Although the solution is initially configured by a Descartes implementation consultant to emulate your company's specific routing environment, instances exist where a user may need to configure their solution after implementation. A client_admin user role will be configured as a Subject-Matter Expert (SME) and granted access to the configuration option from the main menu. The following is a list of items that may need to be configured by the SME or other similar capable user roles:

Configuring Users

The Route Planner On-demand application is helpful to many different users. Depending on the type of user, the application can be configured to show or hide certain options or pages. The table below outlines and defines the most common roles used within Descartes Route Planner On-demand:

Type	Role	Summary
Subject Matter Expert (SME)	client_admin	Highest level of access within the system Able to add/delete/edit depots, users, routes, vehicles, etc. within the Descartes Route Planner On-demand website user interface Will inherit all the abilities from the roles below
Dispatcher Admin	dispatcher_admin	Able to add users of equal or lesser ranking Not able to change their role to a higher role access Able to add/delete/edit routes, vehicles, and users Will inherit all the abilities from the roles below
Dispatcher	dispatcher	Not provided with access or ability to see the configuration section of the Descartes Route Planner On-demand website Able to perform all routing tasks including creating routes, assign/unassign orders, assigning assets (vehicles, drivers) Able to add/edit/delete orders within the system Will inherit all the abilities from the role below
User Coordinator	user_coordinator	Sole responsibility of user coordination. Ability to only add or modify user accounts. There is no ability to perform any dispatching activities. Not able to view and/or modify any dispatch or administrator user roles. Updated role permissions as of version 25.01: Can view and generate reports via the Report Configuration menu. Can only manage lower-level roles and cannot modify Dispatcher, Dispatcher_Admin, or higher roles. Client Admin and Dispatcher Admin roles can create, edit, and manage User Coordinator accounts.
Sales Clerk	sales_clerk	Able to enter, edit and delete orders within the Descartes Route Planner On-demand system Can only view the routes and track the drivers Does not have any sort of dispatching abilities Able to search for specific customers using the website UI for order status and customer service inquiries
Executive	executive	View-only access to the system Able to generate reports and track routes/vehicles/drivers
Read Only	read_only	View-only access to the system
Customer Service Representative (CSR)	csr	View-only access to the system Able to search for specific customers and report status information Simplified view into route/vehicle/driver information as they are being tracked in real-time
Driver	driver	Does not have access to the Descartes Route Planner On-demand website Role used for logging in to a mobile device (phone, handheld, telematics, etc.)
Helper	helper	Does not have access to the Descartes Route Planner On-demand website Not able to log into a mobile device (phone, handheld, telematics, etc.) Role used for assignment to route for reporting purposes only
Inactive Users	(any)	This section holds deleted users (also inactive). You can restore an inactive user by ticking on their checkbox, then ticking the 'I have verified this information to be correct' option, and finally clicking 'Undelete Users.' The 'Undelete Users' function supports selecting and restoring multiple users at once.

