In eLogii, multiple depot visits during the day are a built-in functionality for pickup/delivery cases. This means that, if the Single-Segment Optimization Mode (which removes the pickup segment) is not enabled, your Drivers will be able to return to their assigned depot, pick up a new batch of Tasks, and return to the field. This functionality is also often referred to as Depot reloads.
At the moment, it is not possible to influence when the reloads will happen and how many of them you want to happen within the same route.
How do Depot reloads work?
Depot reloads occur automatically if these conditions are met:
Vehicles have maximum capacity values configured
Imported Tasks have specified sizes
The Vehicle is at maximum capacity, while the Driver's schedule is not at maximum capacity
There is time in the Driver's schedule to execute more Tasks
Single-segment Optimization is not enabled
Field Service mode is not enabled
Both of these conditions must be met for reloads to happen. Please keep in mind that some constraints may prevent reloads from happening. For example, if the maximum Route Stop Limit for one Driver is set to 10, that means they can take on up to 5 pickups and up to 5 deliveries per route, and sometimes those 5 pickups and 5 deliveries may be done in one run (depending on the Task size, as well as maximum vehicle capacity), without the need to reload the vehicle.
Checking if routes have Depot reloads
Checking if routes have depot reloads can be done in 2 ways:
Check the Route itself
Clicking on the Driver whose route you wish to examine will prompt a route Task list to appear, and at the very top of the list, you will be able to see the number of reloads that took place, as well as how much the vehicle was utilized on each reload. Additionally, if you have multiple pickup locations, that information will be shown as well (in case your Drivers are assigned to multiple Depots.
The total vehicle utilization will also be shown, meaning that eLogii will sum the total capacity unit (for example, weight) carried by the vehicle during the route.
You can further verify this by observing the route Tasks. Pickups are marked with blue dots on the list, deliveries are marked with green dots.
Check the Vehicle capacity utilization bar
Clicking the vehicle capacity bar on the Driver card will prompt a box to appear, which will show you a detailed breakdown of how much your vehicle carried on each Depot reload, as well as the total carried for the day, how many reloads occurred, and the maximum % of vehicle capacity utilization.
Additional Depot reload options
Hide depot reloads from route order list - Enabling this option will hide depot reloads from the Route display in eLogii.
Enable Depot reloads without pickup segments - In certain delivery scenarios, Tasks may not have a predefined pickup location. In these cases, if this feature is enabled, eLogii will automatically assign the most suitable Driver for the job while allowing them to return to their originating Depot for reloading before continuing with additional assigned Tasks. Tasks do not have a designated pickup location, and this only works on the Advanced engine. This option can be found in Configuration ⇒ Optimization ⇒ Advanced Engine.
Once configured, a reload leg will appear in the Driver's route, indicating their return to the Depot for reloading.
Optimize to most efficient depot- When assigning Tasks without a predefined pickup location, eLogii can determine the best Driver for the job while ensuring efficient reloading at the optimal Depot. By default, if a pickup location is provided for a Task, the Depot reload is automatically enabled. However, if the pickup location is not provided and it should be determined by the engine, the new option allows the following:
Case 1 - The Driver still returns to their assigned Depot for reloading, even though Depot reloading typically depends on predefined pickup locations.
Case 2 - Pickup legs will be included in the route, along with reloads, without updating the Task itself with a specific pickup location.
