Smooth transition to electric trucks with PTV Route Optimiser
In 2021, Netherlands-based delivery company TSN Groen has shifted into more sustainable operations: Half of its 120-strong truck fleet is now fully electric. By relying on PTV Route Optimiser software, the company successfully optimized its deliveries – adjusting to the use of electric vehicles (EV) while improving the level of service.
The switch to electric trucks impacted the company’s transport planning. Planners now need to consider not only efficient routes, but also the range of EVs and how to get the most out of their batteries. They are assisted by routing and scheduling software PTV Route Optimiser. With the software, they easily create vehicle profiles for diesel and electric trucks, which have different ranges.
“First, we assign small parcels to diesel vehicles, because the number of stops and kilometers is too big for EVs”, says Robin Smaling, the company’s Manager of Operations & Sales. Then, large products are assigned to EVs. What is left is divided among the diesel trucks. “In these three steps, we create an optimal route planning which is as green as possible”, says Smaling.
Thanks to PTV Route Optimiser, consumers receive a text message two hours before the delivery, and a phone call half an hour before arrival. "Because of the quality of the data and the tight planning, more than 95% of all shipments arrive within the agreed time period,” says Smaling, “the reliability is so high that this year we will even be able to switch to a delivery time window of only one hour".
The availability of data has another advantage: The route planning process is now largely automatic. "In the past, the planner drew lines between stops, and only used PTV Route Optimiser to calculate routes”, says Smaling, “Now it's the other way around: The software makes a planning proposal, which is checked by the planner and adjusted if necessary."
TSN Groen has grown and now makes 1,500-2,000 shipments per day, which is too much for manual planning. The use of PTV Route Optimiser helps eliminate human errors. “By automating, the planners save time, which they can now spend on monitoring the routes", tells Smaling.