Adding a New User Account

To add a new user account,

First, select the location to which this user will be assigned by clicking the Region/Location button from the toolbar.
Click the dropdown and select the location name from the available list. Add users with access to multiple locations, such as SMEs (i.e., subject-matter experts with client_admin role), a specific location does not have to be specified.
From the main menu, select the Configuration option.
Click the Users link found under the ‘The following items can be configured for the current location’ heading.
Click the Add User button to open a new user form.
Enter the Username. If the system prompts the user with a message stating that the username already exists, then the username has already been added to the solution, the username is in use in another location, and/or the username found within the inactive user’s section of the application is deactivated.
Enter the Website Password. Then, confirm the password by entering it again in the Confirm Webservice Password field. The password cannot be the same value used for the username, otherwise, the system displays an alert message asking you to enter a different password. Driver users can send empty passwords; therefore, a random password is assigned when one is not entered.
Choose whether the user Must Change Password On First Login, which prompts them to change their password upon logging into the system for the first time.
Fill in the user’s Name, Email, and Phone Number related data.
Choose the appropriate Role for the user from the dropdown list. Available options are as follows:
Choose the Homepage from the dropdown list. This is the page that is to be loaded and displayed when the user logs into the system.
Select a Default Dispatch Preference from the dropdown list. This preference will be considered the default when opening modules that require you to select a preference.
Select the Delivery Company from the dropdown list, if applicable. When a single domain/delivery company exists for the user's organization, the user is not required to specify a Delivery Company, and the selection field is not displayed.
In the Specify Location Access section, select the Region and Location the user will have access to. Access to multiple locations is supported. However, you must mark at least one as default through the 'Is Default' option.
Selecting a single Region/Location enables the 'Specify Depot Access' section settings. Tick the 'Select Depot?' checkbox and choose an option from its respective dropdown to limit the user's visibility to orders and data relative to the selected depot.
- Starting in version 24.07, users can specify access to multiple depots for their accounts. The update includes features such as a 'Select All' or 'Select None' option for depots, and new tooltips that provide details about each depot's location and type. Additionally, a warning message is displayed if no specific depot is selected when the 'Select Depot?' checkbox is checked, ensuring that user profiles are configured correctly.
Tick the 'I have verified this information to be correct' checkbox and then click the Add User button to save the record.

Configuring Read-Only Access for Dispatch Roles

Starting in version 25.01, a new Is ReadOnly option is available for users assigned the Dispatcher or Dispatcher_Admin roles. When enabled, this setting restricts the user from performing any dispatch-related activities at the selected location(s), granting them view-only access.

This setting is also supported in:

Users Upload: Bulk import files can include the 'Is ReadOnly' flag.
Users API: API integrations allow defining read-only status during user creation or updates.

To enable Is ReadOnly:

In the Add User form, select Dispatcher or Dispatcher_Admin as the role.
Check the Is ReadOnly box to restrict dispatch actions at the assigned locations.
Complete the remaining user configuration and click Save.

Enabling Dispatcher Users to Serve as Drivers

Starting in version 25.01, users assigned the Dispatcher, Dispatcher_Admin, or Client_Admin roles can also perform driver operations by enabling the Can Serve as Driver setting.

When enabled:

The user is included in driver-related configuration windows and selection lists.
The user is automatically sent to wGLN, enabling mobile execution capabilities.
For user accounts created or updated via MDLP integration, this setting is applied if driver-related data is provided.

To enable Can Serve as Driver:

In the Add User form, select Dispatcher, Dispatcher_Admin, or Client_Admin as the role.
Check the Can Serve as Driver box.
Complete the remaining user configuration and click Save.

Editing an Existing User Account

Information for a user may need to be changed. To find the user within the application, the client_admin user will need to search globally across all regions and locations.

To edit a user account,

From the main menu, go to the Configuration option.
Click the Users link under the ‘The following items can be configured for the current location’ heading.
Use the arrows to expand the user type categories to view the list of active user accounts. Users will be displayed in grids.
Click the Edit button for a user account to open the record's form.
Finally, tick the 'I have verified this information to be correct' checkbox and finally click Edit User to save the changes on the record.

Deleting a User Account

To delete a user account,

From the main menu, select the Configuration option.
Click the Users link found under the ‘The following items can be configured for the current location’ heading.
Use the arrows to expand the user type categories to view the list of active user accounts. Users will be displayed in grids.
Check the box next to the user(s) records you want to delete. Alternatively, click the Edit button and use the Delete function from within the user form.
Finally, tick the 'I have verified this information to be correct' checkbox and finally click Delete Users. Deleting multiple users is supported.

Configuring Drivers

Although Descartes already loaded and configured drivers during the implementation stage, new drivers may need to be entered into the system for assignment and tracking purposes.

Some users may need to define a cost profile accommodating different pay rates for each driver. This functionality is activated by a Descartes representative and is further described in the section titled Configuring Cost Profiles.

