Optimising Routes with Yojee: A Guide to Smart Route Planning

Learn how to use Yojee's optimisation technology for efficient route planning, assigning tasks, and controlling vehicle capacity.

Overview

Yojee’s Optimiser provides advanced route planning and task assignment capabilities to improve operational efficiency. This guide covers how to activate optimisation, control its scope, troubleshoot dropped orders, and configure vehicle capacity for optimal results.

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1. Steps to Activate Optimisation

Optimisation can only be completed in the Explore View and Task List View.

To optimise tasks and assign them to drivers, follow these steps:

1. Select Tasks: Use filters to help you narrow down the tasks you want to optimise.
2. Select Drivers: Choose one or more drivers for the optimisation process. The drivers will appear in a list to the right of the orders.
3. Activate Optimisation: Click the "Optimise" button on the ribbon bar.
   
4. Set Optimisation Parameters: Specify settings such as start/end locations, service times, then click "Continue".
5. Review and Assign:
   • Review the suggested routes.
     
   • Click "Assign" to confirm and dispatch the tasks to the selected drivers.

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2. Controlling the Scope of Optimisation

The scope of optimisation is determined by:

• Selected Drivers: Drivers chosen in Step 2.
• Selected Tasks: Tasks selected in Step 1, plus additional tasks that may be automatically included:
  • Existing tasks already assigned to the selected drivers.
  • Tasks linked to selected tasks or existing tasks assigned to the drivers.
• Time Frame: The timeframe starts from the optimisation time while accounting for the drivers' working schedules.

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3. Troubleshooting Dropped Orders

If tasks are not included in the optimised plan, it could be due to data issues. Use this checklist to validate your data:

Data Sanity Checklist

1. Orders Must Be Feasible:

   • Ensure valid pickup and drop-off addresses with mapped roads.
   • If roads are unavailable, disable the “Use real road distances” flag to use crow-fly distance.

2. Time Windows:

   • Verify that task time windows align with the optimisation schedule.
   • Update time windows for orders that fall outside the current timeframe.
3. Driver Availability:
   • Check driver schedules to ensure working hours align with task execution windows.
   • Confirm drivers have enough time to complete the assigned tasks.
4. Service Times:
   • Ensure service times at each location are reasonable for the task execution.

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4. Understanding Penalties and Costs

Yojee’s optimiser uses an objective function to determine the best routing solution. Key metrics include:

• Drop Penalty: A penalty applied to tasks not included in the route.
• Cost Per Kilometre (KM): The cost metric to prioritise shorter routes.

Example Objective Function

The optimiser minimises the total cost C, calculated as:

C = (W1 x Number of Tasks Dropped) + (W2 x Distance Travelled in KM)

Where:

• W1 = Drop Penalty
• W2 = Cost per KM

If route costs significantly exceed the drop penalty (e.g., for long distances), fine-tuning the optimiser settings may be necessary.

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5. Controlling Vehicle Capacity

To ensure tasks respect vehicle capacity limits:

1. Go to Manage > Vehicle Management > Fleet Management.
2. Set capacity limits (e.g., weight, volume) for each vehicle type.
3. Assign the appropriate vehicle type to drivers.

The optimiser will consider these capacity limits when creating routes.

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Key Takeaways

• Optimisation can only be performed in the Explore View and Task List View.
• Troubleshoot dropped tasks with the data sanity checklist.
• Adjust vehicle capacity settings to ensure compliance with load limits.
• Optimise for the most efficient and cost-effective routes using penalties and metrics.