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What is Last Mile Guidance?

Thu | 22 Apr 2021 | Simacan Solutions

What is Last Mile Guidance?

How cooperation with Trimble and Cornelissen Group leads to greater road safety and sustainable transport

The Last Mile Guidance* functionality in the Simacan Control Tower is based on the idea that the last few miles of a transport can be covered as safely as possible. Thanks to full control over the last kilometres to the final destination, the driver receives 'en route' guidance and safety warnings. With the help of Last Mile Guidance, drivers drive a more efficient route that the environment takes into account. In this way, Simacan contributes to making transport more sustainable, to a better living environment and to improving traffic safety.

Simacan provides its clients, for whom thousands of vehicles are on the road every day, with accurate arrival times for hundreds of thousands of deliveries. Simacan also registers and clearly presents the transport performance from departure to arrival. This enables shippers and carriers to look for continuous improvement and optimisation within the mutual cooperation in a 'fact-based' manner. Smart technology can be used to provide more insight and improve deliveries, also by using the Last Mile Guidance feature in the Simacan Control Tower.

Last Mile Guidance and safety for the surrounding area

Manoeuvring in city centres is a stressful business for many drivers, especially those who do not know the area well (yet). When, for example, a driver is reversing with his trailer, he has to pay close attention to cyclists and pedestrians who pass him on all sides. As a result, there is a good chance that he will hit a bollard or collide with another road user. This could have been avoided if the driver had known of another approach route or access route where he would not have had to make this awkward turn. A collision not only leads to damage and sometimes suffering, but also to delays and delays in planning. In other words, a small incident can have a big impact.

Last Mile Guidance reduces the chance of accidents and damage because drivers can keep their attention on the road. Without him or her noticing, the route that the carrier has mapped out in consultation with the shipper appears in the cabin via the Simacan cloud platform. Meanwhile, addressees are automatically informed when they can expect their deliveries, so that they can be at home or at the delivery address to receive them.

Smart transport innovation

Thanks to the intelligent route information of Last Mile Guidance, truck drivers will even be able, at a later stage, to avoid obstacles such as road closures and diversions. And thus Simacan proves to be more than just a visibility platform: Simacan is a leader in smarter innovation of the entire transport chain. By using Last Mile Guidance, time savings can be achieved, personal and material damage can be prevented and drivers can be unburdened. There is also clearly more benefit for the environment to be gained in fine-meshed distribution and urban areas: less impact on people and the environment. In this way, drivers drive a more efficient route that takes account of the environment and the surroundings.


Cornelissen Group is the first haulier to use the integration between Trimble and Simacan in Last Mile Guidance. They were already using the Simacan platform for transport to the Albert Heijn and Jumbo shops, but have now fully implemented the Simacan Control Tower for all 450 trucks. One of the results of this collaboration is that the last kilometres to the most important loading and unloading locations in the Benelux are indicated and available via Trimble's on-board computer.

Ideal route with Last Mile Guidance

The 'last mile' instruction for the driver is automatically converted into spoken text via the on-board computer in the truck cabin. This warns the driver without having to look at the screen. The new traffic situation can be anticipated at an early stage, which further enhances traffic safety.

Simacan guides drivers completely digital on the last mile and jumps thus in the need for sustainability, innovation, safety and efficiency. Besides Cornelissen Group, more and more transporters realize that they can make gains in this area by guiding their drivers to the ideal route, reduce damage, lower emissions and increase predictability. 

Last Mile Guidance - more information

Do you want to know more about the Simacan Control Tower and the Last Mile Guidance functionality? Please contact us for more information or a demo without any obligations.

* Last Mile Guidance provides an idea of how it can be integrated into an operational navigation system. We (Simacan) ensure that the correct first or last mile instructions are always available and can be sent to navigation and/or planning systems. However, it is up to the navigation provider to decide whether to incorporate and implement these instructions.


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