I recently visited a plant that’s in the process of installing a route-optimization software system. While their investment in this technology is significant, the potential savings are also huge, with the possible elimination of three trucks from a fleet that now services 20-plus routes, primarily hospitality accounts.
 
So what’s the problem, you ask? Well, in order to maximize efficiency on the route, the company would have to eliminate preferred delivery times and adjust the frequency of visits that customers have come to expect. Clearly, this operator must strike a balance between a computer-driven system of ultra-efficient routes ...