Planning recurring routes: weekly service, sales and delivery runs

Some routes happen once. Many happen every week. A cleaning crew visits the same offices on set days, a sales rep calls on the same accounts each month, and a delivery van serves the same shops on a schedule. Recurring routes look simple because the stops repeat, but they bring their own planning problems. This guide explains what makes them different and how to approach them.

What makes recurring routes different

A one-off route answers one question: what order should I visit these stops today? A recurring route has to answer more questions at once.

Which day? Each customer needs a visit on a certain schedule, such as weekly or twice a week.
Which driver? Customers often prefer to see the same person.
What time? Customers plan around a visit that arrives at roughly the same time each week.
What changes? New customers start, others cancel, and some skip a week.

Operations researchers have names for these versions of the problem. In the periodic vehicle routing problem, the planning period stretches over several days, and each customer must be visited a set number of times within it. One way to solve it is in levels: choose allowed visit-day combinations for each customer, pick one combination per customer, then solve a normal routing problem for each day.

The consistent vehicle routing problem adds customer service goals. In their 2009 paper, Groër, Golden and Wasil describe companies that want “the same drivers visit the same customers at roughly the same time on each day that the customers need service.”

Time windows and frequency

Time windows matter even more when a route repeats. A time window is the period when a stop can be served, such as 9 to 11 a.m. Google’s OR-Tools guide calls problems with these limits vehicle routing problems with time windows, and explains that vehicles must visit each location within its window.

Frequency adds a second layer. A customer who needs service twice a week usually needs those visits spaced out, not on back-to-back days. Some customers can only be served on certain weekdays. Holidays and closures remove days from the calendar.

Write these rules down per customer before you plan. A clear record usually includes:

Visit frequency (weekly, every other week, monthly)
Allowed days of the week
Arrival window and expected service time
Dates the customer is closed
A stable ID, so repeat visits are not mistaken for duplicates

For the basics of a clean job list, see how to prepare a job list for route planning and the sample job-list CSV.

Consistency for customers and drivers

Consistency is often the main reason recurring routes are worth planning carefully. When the same driver arrives at roughly the same time, customers know what to expect. Drivers also learn the sites, the parking and the access details.

Consistency has a cost. A route that keeps every customer on the same day and time may drive a little more than a route rebuilt from scratch each week. OptimoRoute’s help center makes a related general point: each additional constraint reduces planning flexibility and may lead to more travel time or distance. The right balance depends on how much your customers value a predictable visit.

Weekly service, sales and delivery runs

Weekly service routes. Cleaning, maintenance and inspection crews usually have fixed visit frequencies and long service times. Day assignment is the big decision. Once each site has a day, the daily order is a standard routing problem.

Sales runs. Sales visits often depend on when each client is available. Key accounts may need more frequent visits than smaller ones. Keeping each territory with one rep supports the relationship.

Delivery runs. Standing deliveries often have firm receiving hours and vehicle capacity limits. The base route may stay the same, while the load changes from week to week.

Re-optimizing when stops change

Recurring routes drift. A new customer joins, an old one leaves, or a site changes its hours. You have two broad options.

Insert and adjust. Add the new stop to the route that fits it best and leave the rest alone. This protects consistency for existing customers.
Re-plan the whole set. Re-optimize all routes together. This can find a better overall plan, but may move existing customers to new days or times.

Many teams insert small changes as they come and run a fuller re-plan on a set schedule. If you do a full re-plan, tell affected customers about any new day or time.

Also separate one-time changes from permanent ones. A customer who is closed for a holiday needs one visit moved, not a new standing schedule.

Tools and approaches

You can plan recurring routes at several levels of effort. This is a brief, neutral overview, not a ranking.

Spreadsheet plus a map app. Workable for a small number of stops. You assign days by hand and check each day’s order in a map app.
Route planning software with recurring features. Route4Me’s documentation describes Route Templates that generate recurring routes on daily, weekly, monthly or annual rules, with exceptions for dates such as holidays. It also says individual recurring routes can be edited without affecting the original template. OptimoRoute’s help center describes weekly planning across a period of up to five weeks, with limits such as allowed days of the week and blackout dates.
Optimization libraries. Google OR-Tools is an open-source toolkit whose routing solver handles time windows, capacities and other constraints. It suits teams that can write code.
AI agents with routing tools. An agent can gather each week’s changes in plain language, then pass a structured request to a routing tool.

Where Mappy fits

Recurring routes depend on keeping the same details accurate week after week: addresses, service times, arrival windows and driver hours. Mappy is an agent skill for route-planning workflows that brings these jobs and driver constraints into a structured request. A Mappy route request includes job addresses and service times, arrival windows and local time zone, and driver starting locations and working hours.

The Mappy business plans page lists these planning requirements: route generations and stops per route, route updates and replanning frequency, and input formats and integrations. Those are the same questions this guide raises about frequency and re-planning. Enterprise pricing and route allowances are agreed individually.

To try Mappy on a recurring route, see the agent package at mappybot.com/download and start with the sample job-list CSV. Its columns include a job ID, date, time zone, window start and end, and service minutes. The guide on how to prepare a job list for route planning explains how a stable job ID separates repeat visits from accidental duplicates. For multi-vehicle or business routes, see Mappy business plans.

FAQ

What is a recurring route?

A recurring route is a route that repeats on a schedule, such as weekly service visits or standing deliveries. The same customers are visited at a set frequency over a planning period.

Why does consistency matter on recurring routes?

Customers can plan around a visit that comes on the same day at roughly the same time. Research on the consistent vehicle routing problem describes companies that want the same drivers to visit the same customers at roughly the same time.

Should I re-optimize my routes every week?

Not necessarily. Full re-optimization can reduce driving but may move customers to new days or times. Many teams insert small changes and run a fuller re-plan on a set schedule.

How do I handle holidays and closures?

Record them as one-time exceptions rather than changing the standing schedule. Some route planning tools support exception dates or blackout dates for this.

Does Mappy have plans for business routes?

Yes. The Mappy site lists Business Starter (Custom, 50 stops per route, single-vehicle route optimization) and Business Fleet (Custom, 100 stops per route, fleet assignment and optimization), plus Enterprise. Enterprise pricing and route allowances are agreed individually.

Sources

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