Adding a New Driver Account

To add a new driver account,

First, select the location to which this driver will be assigned by clicking the Region/Location button from the toolbar.
Select the Configuration option from the main menu.
Click the Users link under the ‘The following items can be configured for the current location’ heading.
Click the Add User button to open a new driver account form.
Enter the driver’s unique ID into the Username field. Two drivers with the same username cannot exist even if they are assigned to different locations within the Descartes Route Planner On-demand website. Driver users can set empty passwords; therefore, a random password is assigned when one is not entered.
Enter the driver’s information in the Name, Email and Phone Number related data fields.
Select "driver" as the Role from the dropdown list. In doing so, new configurable parameters are automatically added and displayed.
Enter the driver's Badge # and License into the field, if applicable.
Specify the Service Time Factor (%), if applicable. Continue to fill out the remainder of the form, ensuring that the driver is assigned (checkbox and default box) to at least one location. The default location box must be selected for the same location. As of version 25.07, null values in Speed Factor fields for Vehicle records appear as blank instead of zero.
Select the 'I have verified the information to be correct' checkbox and click the Add User button to save the record.

Deleting a Driver Account

To delete a driver account:

Select the location for which driver(s) are to be deleted.
Select the Configuration option from the main menu.
Click the Users link found under the ‘The following items can be configured for the current location’ heading.
Expand the driver user type to view all active records.
Tick the box next to the driver(s) records you want to delete. Multiple records deletion is supported.
Tick the box to verify the information and click the Delete Users button.

Configuring Vehicles

Some user roles can maintain and manage vehicles in the system after the initial loading, setup, and configuration. The system captures vehicle characteristics such as capacity limitations, restrictions, and size dimensions.

Some users may need to define a cost profile due to different rates for each vehicle. Utilization of this functionality is configured by a Descartes representative and is further described in the section titled Configuring Cost Profiles .

For some companies, the vehicles may have additional characteristics that will affect how routes are built due to the roads they are permitted to take. This functionality is handled using vehicle profiles and made available by a Descartes representative. To learn more about how to configure vehicle profiles, refer to Configuring Vehicle Profiles .

Adding a New Vehicle Record

To add a new vehicle:

Choose the location for which the vehicle will be configured.
Select the Configuration option from the main menu.
Click the Vehicles link found under the ‘The following items can be configured for the current location’ heading.
Click the Add Vehicle button to open a new Add A Vehicle form.
Enter a unique Vehicle Key.
If the vehicle has a default driver, select the driver from the dropdown list. Selecting a driver for a car at this stage sets it as the default; this setting can be overridden on a day-by-day basis.
If applicable, select one or more helpers from the dropdown list. Click Add to confirm each helper. Selecting a single helper sets them as the default.
Enter the Mileage (optional).
Enter the VIN Number (optional).
Enter a Description (optional).
Select an appropriate Speed Profile from the dropdown list to assign to the vehicle. The Speed Profile adjusts the vehicle's speed depending on the speed limit of the roads on which it must travel. Depending on the profile chosen, the table at the bottom will change to display how the speeds will be adjusted per road classification.
In the Vehicle Profile section, select an existing profile from the dropdown.
Select a Compartment Profile if applicable. The dropdown displays the compartment profiles available.
- Selecting a profile enables the Edit button. A compartment profile enables displaying information relevant to the compartments of a route(s), such as capacity details. Compartment information can be accessed from the Map View and Dispatch pages by adding the 'Compartment' column to the stop grid.
- Click Edit to open the compartment profile form.
- Finally, confirm the information and save the changes.
- Starting in version 24.10, deleting a Compartment Profile includes a confirmation prompt if the profile is assigned to any vehicle(s). For a single vehicle, the message states, "Compartment is assigned to vehicle," and for multiple vehicles, "Compartment is assigned to vehicles," listing the vehicles and asking for confirmation to proceed.
Select an appropriate Vehicle Type from the dropdown list to assign to the vehicle. Selecting the vehicle type may not be available to configure, as it is a component of an additional service (Commercial Restrictions).
If applicable, type in the maximum Piece Count, Weight, Volume and Dimension Capacity values.
Enter the Height (optional). Configuring the height may not be possible as it is a component of an additional service (Commercial Restrictions).
Enter a Ranking number to indicate the priority selection of vehicle(s).
If the vehicle typically makes wide turns, tick the Wide Turning Radius box.
Enter a value for CO2 Emissions (g) if applicable. The value must be in grams.
Set a Fixed Time (in minutes) for each vehicle type to account for additional service time at customer stops. For example, a curtain-side vehicle may require more time to unload than a van. This setting is also available for Vehicles Parser and Vehicle API, and is factored into the stop service time calculation and optimization processes. As of version 25.07, null values in Fixed Service Time fields for Vehicle records appear as blank instead of zero.
Enter a Vehicle Class, if applicable. Vehicle Class is present in the XML published to wGLN, along with the Driver License, when configured.
Select the Delivery Company, if applicable.
For the Hazardous Materials, you can click Select All to include all classes for the vehicle, or you can click the individual classes associated with the vehicle. Learn more about Hazardous Materials Configurations.
Starting in version 25.01, you can enter a Speed Factor (%) to adjust the vehicle's speed within optimization and route calculations. The system supports integer and decimal values but does not allow negative ones. A warning message is displayed if an invalid entry is detected, preventing incorrect configurations.
Select the 'I have verified this information to be correct' checkbox and click the Add Vehicle button to save the record.

