Can an alternate route lead to better driver stats?
It’s a sunny afternoon and the deliveries are plentiful. From one drop-off to the next the courier slowly builds a delivery shift. Most nights that process happens without a hitch. Actually, some nights that process happens without a hitch. Other nights there are backup plans and one work around, or another. One type of workaround a courier sees a lot of, is the alternate route. This workaround requires flexibility. And a general knowledge of the delivery area, doesn’t hurt either.
With this in mind, the alternate route can be a GPS suggested route. Or it can be a route the courier knows firsthand. The courier’s route might not be a suggested GPS option, but if it works, it works. The GPS won’t get into the driver’s stats. The alternate route is usually the driver’s choice. The GPS suggested routes are exactly that. Suggested. Even if the map is in a delivery app, the suggested alternate routes, are only suggestions.
However, a delivery app might be tracking more than the courier’s location. In fact, some insurance apps also do some additional tracking. Sometimes this tracking data is about basic driving reactions. Other times it’s about driving conditions. For example, the speed of the vehicle and its location relative to its lane. There are also things like hard braking and sudden stops. As well as, rapid acceleration. Many of these metrics can be tracked through the phone. However, do they help a courier’s overall stats?
The Alternate Route
A long list of data can paint a picture. Not only is it a snapshot of a driver’s abilities, but also it can be a record of a driver’s supposed mistakes. Hard braking might be frowned upon in the stats. However, the squirrel that the courier saved by having a split second reaction time on the brakes, begs to differ. Or maybe the vehicle that pulled in front of the courier was spared a collision, because of the alert courier. The stats will show the hard braking, but not the reason for the hard braking.
This is also something to consider with speed. An alternate route can take more time. Furthermore, the delivery app sets the expected drop-off time. If the courier has to use an alternate route, it is possible to alert the drop-off customer of the delay. But it isn’t possible to reset the expected drop-off time in the app. If that were possible, no delivery would ever be late.
Nevertheless, the opposite, is also true. An alternate route can create the need for speed. In fact, since it’s an alternate choice, there will need to be more speed to make up for the delay. And it’s easy to slip into that mental state. Especially when faced with choosing an alternate route. Resisting the urge to push that speed envelope is key to maintaining the stats. It is also a great way to avoid the blue light special speeding citation.
The Better Driving Stats
Better driving stats come from better driving. It almost sounds like a driving instructor’s mantra. However, conscientious and safe driving, is an effective way to maintain positive driving stats. An alternate route can have an effect on the courier’s stats. The level of influence a route has on the stats, is mostly up to the courier. Or squirrels, respectively.
It comes down to an alternate route being nearly the same, as the preferred route. Sometimes a courier will choose a route based on criteria that matters exclusively to the courier. Then it becomes an alternate route of convenience. The stats don’t mean a hill of beans to the courier on those routes. It’s just something the courier, and the squirrels, enjoy doing. Stay safe out there.
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