Route Optimization — Save Drive Time Across Your Fleet

Route optimization is available in Routes mode when a single day is selected (not a multi-day range). The optimization engine runs in the background as soon as the single-day Routes view loads. A MapInfoCard in the bottom-left corner of the map shows a summary of the current day: total jobs, active technicians, total drive distance, and estimated total drive time. When an optimization proposal is available and has savings to offer, the info card also shows the potential savings in distance and time, with a Sparkles icon and an 'Optimize' button.

Clicking the Optimize button on the info card (or navigating from the Today's Routes sidebar) opens the Route Optimization screen, which replaces the Today's Routes panel in the right sidebar using a back-arrow navigation pattern. The panel header shows the total estimated savings (for example, 'Save 12.4km / 7.7mi · 18m') or 'Routes are already optimal' if no improvement is possible. If optimization data is not available — for example because a multi-day range is selected — a clear empty state explains why and how to switch to the right mode.

The optimization panel has three sections. The Reassignments section lists jobs that the engine recommends moving between technicians, with each reassignment showing the short job identifier, the current technician's name, and the proposed technician's name with an arrow. The Reorderings section lists technicians whose stop sequence the engine recommends changing, with each entry showing the technician name and how many stops would be reordered. The Per-Technician Impact section summarizes the resulting distance and drive time for each technician under the proposed plan.

Important: the optimization panel is read-only. It presents proposals, not automatic changes. To act on a proposal, you need to manually reassign the flagged jobs in the project management view (or drag-to-reschedule them in Day view). This deliberate design keeps dispatchers in control — the system advises, but the human decides. The optimization engine also respects technician-level refinements: if you have deselected specific technicians in the overlay controls, the optimization only considers the selected technicians.

In Day view on the calendar (not the map), dispatchers and owners can also drag-to-reschedule individual events. Drag a job event card up or down within the timeline to move it. A ghost preview shows the new proposed time in real time as you drag. When you release, a confirmation dialog appears showing 'Move this job from [original time] to [new time]?' — click Confirm to save the change via the backend API, or Cancel to discard it. You can also drag the resize handle at the bottom of an event card to extend or shorten the estimated duration. Both actions require confirmation before saving.