If your routes are based on assumptions instead of data then you’re already behind.

Even the best-planned routes can quietly drift away from what’s actually happening on the ground.

Over time, new customers are added manually. Drivers start skipping stops or rerouting themselves. Sales promises things that ops can’t deliver. And suddenly, the carefully crafted plan you launched last year no longer reflects reality.

Here are six signs it’s already happening to you:

1. You’re seeing more and more off-day deliveries.

The moment your team starts delivering outside of assigned windows, it’s a warning light. Whether it’s due to sales pressure, driver preferences, or misaligned service frequencies, it’s a sign your routes no longer fit your customers or your team.

2. Overtime is creeping up.

You may think you have the right number of routes and drivers. But if labor costs are climbing and shift lengths are stretching, the problem could be route inefficiency or imbalance, not headcount.

3. Drivers are complaining and you’re hearing the same names over and over.

“Why do I always get the heavy days?”

“That’s not fair, I have more drive time than everyone else.”

When your best people start feeling burned out or under-supported, route equity may be the root cause.

4. You’re manually slotting in new customers.

If every new account triggers a scramble to “fit them in,” your system isn’t built for growth.. it’s built on duct tape. Territory planning should absorb new volume without causing chaos.

5. Route adherence is low.

If drivers are consistently deviating from the planned sequence or skipping stops, it’s a sign they don’t trust the plan or that the plan no longer works.

6. No one’s sure what the ‘current’ plan actually is.

If sales is working off an old map, dispatch has their own version, and drivers are going rogue then your routing plan isn’t just out of sync. It’s a liability.

You Can’t Fix What You’re Not Measuring

Wise Systems’ Strategic Planner helps expose these gaps — and gives you the tools to fix them with data, not guesswork.

And to help you spot the warning signs earlier, we created a simple diagnostic tool.