WHY OPTIMIZE?
We don't optimize kilometres. We optimize euros.
Every route combines fuel, driver hours, and vehicles deployed. Optimization finds the combination that costs the least — not just the shortest trip.
Every kilometre avoided means less fuel, less driver time, and less CO₂. And the biggest win often comes from a vehicle that doesn't go out at all.
Your planning is probably good. Not optimal.
An experienced operator builds consistent routes: they know their customers, their areas, their drivers. The problem isn't skill — it's arithmetic.
With 10 stops, there are 3,628,800 ways to sequence them. With 15 stops, more than 1.3 trillion. And as soon as there are several vehicles, you also have to decide who delivers what — multiplying the possibilities even further.
No one can compare all these options in their head. You settle on one that "looks good." An optimization algorithm, on the other hand, methodically explores this space and finds a significantly better solution in seconds.
| Stops | Possible stop orders |
|---|---|
| 5 | 120 |
| 10 | 3,628,800 |
| 15 | 1,307,674,368,000 |
| 20 | 2,432,902,008,176,640,000 |
Every added stop multiplies the number of possibilities. This is what's known as combinatorial explosion.
Optimizing is not the same as following a GPS
A GPS answers a single question: how do I get from A to B the fastest? Route optimization software answers the three questions that come before that:
- How many vehicles do you need to send out today?
- Which vehicle handles which stops?
- In what order should each vehicle visit them?
The GPS stays useful for the driver once the route is decided. But it's the route itself that determines most of your costs.
| GPS / turn-by-turn navigation | Route optimization |
|---|---|
| A single A → B trip | Dozens of stops, multiple vehicles, multiple depots |
| You decide the order | The order is calculated |
| Minimizes travel time | Minimizes total cost |
| Ignores your fleet | Decides how many vehicles to use |
| Ignores your constraints | Respects time windows, capacities… |
Go further: "Route optimization vs Google Maps: why GPS is not enough"
The three levers behind the cost of a route
Cutting mileage is the most visible goal, but it's only part of the equation. The real cost of a day of operations rests on three items:
Cost of a day =
- kilometres driven × cost per km (fuel, wear, tolls)
- + hours paid × hourly cost (driver's fully-loaded wage)
- + vehicles deployed × fixed cost per vehicle (depreciation, insurance, …)
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Kilometres
Fewer detours and crossovers, less fuel burned.
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Hours
Less wasted time, less overtime, workable days.
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Vehicles
One fewer truck on the road: often the biggest win.
Why this matters
A tool that only minimizes distance can send out an extra vehicle to save a few kilometres — which costs far more. Conversely, accepting a slight detour to fit every stop with one fewer truck is often the better call.
OCTAVE-ENGINE arbitrates in euros. You provide your own costs (cost per km, hourly cost, fixed cost per vehicle), and optimization looks for the cheapest plan for your reality — not for an average.
The algorithm calculates. You decide.
Optimization software doesn't replace your knowledge of the field. It frees you from the calculations so you can apply that knowledge.
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It only knows what you tell it.
The customer who never opens before 10 am, the loading dock trucks can't access: enter it once, and it's accounted for every time after.
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You stay in control.
The proposed plan can be edited by hand: move a stop, reassign a delivery, and the plan adjusts.
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Quality follows your data.
Addresses, distance/time data, costs: the more accurate your parameters, the closer the plan matches your reality.
The algorithm brings computing power. You bring experience. That combination makes the best routes.
- Your data
- Optimization (a few seconds)
- Proposed plan
- Your manual adjustments
- Final exported plan
The benefits beyond the invoice
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For the operator
Tomorrow's plan ready in minutes, even late in the afternoon. And when something unexpected happens, you recalculate instead of starting over.
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For drivers
Balanced, realistic routes that account for breaks. Less overtime, fewer long days: a real argument when hiring is so hard.
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For your customers
Time windows respected. Fewer delays, fewer failed deliveries.
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For your ESG report
Every kilometre avoided is less CO₂ — measurable and reportable in your carbon accounting.
Go further: "Logistics carbon footprint: how to measure and reduce delivery emissions"
An algorithm that respects your real-world rules
A plan that's optimal on paper but impossible in the field is useless. OCTAVE-ENGINE accounts for the real constraints of your operations:
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Costs
- Cost per km, hourly cost, fixed cost per vehicle
- Time / distance / toll data
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Vehicles
- Capacity and loading (bin packing)
- Vehicle type or skill required per stop
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Time
- Delivery time windows
- Service time per stop
- Driver breaks
- Appointments imported from Google Calendar or Outlook
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Organization
- Multiple depots
- Manual plan adjustments
Frequently asked questions
- What's the difference between route optimization and turn-by-turn navigation?
- Turn-by-turn navigation finds the best path between two points. Route optimization decides how many vehicles to use, which stops to assign to each, and in what order to visit them — respecting your constraints and minimizing total cost.
- From what point does optimization become worthwhile?
- As soon as you have several vehicles, or around ten stops with time constraints. At that point, the number of combinations exceeds what you can evaluate by hand.
- Do I need to change my current tools?
- No. A CSV or Excel file is enough to import your stops, and your appointments can sync from Google Calendar or Outlook. The resulting plan exports in one click.
- How long does an optimization take?
- A few seconds, even for hundreds of stops.
- Can I edit the result?
- Yes. The proposed plan is a starting point: you can move or reassign stops by hand before exporting it.
- Is my data secure?
- OCTAVE-ENGINE is developed and hosted in France. Your data stays in France, is never transferred outside the EU, and processing is GDPR-compliant.
The best argument is your own numbers.
Describe a typical day to us. We'll show you the gap between your current planning and an optimized one.
Test it on my routesYour data stays in France and is only used for this test.
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