How to plan multi-drop gas delivery rounds

Start with patches

A patch is the area one driver usually covers. Drawing patches by postcode district, such as KT3 or GU21, works well because that is how orders arrive and how most drivers already think about the map.

Patches pay off in three ways. Drivers learn the roads, the customers and the awkward gates. Customers see the same face, which builds trust. And the office stops planning every day from a blank sheet.

• Size each patch for a normal week's work, not a quiet one.
• Let neighbouring patches overlap at the edges, so a busy week can spill over without a new plan.
• Look at them again when demand changes with the seasons. A patch that works in July can be too big in January.

Know what is going out before you plan

A round can only be as good as the list of orders behind it. Set a cut-off time for next-day orders and stick to it, so the plan is not rewritten at 7am.

Before planning, sort out three things about each order:

• Is it ready to go? An order waiting on payment should not take a slot on the van.
• Does it have a window? A pub that only takes deliveries before 11 shapes the whole route.
• Does it need a particular vehicle? Tight access or a bulk order can rule some vans out.

Regular customers on a set cycle should already be on the list before the phone starts ringing.

Check the load before the route

A perfect route is no use if the van is over its plated weight. Check the load first, then work out the order of the stops.

What a van can carry is its plated weight less the weight of the van itself with its driver and fuel. That figure, the payload, is the one to plan against.

• Plan with full weights. The figure on a cylinder is the weight of the gas inside it, not the weight of the full cylinder. The steel adds a lot, so always use the full weight.
• Count space as well as weight. Cylinders need to travel secured and upright, and a van can run out of floor before it runs out of payload.
• Remember the empties. They weigh less than full cylinders but take the same space on the way back.

Driving over the plated weight is an offence, and DVSA can stop and weigh vehicles at the roadside. Carrying LPG also brings its own rules on vehicle markings, equipment and driver training, depending on how much you carry. Those are outside this guide: your gas supplier or a dangerous goods safety adviser can tell you what applies to you.

Fit it into the working day

A round's length is more than its driving time. Add up:

• loading at the yard before setting off
• driving between stops, with more allowed for the school run and rush hour
• time at each stop
• breaks

Time at the stop is the figure people most often get wrong. Carrying cylinders round the back, counting empties, getting a signature and taking payment all add minutes, and minutes add up across 20 drops.

Compare the estimated return with the driver's actual shift. A round that only works if nothing goes wrong will not work.

When it does not fit

Sooner or later a round comes out too heavy or too long. Work through the options in this order:

1. Move a stop to a neighbouring van with room to spare.
2. Swap a heavy stop for a lighter one on another round.
3. Split the order, sending part now and the rest another day, if the customer agrees.
4. Move the whole order to another day, and tell the customer before they have to ask.

The option to avoid is sending it anyway and hoping. That is how vans end up overweight and drivers end up late.

Learn from each round

Once the van is back, compare what was planned with what happened. Which stops took longer than expected? Did the van get back on time? Feed what you learn into next week's estimates.

Record what did not happen and why: a locked gate, nobody in, the wrong cylinder asked for. Patterns show up quickly once they are written down.