Build Route: Import Stops, Pick Phones, Sort & Send

The daily scramble of building delivery runs

It's 6 a.m., and you're staring at a spreadsheet of 60 addresses. You need to split them across three vans, make sure the new driver gets an easy area, and somehow get everyone on the road before the first customer calls asking where their delivery is. Doing this by hand takes an hour you don't have, and mistakes mean backtracking, overtime, and unhappy customers.

StopSorted's Build Route feature is designed for exactly this moment. It lets you import your stop list, choose which phones are working today, set limits, and sort the best stop order for deliveries in minutes. Then you send it, and drivers see their run on their phones.

This article walks through the whole process, step by step, so you can stop juggling spreadsheets and start dispatching with confidence.

How it works

At its core, Build Route does three things:

1. Takes your list of stops – whether you paste them in, add them one by one, or import from CSV/Excel.
2. Assigns stops to phones – you pick which phones are active, set a maximum number of stops per phone, and the system sorts the runs. With two or more phones, it runs a true multi-phone sort, meaning it considers all stops and all phones together to find the best overall assignment.
3. Sends the sorted runs to drivers – once you confirm and send, each driver sees their numbered stop order on their handset, ready to navigate.

It's not magic; it's just a faster, more accurate way to do the planning you already do. And because it's built for real roads, the stop order respects driving times and distances, not just straight lines.

Step-by-step: Building and sending a route

Follow these steps to go from a list to dispatched runs.

1. Get your stops ready

• Open Fleet Login and go to Routes.
• Tap Build Route.
• On the Stops screen, either Import CSV/Excel or use Add stop to enter addresses manually.
• If you have VIP jobs or urgent deliveries, set priority to high, normal, or low. You can also add optional arrival windows if a customer needs a specific time.

2. Choose phones and set the start

• Tap Next to go to Phones & start.
• Tick the phones that are taking work today. Only approved phones will appear here, so make sure your drivers' devices are approved under Devices.
• Set the start address for the day. Use the Search box to find and select the depot or first stop. This ensures the route begins from the right place.

3. Set max stops per phone

• On the Max stops screen, use the sliders to set how many stops each phone may take. The total must cover your whole list, or you'll be warned.
• Sliders may already be seeded from your phone or fleet capacity defaults if you've set them. Adjust as needed.
• Tap Sort runs. StopSorted will calculate the best stop order for deliveries across all selected phones.

4. Preview and send

• On Preview & send, review the proposed runs. You'll see each phone's stop order and estimated arrival times.
• If you change priorities, tap Sort / reoptimize to recalculate.
• When you're happy, tap Confirm & send. Drivers will immediately see their run on their phones.

Important: If you close Build Route before confirming and sending, the preview is discarded and nothing goes to the phones. So don't navigate away until you've sent.

What the driver sees vs what the office sees

Once you send, the driver's phone shows a clear, numbered list of stops in the sorted order. They can tap any stop to open it in Google Maps, Waze, or use in-app turn-by-turn directions. The app also shows the next stop and estimated arrival time.

Meanwhile, the office (or fleet controller) sees a live map with all active runs. You can track progress, see which stops are done, and get alerts for delivery concerns. After sending, a run may show as Locked – this means the stop order is fixed, but late additions can still be woven in without reshuffling the whole run.

This separation keeps drivers focused on the road while giving the office the oversight they need.

A realistic scenario: From chaos to clarity

Meet Jen, a fleet controller at a small furniture delivery company. Every morning, she receives a list of 45 deliveries from the sales team. She has three vans and three drivers. Before StopSorted, Jen would spend 45 minutes manually grouping stops by suburb, then writing out run sheets. Drivers would often call because they couldn't read her handwriting or because the order didn't make sense on the road.

With StopSorted, Jen imports the CSV, selects all three phones, sets a max of 15 stops per van, and hits Sort runs. The system creates three balanced runs, each with a sensible order that minimizes driving. She previews, confirms, and sends. Drivers get their runs instantly. No calls, no confusion. Jen saves 40 minutes every morning and drivers finish earlier because they're not backtracking.

That's the difference between guessing and knowing.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change the stop order after sending? Yes. If you add a late stop, the run shows as Locked, but you can still weave in new stops without a full reshuffle. The system will insert them logically.

What if I have more stops than my phones can handle? You'll need to add more phones or increase the max stops per phone. The system will warn you if your max stops don't cover the whole list.

Do drivers need to do anything special to receive runs? No. As long as their phone is approved and they have the app open, the run will appear automatically after you send.

Can I use this for a single driver? Absolutely. Build Route works for one phone or many. The multi-phone sort only kicks in when you select two or more phones.

Ready to sort your next run?

StopSorted's Build Route is included in every fleet plan. If you're new, start with a free account and try it on your next delivery list. For step-by-step details on multi-phone sorting, see our guide: Multi-phone run guide.

To see pricing and get started, visit StopSorted Pricing.