Maximum PC

My company currently has about 200 drivers that dispatch on routes each day. They are using Excel sheets set up and copy/paste drivers's names, route numbers, times, ect into the appropiate block.

Are there any programs out there currently that would support this sort of setup and make it much more user friendly? Or would something like this have to be programmed?

If I read you correctly I would be thinking more along the lines of creating a database. From a software standpoint I would be looking at My SQL or for something small and simple Microsoft Access. Based on what you posted I don't see Excel as the best tool for what they are doing.

Ron

There are lots of vendors providing software for this. You'll have to be more specific.

It always amazes me when I hear about companies running important operations using bubble gum based computing systems... =\


As CrashTech mentioned, we would need more information in order to give you a concise answer. It isn't clear what you're trying to accomplish. I suspect that you have been vague because you're not familiar with the lingo...

Logistic problems like this fall under the large (and very complicated) umbrella of planning problems. This is one of the more difficult problem in computer science / AI. If your company is using fixed routes that were created by hand, it is missing an opportunity to save a lot of money. During Operation Desert Storm, the US military used a planning tool called DART that saved more money than the cost of ALL AI research funded by the government (an incredible ROI... you would think they'd be more willing to fund additional research). HTHs.

The actually routing of the drivers is taken care of by another departing using actual routing programs.

I guess what I'm looking for is a program or way to keep track of the information about the routes. Drivers names, driver employee numbers, route numbers, number of stops on the route, ect. Currently, if we removed a driver from a route (sickness, vacation, ect), we have to manually cut his name out of the schedule, copy it into the "vacation" schedule, and then cut/paste a backup driver and all his information into the route.

It just seems very time wasteful to me the way they are going about it.