Google has launched two new fleet management solutions to improve delivery outcomes for fleet operators.
The new Last Mile Fleet Solution from Google Maps and Cloud Fleet Routing API from Google Cloud enable businesses to streamline their last-mile delivery journeys with a comprehensive range of mapping, routing, and analytics capabilities.
The Last Mile Fleet Solution is an extension of Google Maps' On-demand Rides & Deliveries mobility feature, launched in 2020. The software focuses on delivery execution and allows fleet operators to better optimize the various stages of a last-mile delivery.
The product works in tandem with Google's second announcement, the Cloud Fleet Routing API, which aids in route planning, automating fleet-wide optimization, and providing operators with the ability to determine how packages are assigned and sequenced for delivery. Additionally, enterprises can preset constraints, including delivery schedules, package sizing, and vehicle capacities.
Cloud Fleet Routing API can also help carriers achieve sustainability targets by minimizing CO2 emissions from computing, in addition to optimizing delivery van routes and driving distances.
"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, managing director of global supply chain & logistics at Google Cloud.
"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," added Thalbauer.
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Last Mile Fleet Solution is now available in public preview for companies directly managing or owning their delivery fleets. However, Cloud Fleet Routing API is scheduled for release in Q2 2022.
Commenting on Google’s new fleet solutions, Paack Logistics’ chief technology & product officer, Olivier Colinet, said, "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.
"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," Colinet added.
