Multi Trip

Let a vehicle go back to the hub to reload and start another trip.

By default each vehicle makes one trip. With Multi Trip on, a vehicle can finish a trip, go back to the hub to reload, and start a new trip with more visits, all within its working time.

• Vehicles may return to the hub during their working hours.
• One vehicle can make several trips in a day.
• Useful when the visits are more than a vehicle can carry at once.
• Turning it on also turns on Return to Hub.

Required permission:

• View configuration
• Edit configuration

Turning it on

1. Open Planning › Routing › Configuration and go to Optimization.
2. Tick Multi Trip (item 2 in the picture).

The change is saved as soon as you make it.

If your plan doesn’t include Multi Trip, ticking it shows Upgrade to use more and the box stays unticked.

Turning on Multi Trip also turns on Return to Hub, because a vehicle has to be back at the hub to reload.

How it works

	Without Multi Trip (default)	With Multi Trip
Goal	Serve the vehicle’s visits in one trip.	Serve more visits over several trips.
Limit	The vehicle’s capacity for one trip.	The vehicle’s capacity per trip, and its working time.
Result	Visits beyond capacity go to another vehicle or are dropped.	The same vehicle serves more visits.
Example: capacity 20 packages, 35 packages to deliver	Vehicle 1 takes 20, vehicle 2 takes 15.	Vehicle 1 makes 2 trips: 20 and 15.

In the result, each trip of a vehicle is listed separately.

Use cases

Busy days: 50 deliveries, 3 vehicles that each carry 20. With Multi Trip each vehicle makes 2 trips and all 50 deliveries are served with the fleet you have.

Perishable goods: a food service wants little time between loading and delivery. Multi Trip with short trips and frequent hub returns keeps the goods fresh while still using each vehicle fully.

Mixed loads: fragile, heavy and temperature-sensitive goods need separate trips. Use Multi Trip with a capacity constraint per product type: the same vehicle carries different loads on different trips.

When to use it

Use it when:

• the visits are more than one trip can carry,
• you want to get the most out of each vehicle,
• the working hours are long enough for several trips,
• the hub is central and the visits are near it,
• several trips cost less than adding vehicles.

Avoid it when:

• the visits fit easily in one trip,
• the hub is far from the service area,
• the working hours are too short,
• the time windows leave no room to go back to the hub,
• the trip back to the hub costs more than it saves.

Multi Trip and Return to Hub

Action	What happens
Turn on Multi Trip	Return to Hub is turned on too.
Turn off Return to Hub	Multi Trip is turned off too.
Turn on Return to Hub	Multi Trip stays as it is.

Frequently asked questions

How many trips can a vehicle make? There is no fixed limit. The number depends on working hours, capacity, locations and time windows.

Does Multi Trip make the distance longer? Usually, because of the trips back to the hub. In return you may need fewer vehicles.

Can I set the number of trips per vehicle? No. You influence it through capacity and working hours.

Does it respect time windows? Yes. Trips are ordered so every visit is still served inside its open time.

Will every vehicle make several trips? Not necessarily. Some vehicles may make one trip and others several.

What about the driver’s working hours? All trips, including the drives back to the hub, fit inside the vehicle’s working time.