Most delivery drivers make the same mistake: they follow the app's delivery order without thinking.
But here's what the apps don't tell you: the order they give you is based on when orders came in — not what's most efficient for YOU.
Professional drivers plan their routes. And that planning is worth $50-100+ per week in saved time and gas.
Why Route Planning Matters
The Cost of Poor Planning
Without route planning:
- You zigzag across your delivery zone
- You pass the same streets multiple times
- You backtrack after realizing you missed nearby stops
- You end up far from home at shift's end
The cost: 30-50% more kilometers than necessary.
What Good Planning Gets You
- Fewer kilometers = less gas
- Faster completion = more deliveries possible
- Less stress = sustainable work
- Earlier finish = more life
Route Planning Fundamentals
1. The Farthest-First Rule
Start with your farthest stops, work your way back home.
Why? You want to end your shift close to home, not 30km away. Plus, you're fresh and focused at the start — tackle the far stuff first.
2. The Cluster Method
Group nearby stops and complete them together.
Look at your stop list:
- Which stops are within 500m of each other?
- Which are in the same apartment building?
- Which are on the same street?
Do these in sequence. Don't jump between clusters.
3. The One-Way Street Awareness
Consider traffic flow, not just distance.
Two stops might look close on a map, but if there's a one-way street or highway between them, the actual drive time could be 10 minutes.
4. The Time-of-Day Factor
Adjust your route based on traffic patterns.
- Rush hour (8-9 AM, 5-7 PM): Avoid downtown and major highways
- School zones: Avoid at 3-4 PM
- Construction zones: Know which ones to avoid today
Manual Route Planning: Step by Step
Step 1: Dump All Stops on Paper (or Screen)
Before you start driving, list all your delivery addresses. If you have packages from multiple platforms, list them all together.
Step 2: Identify Your Zones
Divide your delivery area into rough zones:
- North sector
- South sector
- Downtown/dense area
- Suburban/spread out area
Step 3: Order by Zone
Pick your starting zone (usually the farthest from home) and order all stops in that zone by proximity to each other.
Then move to the next zone, and so on.
Step 4: Refine Within Zones
Within each zone, apply the cluster method:
- Do all apartment building stops together
- Do all street-level house stops together
- Minimize left turns (right turns are faster in North America)
Step 5: Final Check
Before you go:
- Does your route end near home?
- Are there any obvious backtracks?
- Did you account for one-way streets?
The Faster Way: FlexMesh
Manual planning works. But it takes 10-15 minutes and you might still miss optimizations.
FlexMesh automates all of this:
- Scan your waybills — from any carrier (Amazon, Intelcom, UPS, FedEx, etc.)
- Add all stops — packages + food delivery if you do that too
- Tap Optimize — AI considers distance, clusters, traffic patterns
- Follow the route — turn-by-turn, no thinking required
What FlexMesh considers that humans often miss:
- Real-time traffic data
- Optimal left-turn vs right-turn routing
- Walking distance for multi-stop apartment buildings
- Your current location (not just your starting point)
Pro Tips from Experienced Drivers
Tip 1: Pre-Sort Your Packages
Once you know your route, organize packages in your car in delivery order. First delivery on top/front, last delivery at the back.
Tip 2: Screenshot Your Route
Before you lose cell signal (parking garages, rural areas), screenshot your planned route.
Tip 3: Learn Your Regulars
If you deliver to the same buildings often, note:
- Which entrance to use
- Where to park
- Access codes (if customers share them)
Tip 4: Build in Buffer Time
Don't plan a route that requires everything to go perfectly. Add 10% buffer for traffic, parking issues, customer interactions.
The ROI of Route Planning
| Metric | No Planning | Manual Planning | FlexMesh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planning time | 0 min | 12 min | 2 min |
| Backtracking | 5-7 times | 2-3 times | 0-1 times |
| Extra km driven | +40% | +15% | 0% |
| Weekly gas savings | $0 | $25 | $50+ |
Bottom Line
Route planning is the highest-ROI skill for delivery drivers.
Every minute spent planning saves 3-5 minutes driving. Every kilometer saved is money in your pocket.
Start with manual planning if you want. But for maximum efficiency, use FlexMesh — it's what the pros do.
Sources:
Join Discord Community