Google Helps Fleet Operators Optimize Delivery

March 18, 2022

Google launched its Last Mile Fleet Solution from Google Maps Platform and Cloud Fleet Routing API from Google Cloud—two new solutions to help fleet operators improve delivery success and optimize fleet performance.

The pandemic has accelerated ecommerce adoption and strained supply chains, while consumer expectations around delivery speed and visibility have reached an all-time high.1 At the same time, last-mile delivery is estimated to make up more than half of total shipping costs.2 This means last-mile fleet operators have to work harder to create better consumer experiences and improve their operations. Last Mile Fleet Solution and Cloud Fleet Routing API help fleet operators address these challenges through an integrated suite of mapping, routing, and analytics capabilities.

Cloud Fleet Routing API focuses on the route planning phase of delivery and allows operators to perform advanced fleet-wide optimization, enabling them to determine the allocation of packages to delivery vans and the sequencing of the delivery tasks. Natively integrated with Google Maps routes data, Cloud Fleet Routing API can solve simple route planning requests in near-real-time, and scale to the most demanding of workloads with parallelized request batching. Across this spectrum, customers can specify a variety of constraints, such as time windows, package weights, and vehicle capacities. Cloud Fleet Routing runs on the cleanest cloud in the industry and can help carriers meet sustainability targets by reducing distance traveled, number of delivery vans, and CO2 output from computing.

Last Mile Fleet Solution focuses on delivery execution and allows fleet operators to optimize across every stage of the last-mile delivery journey, from ecommerce order to doorstep delivery. The solution also helps businesses create exceptional delivery experiences for consumers and provides drivers the tools they need to perform at their best when completing tasks throughout the day. It builds on the On-demand Rides & Deliveries mobility solution from Google Maps Platform, which is already used by leading ride-hailing and on-demand delivery operators around the world.

When implemented together, Last Mile Fleet Solution and Cloud Fleet Routing API allows businesses to optimize across every stage of the last-mile delivery journey, with features such as:

Address capture to help obtain an accurate address and location for each pickup or delivery.

Route optimization to help ensure drivers are provided with routes that optimize around the fleet's constraints—including delivery time windows—and adapt based on real-time traffic.

Driver routing & navigation to deliver a seamless driver experience and improve route compliance with in-app navigation powered by Google Maps.

Shipment tracking to keep consumers updated with live, day-of shipment tracking, including up-to-date location and arrival times of customer packages.

Fleet performance to enable visibility into real-time route progress and shipment insights for operations teams.

"The pandemic further accelerated both e-commerce and the number of deliveries, which were already growing rapidly. The increased strain on delivery networks, plus many other factors like driver shortages, poor address data, factory closures, and an increase in fuel prices have impacted delivery time and success," said Hans Thalbauer, Managing Director, Global Supply Chain & Logistics Industries, Google Cloud. "With Google Maps Platform's Last Mile Fleet Solution and Cloud Fleet Routing API, we're making it easier for delivery fleet operators to address these issues and create seamless experiences for consumers, drivers, and fleet managers."

"Our promise to customers is that we'll deliver their goods within 120 minutes of receiving their order, and efficient route planning and navigation is indispensable in helping us achieve that. We chose Google Maps Platform because no other provider supports us so well with data—from distance and travel time data for planning to real-time data while driving," said Thomas Manthey, Head of Engineering, Warehouse and Logistics, flaschenpost SE.

"At Paack, we are obsessed with helping some of the largest e-commerce retailers in Europe create exceptional delivery experiences for the millions of orders they receive each month. To scale quickly, we adopted Last Mile Fleet Solution and Cloud Fleet Routing which enables our drivers and fleet managers to maintain peak efficiency and go beyond our 98% on-time, first-time delivery rates," said Olivier Colinet, Chief Technology & Product Officer, Paack Logistics.

To learn more about Last Mile Fleet Solution and Cloud Fleet Routing API, register for our upcoming Google Cloud Spotlight event, "Shining a light on supply chain and logistics."

Last Mile Fleet Solution is now in Public Preview for companies that directly manage or own their delivery fleet.