to accommodate last-minute orders, cancellations, or emergencies. So, your software must provide dynamic routing capabilities to help you with that.
- Another crucial aspect is the degree of route customization. You want to pick routes that avoid tolls or highways or optimize them based on time or distance. A good HGV route planner must provide all these custom options.” alt=”degree of route customization”/>
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Once your drivers set out, it’s time to track their progress. So, look for software that provides GPS-enabled tracking that lets you view their live locations.
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Communication is key to building customers’ trust. So, ensure you get automated delivery status notifications, up-to-date ETAs, and reminders in the software you pick.
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Look for extensive integration capabilities. You can check for integration with order management software to expedite delivery routing and ELDs to track drivers’ hours.
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A good HGV route planner must provide drivers with remote access to daily delivery schedules and route updates. It makes a mobile app for drivers non-negotiable.
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Want to monitor your business performance? Get software that provides advanced reporting capabilities to analyze and improve it with informed decisions.
Tips to Optimize HGV Routes
HGV routing is not a cakewalk. However, you can follow some good strategies to simplify it, as follows.
- 1 Keep your data handy: Collect all your crucial information, including customers’ locations, delivery distances, vehicle dimensions, and traffic patterns. Consider picking roads with fewer stops, avoiding high-congestion areas, and scheduling journeys during off-peak hours.
- 2Check your trucks before departure: Check your vehicles for tire pressure, fuel, and braking systems every time before they depart. It will minimize mid-way breakdown incidents and the heavy costs you need to fix them.
- 3Enforce regulatory compliance: Keep in mind two crucial aspects while planning commercial truck routes. First, avoid overloading your trucks beyond their capacity or route them to no-go truck-restricted roads. Second, ensure your drivers’ total driving hours don’t exceed the limit specified by state-wise HoS regulations.
- 4Stay ready for the unexpected: Be prepared to handle unforeseen incidents. For instance, you can keep a list of repair shops and service stations that your drivers can turn to in vehicle breakdowns. Make a mandatory checklist for drivers, which includes clothes, non-perishable items, and first-aid kits so they can act fast in emergencies.
- 5 Ensure real-time communication: Stay in touch with your drivers and customers alike. Provide your drivers with a mobile app to coordinate with you, convey run-time issues, and get quick assistance in resolving them. To keep customers in the loop, use GPS technology to track drivers’ real-time progress and send accurate ETAs to build transparency.
- 6Conduct regular training: Train your drivers on smart driving practices. Offer hands-on lessons on maneuvering large vehicles and fixing minor to moderate vehicle issues quickly. You can also guide them on smooth acceleration, braking, and effective use to minimize wear/tear and environmental impact.
- 7Use an HGV route planner: Integrate professional-grade truck routing software to analyze your data and create the best multi-stop routes. An HGV route planner also reroutes vehicles to avoid traffic jams and resequence stops to handle sudden changes.
By following these tips diligently, you are sure to create the best HGV routes every time.
Comparing the 5 Best HGV Route Planner Apps
With a plethora of HGV route management software solutions on the market, finding the most suitable option can be overwhelming. Worry not, as we’ve done it for you and hand-picked the top five HGV routing apps that you can consider.
We evaluated features you can’t forgo in HGV routing – vehicle-specific route planning, integration capabilities, real-time tracking capabilities, and regulatory compliance.
So, here’s our final list of top HGV route planning software.
01 MyRouteOnline
Best for businesses needing Excel-based route optimization
User rating: 4.6 (111)
Let us tell you why we think MyRouteOnline could be your perfect match if you’re looking to upgrade from Excel-based planning. We’ve found it’s like having a smart assistant that takes your spreadsheets and turns them into optimized routes – pretty neat, right?
What really won us over was how user-friendly everything is. The free version is a great way to dip your toes in the water – we’d definitely recommend giving it a try before you commit. The driving directions are crystal clear, which your drivers will thank you for.
Just keep in mind that you’ll need to be a bit careful with your Excel formatting, and once you’ve input an address, you’re pretty much stuck with it. But don’t let that scare you off – if you’re after solid GPS tracking and an interface that won’t give you headaches, you’re in good hands here.
Pricing: Starts at $19/month
02 Samsara
Best for businesses prioritizing driver safety and compliance
User rating: 4.4 (657)
If you’re looking for a complete fleet management solution, we think you’ll love what Samsara brings to the table. In our testing, we found it seamlessly connects your fleets, equipment and management team in one unified platform.
What stood out to us was their comprehensive fuel reporting and paperless vehicle inspections. We were impressed by how easily drivers can complete checks and sign off from their phones, while managers get detailed fuel trends to keep costs in check.
While we love the advanced safety features and dynamic dispatching, just note they prefer long-term commitments, and the alert system could use some automation. But if you’re ready for a lasting partnership, we think you’ll find Samsara delivers excellent value.
Pricing: Custom, based on types and numbers of vehicles in your fleet.
03 Route4Me
Best for businesses prioritizing real-time tracking and navigation
User rating: 4.4 (390)
We must say that Route4Me really impressed us with its perfect blend of navigation smarts and route optimization. If you’re all about keeping tabs on your deliveries in real time, you’re going to appreciate what this software can do.
What got us excited was how it keeps you connected with your drivers while plotting the shortest paths possible. Trust us – your customers will love getting those accurate delivery updates, and your drivers will appreciate the clear navigation.
There’s just one small hiccup – you can’t delete stops once they’re in the system. But honestly? We think the benefits far outweigh this minor inconvenience, especially if you’re serious about streamlining your delivery operations.
Pricing: Starts at $149/month
04 WorkWave Route Manager
Best for businesses seeking time window planning and API integration
User rating: 4.3 (81)
Looking for something that can handle tight delivery schedules while playing nice with your other business tools? We think WorkWave might be just what you need. After putting it through its paces, we were impressed by how it handles those tricky time-sensitive deliveries.
You’ll love the mobile app – we certainly did. It keeps your drivers connected and your operations running smoothly. Plus, if you’re tech-savvy, you’ll appreciate how easily it integrates with your existing systems.
We did notice some occasional glitches, but here’s the good news: their technical support team is top-notch and always ready to help you out. If you can look past the occasional hiccup, we think you’ll find WorkWave to be a reliable partner for your delivery operations.
Pricing: Starts at $54 per month per vehicle
05 TourSolver
Best for large-scale HGV operations requiring advanced route simulation
User rating: 4.2 (30)
If you’re among fleet managers running large-scale delivery operations, you’ll love what TourSolver offers. In our testing, we found it particularly impressive for handling those challenging long-distance and heavy-load deliveries that keep your business moving.
You’ll find yourself saving hours with its route simulation features – we were amazed at how easily it helped us assess delivery times and cut down on costs. One of our favorite features is how you can export your schedules in various formats, making it super simple to keep your whole team in the loop.
Here’s the thing though – while we think it’s fantastic for larger organizations, you might want to think twice if you’re running a smaller operation. The price tag is on the higher side, but if you’ve got the scale to justify it, we believe you’ll get every penny’s worth.
Pricing: Starts at $44 per user per month
Still Not Sure?
Try Upper, the HGV Route Planner that Boosts Your Cost Savings by 2x with Essential Features and Unmatched Customization.
