Routes in Fleet Watch allow you to create predefined paths with check points that units should visit according to specified schedules. This functionality is useful for monitoring public transport, delivery services, and any other operations where vehicles need to follow specific routes.

Basic Concepts

Before working with routes, it’s important to understand the key concepts:

• Route: A sequence of check points corresponding to specific places on the map.
• Schedule: The time-based schedule for passing the check points of the route.
• Ride: The movement of a unit along the route according to the established schedule. A ride requires a route, a schedule, and an assigned unit.

Creating Routes

1. Click New on the Routes tab
2. Specify the route name
3. Select a route color (optional)
4. Add a description (optional)
5. Add check points using one of the methods below
6. Select the routing source
7. Enable route optimisation if needed
8. Click Save

Adding Check Points

You can add check points in three ways:

1. From the map:
   • Click “Add check points from map”
   • Select the address source
   • Enter the required address or double-click on the map
   • Click “Add as check point”
2. From geofences:
   • Click “Add check points from geofences”
   • Select the required geofence from the list
   • The geofence shape and size will be used instead of a radius
3. From units:
   • Click “Add check points from units”
   • Select the required unit from the list
   • The point will be considered visited when a unit approaches it within the specified radius

After adding points, you can change their sequence using the reorder icon.

Optimising Routes

If your route has more than two points, you can optimise it to determine the most suitable order to visit all points:

1. Select the map source
2. Click Optimize
3. Review the route length before and after optimisation
4. Click Cancel to return to the original route if needed

Creating Schedules

After creating a route, you need to create a schedule:

1. Click the “New schedule” icon next to the route
2. Specify the schedule name
3. Select the schedule type:
   • Absolute: For one-time use with specific dates and times
   • Relative to day: For daily use at the same time
   • Relative to activation: For multiple uses per day, with timing relative to when the ride is activated
4. Set arrival and departure times for each check point
5. Specify time variations (allowed delays or early arrivals)
6. Select the check points order:
   • Strict: All points must be passed in the established order without skipping
   • Skipping possible: Points should be visited in order but can be skipped
   • Arbitrary: Points can be passed in any order
7. Set time limitations if needed (specific months, days, or hours)
8. Assign units to the schedule (for automatic ride creation)
9. Click Save

Managing Routes

The routes in the work list are sorted alphabetically. You can:

• View different types of route information (Routes, Schedules, Check points, Active units)
• Edit route properties
• Add new schedules
• View the list of rides
• Create rides manually
• Copy routes or schedules
• Delete routes or schedules
• Enable/disable automatic creation of rides

Creating and Monitoring Rides

A ride is created when a unit starts moving along a route according to a schedule. Rides can be created:

1. Manually: Click the “Create ride manually” icon next to the schedule
2. Automatically for schedules with the “Relative to day” type
3. Automatically using notifications with the “Create a ride” action

Tracking Rides

You can track rides in several ways:

1. Timeline: A special panel at the bottom of the Routes tab showing the schedule and current time
2. Notifications: Configure notifications of the “Route progress” type to get alerts about ride status
3. Reports: Generate reports on rides using the “Rides” and “Check points” tables

Reports on Routes

The system automatically registers all changes related to the progress of rides, allowing you to generate reports:

• For units: “Rides” and “Check points” tables
• For routes: “Rides” and “Log” tables

If you need this report set up, please contact us.

Best Practices

• Visually evaluate the route on the map before adding schedules
• Consider using the Routing tool for more advanced route planning.