How do I check a water delivery route’s truck loading and stop sequence?

Spend at least a full day on the truck. Watch how it is loaded: whether the heaviest or most frequent orders are reachable, whether empties come back on the same trip, and how often the driver has to shift stock to reach a customer. Poor loading adds minutes to every stop, and those minutes add up across a week.

Next, read the route sheets and compare the planned stop order with the actual one. Look for crossing paths, double visits to the same area and customers added in by phone with no thought to location. Ask who builds the route, whether it is changed when customers join or leave, and whether the driver can adjust it based on experience.

Also look at the equipment and the people. Check the condition of the truck, lifting aids and any scales or meters, and ask how the drivers are trained and how long they have driven the route. A route that works only because of one driver’s memory is fragile, so ask what is written down for a replacement, and how the financial statements show fuel and maintenance.

Key takeaways

• Ride along for a full day and watch loading, not only driving.
• Compare the planned stop order with what the driver actually does.
• Ask who builds the route and how new customers are fitted in.
• Write down what only one driver knows before you take over.