Product News: Google's last-mile fleet solution & Cloud Fleet Routing API

Google announced the launch of Last Mile Fleet Solution fromGoogle Maps Platform and Cloud Fleet Routing API from Google Cloud—two solutions to help fleet operators improve delivery success and optimize fleet performance.

Last Mile Fleet Solution and Cloud Fleet Routing API promise to help fleet operators address these challenges through an integrated suite of mapping, routing, and analytics capabilities.

The Cloud Fleet Routing API focuses on the route-planning phase of delivery and allows operators to perform advanced fleet-wide optimization, enabling them to determine the allocation of packages to delivery vans and the sequencing of the delivery tasks. Natively integrated with Google Maps routes data, Cloud Fleet Routing API can solve simple route-planning requests in near-real-time, and scale to the most demanding of workloads with parallelized request batching.

Across this spectrum, customers can specify a variety of constraints, such as time windows, package weights, and vehicle capacities. Cloud Fleet Routing runs on the cleanest cloud in the industry, says Google, and can help carriers meet sustainability targets by reducing distance traveled, number of delivery vans, and CO2 output from computing.

Last Mile Fleet Solution focuses on delivery execution and allows fleet operators to optimize across every stage of the last-mile delivery journey, from e-commerce order to doorstep delivery. The solution also helps businesses create exceptional delivery experiences for consumers and provides drivers the tools they need to perform at their best when completing tasks throughout the day. It builds on the On-demand Rides & Deliveries mobility solution from Google Maps Platform, which is already used by leading ride-hailing and on-demand delivery operators around the world, per its maker.

When implemented together, Last Mile Fleet Solution and Cloud Fleet Routing API promise to enable businesses to optimize across every stage of the last-mile delivery journey, with features such as:

Address capture to help obtain an accurate address and location for each pickup or delivery.
Route optimization to help ensure drivers are provided with routes that optimize around the fleet's constraints—including delivery time windows—and adapt based on real-time traffic.
Driver routing and navigation to deliver a seamless driver experience and improve route compliance with in-app navigation powered by Google Maps.
Shipment tracking to keep consumers updated with live, day-of shipment tracking, including up-to-date location and arrival times of customer packages.
Fleet performance to enable visibility into real-time route progress and shipment insights for operations teams.

“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, global supply chain & logistics industries, 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.”