5 Common Roadblocks When Rolling Out Route Optimisation – and How to Overcome Them

Investing in route optimisation software is one of the smartest moves a growing fleet operation can make. The efficiency gains are real, the cost savings are measurable, and the impact on customer experience can be transformative. But here’s the thing many vendors won’t tell you upfront: getting the technology in place is only half the challenge. The other half is the rollout itself.

Whether you’re moving away from spreadsheets, replacing a legacy system, or implementing route optimisation for the first time, there are a handful of common stumbling blocks that can slow your progress or, worse, undermine the whole project.

Here’s what to watch out for, and how to navigate each one.

1. Resistance from drivers and dispatchers

This is, without question, one of the most common reasons route optimisation projects stall. People who have managed routes for years – often relying on deeply personal knowledge of roads, customers, and patterns – can feel threatened or undermined when a system starts doing that work for them.

The solution
The fix isn’t better training manuals. It’s better change management.

Start by involving drivers and dispatchers early in the process, before go-live. Let them see the system in action, ask questions, and voice concerns. When people feel heard rather than replaced, adoption tends to follow.

It also helps to frame the technology as a tool that removes the frustrating parts of the job – the last-minute scramble, the manual replanning, the calls from customers asking where their delivery is – rather than a replacement for expertise. A dispatcher’s local knowledge is still valuable; route optimisation software just gives it a smarter foundation to work from.

2. Poor or incomplete data going into the system

Route optimisation software is only as good as the data it works with. If your customer addresses are incomplete, your vehicle capacities aren’t accurately recorded, or your delivery time windows haven’t been updated in months, the system will produce routes that don’t reflect real-world constraints – and that erodes trust in the technology quickly.

The solution
Before rolling out, it’s worth doing a proper data audit. Key things to check include:

• – Customer address accuracy and any site-specific access notes
• – Vehicle types, capacities, and any restrictions (height, weight, road type)
• – Driver working hours and contractual constraints
• – Delivery time windows and customer preferences

MaxOptra’s platform takes all of this into account when generating optimised routes, but it works best when the inputs are clean and current. Think of the data preparation phase as foundational, not optional.

3. Trying to integrate with existing systems too late in the process

Many businesses discover mid-rollout that their route optimisation software needs to talk to their ERP, WMS, CRM, or order management system – and that this integration is more complex than anticipated. Leaving it until late in the project creates delays, data silos, and frustration on all sides.

The solution
The answer is to treat integration planning as a day-one conversation, not an afterthought. Map out exactly which systems need to share data with your route optimisation platform, what that data looks like, and in which direction it needs to flow. The Implementation Team at any good route optimisation solution will be able to support you with this.

MaxOptra’s open API is built to connect with a wide range of third-party platforms – including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Shopify, Kerridge, and telematics systems – but getting those connections configured properly takes time and planning upfront. The good news is that once those integrations are live, the efficiency gains compound significantly.

4. Treating go-live as the finish line

A surprising number of teams put enormous effort into the implementation phase and then assume the job is done once the system is live. In reality, go-live is the beginning of a new operational phase, not the end of a project.

The solution
Route optimisation software needs to be calibrated to your actual operation over time. The first few weeks of live running will surface edge cases, unusual customer requirements, and scenarios the initial configuration didn’t fully account for. If there isn’t a clear process for flagging and resolving these issues, small frustrations accumulate and users start workarounds that undermine the system.

Build in a proper post-launch review period – ideally 30 to 60 days – where you’re actively monitoring performance, gathering feedback from drivers and dispatchers, and refining the setup. MaxOptra customers have access to an ongoing support team for exactly this reason; the system is designed to be adapted, not just deployed.

5. Not measuring the right things

Finally, many businesses struggle to demonstrate the ROI of their route optimisation investment because they haven’t established clear baseline metrics before going live. Without knowing what your average cost per drop, daily mileage, or on-time delivery rate looked like before implementation, it’s very difficult to quantify improvement afterwards.

The solution
Before you roll out, capture your current performance across a handful of key metrics:

• – Average mileage per vehicle per day
• – Cost per delivery (including fuel and driver time)
• – On-time delivery rate
• – Failed delivery attempts
• – Customer complaints related to delivery

Once you’re up and running, MaxOptra’s reporting and analytics tools give you visibility across all of these areas in real time – from stop-level delivery data to vehicle utilisation and driver performance. That data becomes your proof of value, both internally and with stakeholders who need to see the numbers to stay committed to the change.

The bottom line

Rolling out route optimisation isn’t just a technology project. It’s an operational change that affects your people, processes, and data. The businesses that get it right tend to be the ones that treat it that way from day one – investing as much in communication, preparation, and ongoing refinement as they do in the software itself.

If you’re planning a rollout and want to understand how MaxOptra can support a smooth implementation, get in touch with the team or explore how our route optimisation software works in practice.

Frequently Asked Questions About Rolling Out Route Optimisation