How to Add Multiple Stops in MapQuest Route Planner?

MapQuest’s Route Planner with the option to add multiple stops lets your business organise multiple deliveries and take charge of your operational costs.

MapQuest navigation app is one of the long-running GPS navigation apps that provides real-time traffic data and access to live traffic cams. This route planning software helps travellers stay informed during their commute.

With real-time traffic alerts, it helps travellers identify an alternative route. It also allows users to mark their favorite locations using custom icons. In addition to this, the app offers on-demand roadside assistance and a speed limit display. But the most important feature that makes this route optimization software stand out is —- its ability to add multiple stops along the commute (as many as 26 stops). 

Woah…26 Stops? Yes, you heard it right.

👉“Suitable for fleet on a mission to deliver goods at multiple stops.” 👈

In the following, we will learn how you can add multiple stops along your route and get the most optimised and cost-efficient routes. We will also learn when MapQuest trip planner is most suitable to use and when it’s not.

4 Steps to Add Multiple Stops in MapQuest Route Planner

In order to add multiple stops in this route planning software, first visit its route planner page (which will look like the following).

Step 1 – Enter Address

This most famous route planning software lets you enter the address in 3 different formats as following:

a) Line by Line

b) Copy and Paste

c) Import

Let’s understand how to use each one of them.

• Line by Line

If you have just a few stoppages or halts to add, then you can use this line-by-line method. The best thing is as you start typing, the app auto-generates address inputs from its database for more accuracy.

To enter more addresses, you can click on the option “+ Add Another Stop”.

• Copy & Paste

If your address is in a vast list format, you can use the second option of copy/paste. This option in this multiple stops routing software offers you an empty field to put multiple addresses in as many as 26 lines. Also, for each stoppage, you can put a special note or instruction for the driver, like “Stop for 10 minutes” (as shown in the image).

• Import Address Sheet

If you are managing the list of addresses via a spreadsheet, worry not. This route planner with waypoints gives you options to upload files in any format, be it .xls or .csv.

However, the only thing is, that there should be multiple columns with the following data in the exact order:

• Street
• City
• State
• Zip Code
• Country (if needed)
• Notes (if needed)

You can simply upload the files from the system or use the drag-and-drop option to do that.

After uploading the address successfully in this multiple stops routing software, you can customise the routes as per your liking.

Step 2 – Set & Customise Route Options

MapQuest route planner offers many options to customise routes to avoid long routes and detours and reduce the estimated time of arrival. Users get options in terms of stops or trip type, what to avoid, etc., as shown in the following:

Step 3 – Manage Route Settings

MapQuest route optimising app provides various fields for customising routes. Users as per their wish can enable or disable the radio button. The following few options are available:

✅  Option for Shortest Time or Shortest Distance

This planner gives you the option to plan and optimise the route as per either the shortest time or shortest distance. 

✅  Option to Re-order Stops

With MapQuest route planner, the driver can further optimize their route by changing the orders of the stops as per convenience.

✅Option to Make a Round Trip

Users can decide if they want to make their current trip a round trip. Upon selecting this option, the app automatically will treat the first stop of your route as the end stop for the trip. This will help ensure drivers end their journey where they started.

✅Option to Select “What to Avoid” During Route

While planning multi-leg routes with MapQuest, you get an option to select variables you want to avoid enroute, like:

• Highways
• Ferries
• Toll Roads
• Timed Restrictions
• Seasonal Roads
• Country borders

Step 4 – Share Routes with Driver

MapQuest route planning app makes it easy for fleet managers to share the planned or created routes with drivers or any supply chain partners. The managers can send the route details to their driver’s mobile number or email address. They can even share via Facebook or Twitter. The app also gives an option to copy/paste a unique link and share it with the drivers.

Try More Advanced Route Planners than MapQuest!

MapQuest is a route planner, not an advanced geospatial telematics-driven route optimization software. Route planning and route optimising are two polarised terms. Let’s find out how:

💡Route Planning is all about navigation on decided routes. You simply have to enter to-and-fro address on apps like MapQuest or Google Maps and you will be sorted.

But imagine, while cruising the route, you suddenly face:

• Traffic congestion
• Bad weather 
• Vehicle breakdown
• Change in task priority and who knows what else

Basic route planners cannot help predict these situations and suggest the best route to reduce ETA and time on the road. This is where route optimisation software solutions step in…

💡 Route Optimisation  Route optimisation is a much more experienced and older brother of route planning. Jokes apart, route optimisation is an automated way to predict the fastest and most cost-effective routes in real-time by assessing 120+ factors like traffic, weather, distance, task priority, vehicle capacity, etc.

MapQuest, no doubt, is a good route planner helpful in creating routes with stops for only one driver at a time. But if real challenges arise, it cannot help you find the fastest and most cost-efficient route. There, you would definitely need an effective Route Optimising Software.

🔎 Key Takeaway  

If you’re planning a weekend road trip or have a commercial fleet with 20-ish deliveries a day, then MapQuest is a solid choice. But if you have a logistics business with over 500 vehicles needing well-optimized, multi-stop route planning, there you need TrackoBit route optimisation solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions on MapQuest Mapping Software for Multiple Stops

• Which is better, MapQuest route planner or Google Maps, for adding multiple stops?

  Google Maps, though, is considered superior to MapQuest as it has an extensive database, smooth UI, and advanced features for traffic or public transit updates. But when it comes to adding multiple stops, MapQuest aces the competition. Google Maps offers options to add 9 stoppages, whereas in MapQuest, it’s up to 26 stops.

  Google Maps	MapQuest
  9 Stops	26 Stops

• Does MapQuest route optimisation help pick better routes?

  To be honest, MapQuest is good for planning routes. However, it’s not efficient in optimizing cost-efficient routes by assessing real-time factors. This is where you need TrackoBit’s route optimization software.

• What is route sequencing?

  Route sequencing is a process of pre-deciding the sequence of trips or stops for the vehicle based on priority.

• Route planning vs. route optimisation - how do they differ?

  Route planning is scheduling and arranging stops to create a route. Route optimisation means arranging and planning the most cost and time-efficient routes for drivers.

• What is waypoint mapping?

  Waypoint mapping is a process of marking coordinates or references on the map that helps us understand the start point and the destination. Navigating with waypoints that are accurately marked helps make travel hassle-free. Getting a route planner with waypoints’ mapping is a must.