Running a Commercial Fleet in Scotland? 3 Reasons Why Route Optimisation Makes Sense

We consider ourselves lucky to be based in Scotland and to work with a range of Scottish businesses. Of course, our business isn’t limited to Scotland. However, we’ve found that through developing relationships with businesses here, we’ve come to appreciate the unique demands that our clients face. If you’re running a commercial fleet in Scotland there are some unique challenges which mean that route optimisation makes sense.

We’re glad to say that the products and services we offer help our clients to keep trading. In particular, software that offers route optimisation can be a real help. Here are just three of the ways route optimisation could benefit your business in Scotland.

Long distance travel

Scotland may be the second largest country in the UK by area, but some parts are harder to reach than others. Around 2% of Scotland’s population live on islands. If your business supplies produce to any of the major supermarkets or even a local post office, you’ll need to be prepared for a trip on the ferry. When you’re travelling a long way it’s easy to rely on your driver to choose their own route, but that may not be the most efficient way to do it.

If your drivers are heading for more remote areas they might also need to work around roads with weight restrictions. Route optimisation helps you to calculate routes that help your drivers to get to your customers (or the ferry) on time. It could also help you to select the right vehicle for the job. If a delivery would be completed more quickly and easily by a van rather than an HGV, optimised routes for different types of vehicle will tell you in advance.

Bad weather

We know it’s a cliché, but bad weather can have a huge impact on travel in Scotland. Snow caused chaos across the UK earlier this year but it was particularly bad in Scotland. We’re sure we don’t have to remind you of the chaos on the M8 with drivers being trapped for hours at a time.

Whilst that was an extreme example, bad weather can cause delays and result in road closures. Your delivery routes could be affected by ice and snow on higher ground or flash flooding elsewhere. Optimised routes won’t help when the whole country is shutting down due to snow. However it can help you to avoid localised problems. You can opt to receive weather warnings and design your routes accordingly. You can also monitor traffic in real time to help your drivers avoid heavy traffic and road closures.

Fuel efficiency

Optimised routes can help you to keep moving and get to your customers on time. However that’s not the only benefit. Sitting in traffic wastes fuel. An optimised route doesn’t just give you the shortest possible journey, but also the most fuel efficient one. Your drivers can avoid heavy traffic and slow moving routes that increase their fuel consumption. That means that you’ll save money on your fuel bills too.

If you’d like to know more about the ways that route optimisation can help you to do business in Scotland, get in touch.