Why you should not use Google maps to calculate your truck route

Google maps is your friend in many circumstances but when it comes to calculating the best routes for your trucks, nothing beats a professional truck route planning system.

Every transport manager must keep an eye on truck routes, transport costs and time, and knows that the key to competent customer service lies in the exact right balance between these factors. 

Relying on Google maps to plan your truck route, without any click option for “vehicle profile”, will surely give you the fastest route for a small personal vehicle. However, in addition to the risk of crossing into environmental zones, this route may take you through narrow streets, across a congested city, and under a low-ceiling bridge.

As Google has no idea that your truck is more voluminous and challenging to navigate than a Clio, risk is that your vehicle ends up stuck in the middle of a crowded downtown – with tons of goods well on its way to be delivered too late and huge amounts of frustration in the field as well as at the office.

In addition to a route that turned out far from optimized, it may also end up as an expensive truck adventure as Google does not show potential toll or other transportation costs. Finally, with no room for human considerations, such as rest time for your drivers or time required to unload and service your customers at destination, Google reaches its limits as an effective and reliable route planning partner.

What appeared to be a shortcut in a first time, simply typing in an address on Google, may well turn out to be a long and costly detour in terms of both time, money and, not the least, unhappy customers.

Why use a professional route planner?

A professional route planner can take you where Google cannot and calculate not only the fastest and smoothest way to get your goods from A to B – but the optimal truck route.

The transport management software takes into account all relevant – and in many cases crucial – data: truck and hazardous goods restrictions, individual vehicle profiles, as well as transport costs and toll costs. Based on this, you can provide your customers with exact quotations. In addition, the transport manager can optimize the sequence of stops and ensure that your customers receive the very best service.