Computerised routing: Its time has come

The costs of commercial fleet management in South Africa continue to rise ahead of the inflation rate. Computerised routing and scheduling promises to alleviate the situation provided it is judiciously applied. This article describes the nature of the routing problem and ways to cope with its complexity. Some results of research into South African firms are presented and this leads to a discussion of computer-based routing and scheduling. The authors offer a framework for assessing routing situations and apply it to cases in South Africa. The relative benefits of the application of computer solutions are discussed and recommendations are made.