A multi-stop route is a single vehicle's sequence of several job sites in one day, where the truck drives from one stop to the next instead of returning to the shop between jobs.
How a multi-stop route is measured
Each stop's arrival time is built from everything before it.
Arrival at stop n = Start time + Sum of on-site times for stops 1 to n−1 + Sum of drives for legs 1 to n
Drive per stop = Total drive time ÷ Number of stops
Say a truck starts at 8:00. Stop 1 is 20 minutes away and takes 60 minutes. Stop 2 is 30 minutes further and takes 90. The leg to stop 3 is 25 minutes. Arrival at stop 3 is 8:00 + 20 + 60 + 30 + 90 + 25 = 11:45. If stop 1 runs 30 minutes long, stop 3 becomes 12:15, and so does every later stop unless something absorbs it.
Why it matters
That chain is why the last arrival window of the day is usually the widest. Uncertainty in job length and drive adds up stop by stop. It is also why a single bad leg is expensive: it delays every remaining stop, not just one.
Two things keep multi-stop routes reliable:
- Legs that were checked. Each drive should be computed from the previous stop, not from the shop. A route that assumed "15 minutes between jobs" everywhere will drift.
- Order that avoids backtracking. Stops should progress across the area instead of zig-zagging.
Route optimization handles the second, given a set of stops. The first is decided when each stop is booked. Travel-feasible scheduling means a stop only gets added to a route if the truck can reach it from the stop before.
CrewLink applies that check before a slot is offered, computing travel from where the truck will actually be. The result is a multi-stop route built leg by leg, visible on the dispatch board.
A common mistake
Adding a stop by looking only at the gap. A free hour between stop 3 and stop 4 looks like room for a short job. But the new job adds two legs: from stop 3 to it, and from it to stop 4. If those drives eat the hour, stop 4 is now late.
Related terms
- Route planning decides the order of stops.
- Drive time is the time spent on each leg.
- Jobs per day counts the stops a route completes.
Common questions
How many stops should a service route have?
It depends on job length and drive. Divide the working day by average job time plus average drive per stop to get a realistic number.
Why do later stops on a route run late?
Delays and drive estimates add up. Any overrun earlier in the day pushes every later stop unless the schedule has slack.
Does a multi-stop route start at the shop?
Often, but not always. Some technicians start from home. Compute the first leg from wherever the truck actually begins.