Cloning a Vehicle Record

If adding multiple vehicles with almost identical configuration settings is necessary, cloning a vehicle and changing the information is more efficient.

To clone a vehicle record:

From the Configuration – View Vehicles page, click the Clone button for one of the vehicles in the list.
Enter a unique Vehicle Key
Optionally enter the Mileage, VIN Number, and Description respective data where applicable.
Change any of the cloned information if necessary.
Tick the 'I have verified this information to be correct' box.
Click the Clone Vehicle button.

The cloned vehicle will appear on the list. If configured for the original vehicle, the customer types, shipment attributes and shipment service type items are also cloned to the new vehicle as well and can be modified if necessary.

Deleting a Vehicle Record

To delete a vehicle record:

From the Configuration – View Vehicles page, tick the box next to the vehicle(s) records you want to delete.
Tick the 'I have verified this information to be correct' box.
Finally, click Delete Vehicles.

Moving Vehicles to Another Location

You can move a vehicle and all its related attributes if present (i.e., customer types, shipment attributes, shipment service type items) from one location to another without having to make the vehicle inactive in one location and then recreate it in another location.
This feature must be enabled by a Descartes representative. Once enabled, vehicles are unique to the organization, and you can simply select the Location to which the vehicle belongs from the Edit a Vehicle page.

Configuring Routes

A route is defined as a collection of customers/orders that represent a driver's daily workload. The system is designed to model a realistic routing environment where a route has a unique identifier that is reusable each day, an optional vehicle with a unique identifier can be assigned to a route, and a driver with a unique identifier can also be assigned to a vehicle but is not required. The route is also where the depot and start time are located and utilized for daily route planning.

Adding a New Route Template

To add a route template:

Select the location for which the routes are to be configured.
Select the Configuration option from the main menu.
Click the Routes link found under the ‘The following items can be configured for the current location’ heading.
Click the Add Route button above the listing of existing routes. The Add A Route page appears.
Enter a Route Key. This is a value used to identify the route template.
Select the default Vehicle from the dropdown list if the vehicle is predominantly being used for this route. Otherwise, ensure that the unknown vehicle is assigned, which will represent that vehicle assignment will occur as part of the daily routing process and/or procedure.
Enter the default Launch Time for the route template. The default launch time is the time the driver and/or vehicle is expected to depart from the depot to begin servicing customer stops; this value can be changed on a per day basis via optimization or users manually within the solution.
Enter a value for the Ranking of the route template.
Select the Starting and Ending Depot for the route. This selection is the depot where the driver starts/leaves their vehicle on a nightly basis. In most cases, the field will contain a default value.
'Start Anywhere' and 'End Anywhere' checkboxes allow for flexible starting and ending points for routes. Click either if applicable.

