When Omnitracs purchased Roadnet several years ago (to say nothing of when Solera purchased Omnitracs), the promise was that users would be able to leverage a richer, more cohesive platform for managing their fleets and executing their last mile deliveries. But if many Roadnet customers are to be believed, that hasn’t been the reality.
Instead, many users have found that their existing Roadnet deployments will no longer be supported—to continue receiving support from Solera/Omnitracs/Roadnet, they’ll have to migrate their systems to Roadnet Anywhere, the company’s cloud-based routing system.
This puts a lot of businesses in a difficult position. The status quo isn’t really an option (more on that later), but the path forward is unclear and difficult to navigate. So how are delivery organizations supposed to deal with the end of support for Roadnet without risking huge disruptions to their operations?
One option is to find an alternative that can provide you with the kind of seamless transition and cohesive platform that Omnitracs promised from the start.
What Does Roadnet’s Sunsetting of Support Mean for Roadnet Users?
At the highest level, the end of support for Roadnet’s on-premise software means that longtime Roadnet users need to either migrate to Roadnet Anywhere, keep running their on-prem Roadnet solution without any support, or find a new platform that can meet their needs. All three have serious potential downsides:
- Sticking with Roadnet: This option essentially turns your IT team into full-blown software developers. They need to be able to roll out updates, create new features and enhancements, and—crucially—maintain security and compliance. And in many cases they need to do all that across multiple different deployments at multiple different locations. All of this happens without a net, because if something breaks there’s no one from Roadnet or Omnitracs to come to the rescue.
- Migrating to Roadnet Anywhere: We’ll spend a few extra paragraphs on this in the next section, but this option opens you up to the possibility of a painful and complex migration—only to find that the new software doesn’t have all the features and functionality you relied on to get your deliveries routed. Often, there’s fairly limited support from Roadnet on the migration itself is pretty minimal.
- Finding a new platform: Spoiler alert—we’re going to be advocating strongly for this option later in this article. But we won’t pretend that this is a stress- and risk-free option. At the very least, you need to choose wisely to ensure that you’re adopting a solution that a) you’ll be able to roll out effectively in a timely manner and b) will empower you to route and plan at least as effectively as you can currently.
If you feel like these options put you in a less-than-desirable position, you’re not the only one. The trajectory that Roadnet’s technology has taken in recent years has ruffled more than a few feathers, and the changes that the company has been pushing on its users have forced many longtime customers into a position that seems impossible.
Is Roadnet Anywhere Worth It?
While switching to Roadnet anywhere might, from the outside, seem like the obvious solution to the woes we’ve been describing. There are good reasons that many users have been reluctant to undertake the migration.
For one thing, support from Roadnet can be hard to come by. These are complex systems that most users rely on quite heavily, and yet there’s really not a lot of resources to help you through the transition from Roadnet.
Secondly, many users have found that Roadnet Anywhere is simply a less rich solution than the on-premise deployments they’re giving up. Some of this is a function of the fact that longtime Roadnet users own their deployments and have been able to customize them to their needs over time—all of that customization is lost in Roadnet Anywhere. Even beyond that, there have been some users who are disappointed that the functionality they used to rely on simply isn’t there any more.
To figure out whether Roadnet Anywhere is worth it for your business, we seriously recommend checking with Roadnet to make sure you’ll still have the capabilities you need to plan and execute your deliveries in an efficient way.
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What Roadnet Alternatives Are Available for Route Optimization and Last Mile Execution?
If you’re looking at this list of options and not liking any of them, we understand! Luckily, there are alternatives to Roadnet—on-prem or in the cloud—that you can leverage in order to avoid the fates we described above.
Technology has moved a long way since Roadnet first released its software many decades ago, and it’s got to continue moving to keep pace with the changing face of last mile delivery. Businesses that have to keep their customers happy with on-time deliveries without breaking the bank deserve a last mile routing platform that’s fast, intelligent, and easy-to-use.
They deserve a solution that can be implemented quickly, that can provide ongoing support, and that offers frequent updates and enhancements to ensure that their capabilities keep pace with their business needs.
DispatchTrack offers one such solution.
DispatchTrack offers a single solution for planning, routing, and executing on last mile deliveries from end to end. We support roles and functions across the entire last mile to enable efficiency and reduced costs across the entire delivery journey.
Why switch to DispatchTrack:
- SaaS-native solution: Rather than starting with an on-prem solution and working backwards to try and make it work in the cloud, we started out SaaS and haven’t looked back. This means that our technology only gets better every year.
- Commitment to our customers: We offer 24/7 support, and we make a point of gathering feedback from customers as we evolve our solution over time. Our commitment to innovation means that your technology will evolve as your business and last mile needs change.
- All-in-one solution: Rather than switching back and forth between modules, DispatchTrack offers strategic planning, route optimization, delivery execution, and delivery tracking within a single pane of glass. This makes life easier for virtually everyone who uses the system. Route engineers don’t have to export their plans and cross their fingers that they’ll actually work any given week—instead, they can make adjustments as needed in minutes.
- Implementation support: We’re committed to helping Roadnet customers find a better solution for their needs—that’s why we put so much care into designing an implementation process designed to simplify the migration as much as possible. Check out our guide to migrating from DispatchTrack to Roadnet here.
- Full-lifecycle customer experience capabilities: As part of offering an all-in-one platform, DispatchTrack also handles customer communication throughout the delivery process. You can notify users when their orders are scheduled, when their driver has left the warehouse, and when their stop is next. You can also offer visibility into truck locations and order statuses in real time. We’re able to help you provide this in part because our system is built to ensure real-time last mile visibility across roles and functions.
If you’ve been relying on Roadnet to get your deliveries done and you don’t know what comes next, we’ve got you covered. Reach out to one of our last mile experts today to learn how we can support you as you make the switch to a true, future-proof cloud solution for your last mile needs.