Add drivers & vehicles

What it is

Routella keeps a simple list of your delivery people (drivers) and your vehicles (vans, cars, bikes, and so on). You add each driver once with their name and phone, and you add each vehicle once with its size and weight limits. After that, when you build a delivery route, you just pick a driver and a vehicle from your saved list instead of typing everything again. Most of this is managed in one place: a "Drivers & Vehicles" window you open from your dashboard. It shows two columns side by side, drivers on one side and vehicles on the other, each with its own "Add" button.

Why it matters

Setting up your drivers and vehicles up front saves you time and prevents mistakes every single day. Once a driver is saved, you can hand them a route in one click and Routella can text delivery updates to your customers using that driver's details. Once a vehicle is saved with its cargo size and weight limit, Routella can keep routes realistic, so it won't pile more onto a small car than it can actually carry. You'll also build up per-driver stats over time, like how many deliveries they completed and their success rate, which helps you see who's doing well.

Step by step

1. 1
   Open the Drivers & Vehicles window

   Go to your dashboard (the main screen after you log in). Look for the toolbar button labeled "Drivers & Vehicles" and click it. On a phone, open the menu (the menu button) and tap "Drivers & Vehicles." A window opens with two columns: "Drivers" on one side and "Vehicles" on the other. Each column shows a count and its own add button.
2. 2
   Add your first driver

   In the Drivers column, click "Add Driver." A small form pops up. Fill in the Driver Name (this is the only required field, marked with a star). Add their Phone and Email if you have them, since the phone is what lets Routella send delivery updates tied to this person. Optionally type Notes (anything you want to remember) and a Default end point, which is the address where this driver normally finishes their day, like the warehouse or their home base. When you assign them to a route later, that end address fills in automatically.
3. 3
   Mark a delivery company instead of a person (only if needed)

   If the "driver" you're adding is actually an outside delivery company (not one of your own people), tick the "Delivery company" box in the same form. A small extra section appears asking for a quoted delivery time in business days (a Min and a Max, for example 2 to 4 days). This number is used in the message your customer gets when their order is picked up. Skip this box entirely for your own in-house drivers.
4. 4
   Save the driver

   Click the save button at the bottom of the driver form (it reads "Add Driver" for a new one, or "Save Changes" when editing). The window closes and your new driver appears in the Drivers column as a card. You can repeat the "Add Driver" step as many times as you need. To change or remove someone later, use the Edit or Delete button on their card; deleting asks you to confirm first so you can't remove someone by accident.
5. 5
   Add a vehicle

   In the Vehicles column, click "Add Vehicle." Fill in the Vehicle Name (required, for example "Delivery Van #1"). Optionally add the License Plate and pick a Vehicle Type from the list: Van, Truck, Car, Motorcycle, Bicycle, or Other. The type and name are all you strictly need to get started.
6. 6
   Set cargo size and weight (optional but useful)

   In the same vehicle form, you can enter the cargo space under "Cargo Capacity": type the Length, Width, and Height of the load area and the app shows a little 3D box preview and works out the total volume for you. If you only know the total volume, there's a box to type that directly instead. Below that, under "Maximum Payload Weight," type how much weight the vehicle can carry. These limits help Routella avoid overloading a vehicle when it plans routes. Leave them blank if you don't track them. If you run more than one warehouse, you can also tick which warehouses this vehicle is based at.
7. 7
   Save the vehicle and connect it to a driver

   Click save to add the vehicle; it appears as a card in the Vehicles column. Each vehicle card has an on/off toggle: turning it off hides it from route planning without deleting it (handy when a van is in the shop). To make a vehicle a driver's usual ride, edit that driver: once you have at least one saved vehicle, the driver form shows a "Default Vehicle" dropdown where you can pick it. You can still change the vehicle for any single route later.

Tips

• The only thing Routella truly requires is the name, for both drivers and vehicles. Everything else (phone, email, plate, sizes) is optional and you can fill it in later, so don't feel you have to complete every field on day one.
• Always add the driver's phone number. It's what lets Routella tie delivery messages to the right person, and it's a common thing people forget.
• Use the on/off toggle on a vehicle instead of deleting it when it's just temporarily unavailable. Deleting a vehicle can be undone right after, but the toggle is the cleaner way to take a van out of rotation for a while.
• If you only need to manage drivers (not vehicles), there's also a dedicated drivers page that shows each driver's delivery stats and lets you attach a license photo or a contract file. The two-column window on the dashboard is the place for vehicles.

Common questions

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