Understanding the Start/End Anywhere feature
If a route is set to start or end anywhere, the corresponding start or end depots will have a null (blank) planned service time (blank) if no pickups or deliveries are scheduled at those depots. If there are pickups or deliveries, the depot will have a mid-route service time applied. The start depot used will be determined by the route template or can be any depot required for the pickup of shipments.
Select the Delivery Company, if applicable.
Enter the Maximum Route Minutes, which includes drive time between stops and time at each stop.
Enter the Maximum Route Driving Minutes.
Enter the Maximum Route Length, which includes the distance traveled on the route from start to end.
Enter the Variable Early/Late Route Start Time to provide an acceptable buffer surrounding the launch time.
The Scheduling Logic profile serves as a dynamic configuration option for specifying the best time for a route for sequencing and optimization purposes. The dropdown list for route configuration includes the following options:
The 'Start Day Offset' option allows multi-day route planning by allowing dispatchers to select the start day (yesterday, today, or tomorrow) during route configuration. This is particularly useful for dispatchers creating routes later in the day when the route's start date/time might have already passed, ensuring accurate date assignment for same-day or next-day planning. The application integrates this offset in both manual route creation and during optimization processes.
Assign a Color if desired. When a route is assigned a color, all routes generated from this route template will be displayed with this color on the map from the Map View page and elsewhere throughout the application UI. Users will receive a warning message when a color is used by more than one configured route template.
Finally, tick the 'I have verified this information to be correct' box and click the Add Route button to save the record.

Configuring Trip-Level Limits

Starting in version 25.04, additional trip-level constraints can be configured directly on the Add/Edit A Route page. These settings provide greater control over routing behavior and are used during optimization if values are specified.

The following fields are now available:

Maximum Number of Trips: Defines how many trips a route can take during a service day.
Maximum Minutes per Trip: Specifies the upper time limit allowed per trip.
Maximum Stops per Trip: Limits how many stops can be included in a single trip.

These values can be configured manually through the route interface or imported via the route template upload process. If populated, they influence the optimization engine’s decisions when planning shipments for that route.

This configuration is also supported in integration XML and parser logic to ensure consistency between manual and automated route setup.

Configuring Maximum Number of Clients per Route

As of version 25.04, a new field titled Maximum Number of Clients per Route is available on the Add/Edit A Route page. This allows route-specific control over the number of unique customers that can be serviced per route.

This value is used during optimization to enforce client count limits at the route level, rather than relying solely on the optimization profile defaults.
If no value is set in the route template, the system will fall back to using the value from the assigned optimization profile.

The field is also supported in the route template parser and can be populated during bulk import or integration-based route creation.

This enhancement offers added flexibility and precision when managing service density and route capacity constraints during optimization.

Associating Drivers Directly with Route Models

Starting in version 25.07, planners can associate drivers directly with route models on the Routes configuration page, enabling you to specify whether to use the vehicle's driver or assign a specific driver to each route model. This enhancement automates driver assignments, reduces manual intervention, and improves flexibility and accuracy during daily route planning.

To associate a driver with a route model:

Navigate to the Routes configuration page.
Enter or select the desired values for the following fields:
- Route Key
- Vehicle
For the Driver field:
- To use the vehicle’s default driver, select Use Vehicle driver.
- To assign a specific driver, clear the Use Vehicle driver option and select the driver from the dropdown.
Complete any other required fields.
Save or update the route model.

Associating a driver directly with a route model ensures that each route can have a unique driver, regardless of the vehicle used. This prevents unintended driver carryover when a vehicle is used for multiple routes on the same day.

TIP: Use this functionality when vehicles are shared across multiple routes with different drivers, to eliminate the need for manual driver reassignment after route creation or to ensure consistent, error-free route planning and reduce dispatcher workload.

Configuring Route-Level Reloads and Multi-Depot Loads

Starting in version 25.04, you can enable Allow Reloads and Allow Multi-Depot Loads at the route level through the Add/Edit A Route page. These two options give dispatchers more control over advanced routing logistics, particularly for operations requiring mid-route replenishment or multi-origin fulfillment.

