Google launches new tools to help businesses optimize their delivery operations

Google today announced two new tools for businesses that operate extensive delivery fleets: the Last Mile Fleet Solution and the Cloud Fleet Routing API. The new Last Mile Fleet Solution, which is part of the Google Maps platform, puts an emphasis on optimizing every step of the last-mile delivery process from ordering to delivery. As the name implies, the new Routing API, which is part of Google Cloud, focuses on route planning across fleets of delivery vehicles.

The Last Mile Fleet Solution is now in public preview. The Cloud Fleet Routing API will become generally available in the second quarter of the year. Since both are enterprise services, there’s no public pricing information available, and potential customers of either product have to work with Google’s sales team.

“The pandemic further accelerated both e-commerce and the number of deliveries, which were already growing rapidly. The increased strain on delivery networks, plus many other factors like driver shortages, poor address data, factory closures, and an increase in fuel prices have impacted delivery time and success,” said Hans Thalbauer, Google Cloud’s managing director for Global Supply Chain & Logistics Industries. “With Google Maps Platform’s Last Mile Fleet Solution and Cloud Fleet Routing API, we’re making it easier for delivery fleet operators to address these issues and create seamless experiences for consumers, drivers and fleet managers.”

Image Credits: Google

Google Maps Platform already features the On-demand Rides & Delivery solution, which helps businesses dispatch on-demand drivers. The company said the new Last Mile Fleet Solution builds upon this service.

The Fleet Routing API, on the other hand, is a completely new Google Cloud service that helps businesses with their route planning. Users will be able to use it to build tools for their internal fleet management systems and have the system optimize delivery routes based on their specific constraints like time window, package weight and vehicle capacity — and in the process, they can also optimize their routes to meet their sustainability targets.

“At Paack, we are obsessed with helping some of the largest e-commerce retailers in Europe create exceptional delivery experiences for the millions of orders they receive each month,” said Olivier Colinet, the CTO and CPO of U.K.-based courier service Paack. “To scale quickly, we adopted Last Mile Fleet Solution and Cloud Fleet Routing, which enables our drivers and fleet managers to maintain peak efficiency and go beyond our 98% on-time, first-time delivery rates.”