How Route Planning and Optimization Has Evolved—and What is Next

How Route Planning and Optimization Has Evolved—and What is Next

Published Online: June 1, 2025

Written by: Jessica Cearfoss

"When I started in this industry in 2007, route optimization in waste and recycling operations looked very different than it does today. Back then, nearly all solutions were desktop-based, often complex, and required significant technical expertise to operate. There were fewer players in the market, and most systems were GIS-heavy and lacked the agility needed to evolve with client demands. Fast forward to today, and we live in a world where cloud-based, user-friendly systems are not just expected, they are essential.

From On-Premise to Cloud
Historically, systems ran on a mainframe, then servers or locally. Making the leap to cloud solutions meant detangling from legacy systems. It has been a massive and ongoing technical undertaking, but one that is opening doors to faster processing, greater flexibility, and easier collaboration. Today, powerful algorithms are in the cloud, accessible via the RaaS API to support a growing ecosystem of integration partners. This shift has democratized access to powerful optimization tools, allowing third-party systems to seamlessly embed route intelligence. ..."

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