These options are available as checkboxes and apply only when using the WinRoute optimization engine.

Allow Reloads: Enables the vehicle to return to a depot for reloading during a route.
Allow Multi-Depot Loads: Allows the vehicle to load shipments from multiple depot locations.

If these checkboxes are left unchecked, the system will follow the optimization profile's global parameters.

These route-specific settings are also supported in the route template parser and bulk uploads, allowing consistent application through integration.

Deleting a Route Template

To delete a route template:

From the Configuration – View Routes page, check the box next to the route template(s) you want to delete.
Tick the box to verify that the information is correct and click the Delete Routes button.

Configuring Depots

A depot represents a location such as a dispatch center, store and/or a third-party vendor. The geographic location of the depot can be used as the starting and ending point when routes are built in the application or fulfillment points for respective shipments.

Configuring a New Depot

To configure a depot:

From the main menu, select the Configuration option.
Click the Depots link found under ‘The following items can be configured for the current location’ heading.
To add a depot, click the Add Depot button.
To edit the information for a particular depot, click the Edit button for the depot.
You will be redirected to a new page for either option selected.
Enter the Depot #.
Enter the Name.
Enter the Address, City, Zip/Postal Code, and Phone (optional).
Select the depot’s Country, State/Province, and Type from the respective dropdown lists.
If known, enter the depot's Latitude and Longitude values. If no values are specified, the system will attempt to geocode the depot utilizing the information added in the previous steps.
Tick the 'I have verified this information to be correct' checkbox and click the Add Depot or the Edit Depot button to submit.

Geocoding a Depot Manually

Upon adding or editing a depot, the system may display the message 'The depot has been edited, but it could not be geocoded. It has to be geocoded before it can be used.' If so,

Click the Geocode button to geocode the depot manually.
Modify the address data for the depot and click Geocode or right-click on the map where the depot should be placed and select the Geocode Here context menu option.
Click the Save button once the latitude/longitude values are filled.

Deactivating a Depot

In some cases, the depot may no longer be used and needs to be deactivated. Deactivating the depot does not delete it from the application but instead marks the depot as inactive.

To deactivate a depot:

From the main menu, select the Configuration option.
Click the Depots link found under the ‘The following items can be configured for the current location’ heading.
Click the Edit button for the depot record that needs to be deactivated.
From the Edit A Depot page, change the Type value to "Inactive."
Click the checkbox to verify the changes and click the Edit Depot button. The inactive depot will be placed in the Inactive depots section.

Reactivating a Depot

To reactivate a depot:

From the Configuration - View Depots page, click Edit for the depot you want to reactivate.
Change the type to anything other than "Inactive."
Click the checkbox to verify the changes and click the Edit Depot button. The inactive depot will be placed on the list of active depots.

Adding and Configuring External Applications

Starting in version 24.07, the Connected Apps configuration section allows admin users to integrate external applications into the On-demand Main Menu. This feature enables organizations to customize their workflows by providing direct links to other tools and applications within the Descartes suite.

Adding a New External Application

To add a new external application link to the Main Menu,

With system admin user role permission (dsg_admin), navigate to the Configuration section of the On-demand application.
Select Connected Apps from the menu to access the External Links page.
Click Add a Link. You will be redirected to the Configuration - External Apps - Add An External App form.
Fill in the following fields:
- Text: Enter the display name for the new menu option. This name will appear on the Main Menu.
- Description: Provide a brief description of the application or link for clarity.
- URL: Enter the full URL address for the application you wish to integrate.
- Select Region/Location: Choose the appropriate region or location where this menu option should be available.
- Is Visible: Check this box if the menu option should be visible to users. The visibility of created configurations on the Main Menu can be toggled through this checkbox.
Once all fields are filled out correctly, save the configuration to apply changes. The new configuration is then displayed on the Configuration > External Links page's grid.

Once configured, the new shortcut will appear in the Main Menu. Clicking this section will redirect users to the configured URL, allowing seamless access to the integrated application.

Configuring Route Planner On-demand