Steps
Step 1: Open Build routes for the day
From the day board choose “Build routes”. The order list shows every open order for that date with its flags, items, temperature, weight and zone; “Select all” or tick the ones you’re delivering.
A build handles up to 300 stops. Split a bigger day into two builds.
Step 2: Pick the vehicles to use
Under “Vehicles to use”, leave nothing picked to use every active vehicle without a route that day, or tick specific ones. Each card shows what the vehicle carries, its limits and whether it already “Has a route this day”.
Step 3: Build
Choose “Build 12 stops” (the count is your selection). Porch Route plans across the whole fleet at once — “Splitting by what each vehicle can carry, then finding the shortest order” — and the same orders and vehicles always plan the same way.
Step 4: Read the result
A clean build returns you to the day board with “3 routes built”. If some stops didn’t fit, “Routes created” lists them under “Unassigned stops” with a plain reason — “No vehicle can carry frozen items — mark a vehicle as frozen-capable”, “Vehicles are full — add capacity or another vehicle” — and offers “Adjust and rebuild”.
The savings banner reads “Saves ~42 miles and 1 h 10 min · vs driving them in the order they came in · estimated distances”.
Step 5: Fine-tune a route
Open a route from the day board. Drag stops to reorder, toggle “Lock in place” on any stop so re-optimizing never moves it, and use a stop’s menu to “Move to another route” (it joins the end of the route you pick) or “Remove from route” (the order goes back to the day’s list). “Re-optimize” re-sequences everything that isn’t locked.
Step 6: Set who drives and when it leaves
“Driver, vehicle and name” opens Route settings: a custom “Name”, the “Driver” (their name goes on customer texts and the tracking page), the “Vehicle” (every stop is checked against what the new vehicle carries), and “Set a departure time” to plan times from a specific leave time instead of your default.
Good to know
- After a manual edit the route shows “Times are estimated since your last edit. Re-optimizing keeps locked stops in place.”
- Every time on screen says what it is: actual, planned or estimated (italic, with ~).
Questions
Why did a stop end up unassigned?
The reason is shown on the stop: usually no vehicle can carry its temperature, no vehicle has a required tag, or the vehicles are full. Fix the fleet and “Adjust and rebuild”.
Will re-optimizing undo my manual order?
Only for unlocked stops. Lock the stops that must stay where they are; re-optimize never moves a locked stop.
Are the savings real?
They compare the same vehicles and stops with driving them in the order the orders came in, using road distances when maps are available. No flattering baseline.