Detours and road closures for better route selection
The best plans take plenty of research for optimum results. The same can be said for route selection. It takes research to find an optimum route. Even with years of traveling the same roads, route selection is still a major component of timely delivery. GPS improvements and smart phones have made route selection a valuable resource for the courier. In fact, when combined with first hand knowledge of an area, route selection is half the delivery.
With this in mind, the timely completion of a delivery relies on route selection. This isn’t to say that a GPS suggested route is the only option. When the GPS suggests a route, the criteria for selection is straightforward. The shortest distance between two points. The suggested route will have alternate possibilities. For example a route through the city, as compared to a route around the city. Both are routes to the same destination. However, they use different roads to achieve the goal.
Furthermore, this is an expected function of the GPS. However, the GPS cannot predict road closures. It can help with detours and workarounds. But road closures are a different story. Sometimes the highway department has its own plans. Sure, they may put a large blinking sign alongside the road announcing the closure. But who pays attention to those things anyway? Likewise it may be an unexpected traffic emergency. Some accidents require a road closure while an investigation takes place.
Detours and Road Closures
Although it doesn’t happen often, road closures, usually create a detour. Even if it’s backtracking the current route. Occasionally it’s a temporary detour. Therefore it will not be there, when the main road reopens. Those types of detours are easy and usually take less time than the alternative. The alternative is a different route altogether. Or the workaround route. This usually happens before encountering the road closure.
In a true detour situation, an alternate route is more than a suggestion. In fact, it can be an opportunity. Many couriers work with the suggested route in the mapping system. It’s quick to locate, and saves time. Most every courier is trying to save time. However, there are plenty of time saving routes, in the GPS. There’s more than one way to reach a destination. Likewise, there’s more than one specific route. But what happens when unexpected road closures, close the suggested route?
That is a question that gets a lot of attention. Almost everyone has met with a detour at least once. It makes for a tense situation when considering a detour. Without the benefit of GPS, the signs are the guides. Just follow the detour signs. And learn a new route. It’s actually helpful if the courier already knows an alternate route. In that sense, it wouldn’t be a new route. It would be, taking the detour.
Better Route Selection
That is the idea behind memorizing a zone. Having memorized knowledge of an area, and its roads, is a bonus for the courier. Furthermore, it’s entirely possible to memorize a zone. In fact, every time a courier returns to the same location, it becomes part of the memorization of the area. This can actually lead to new discoveries. For example, new roads, or new landmarks. Having these details in memory is a courier best practice.
Furthermore, it is something every courier can learn. It starts with browsing alternate routes. And one of the easiest ways to do this, is by looking at all the possible routes in the GPS map. Most couriers are familiar with their zones. Taking an extra minute to look for quicker alternatives, is also a courier best practice. Additionally, the information is already something the courier is researching. Usually just after the pickup.
Taking an extra minute to look at alternative routes is good preparation, in case of road closures. Sometimes the courier may make a connection that the GPS map can’t. For instance, combining two different routes to make a shorter, or quicker, route. It’s worth a second look, even if the courier knows the route by heart. There’s always room for improvement. And every delivery benefits from an improved courier. Stay safe out there.
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