How to build route density around your current stops

Fill open slots on days you already work nearby streets. That’s how to build route density: keep more of the day’s jobs close together rather than driving across town. Start by timing travel between stops.

Check the drive between stops

Route density means how close the jobs on a given service day sit to one another. Count stops and the minutes between them. A day can have many stops but still pay poorly when the crew spends too much time in the truck. Reordering the jobs may help, but it won’t move a far-off house closer.

Compare the same kind of work. Fertilizer and mowing take different amounts of time, so stop counts alone won’t show which day pays better. A Kansas City lawn treatment franchise told the National Association of Landscape Professionals its techs aim for 25 to 30 houses a day on treatment routes. It also prefers about 400 customers per truck.

Measure a day before adding another stop

Record the jobs finished, what they paid, hours from departure to return and minutes spent driving between stops. Count the trip to the first job and home again separately, so you can see whether a new address changes those legs too.

If you cover different streets every week, pick a day that represents the schedule you expect to repeat. Put rain makeups or emergency calls in a separate note. Otherwise, a day with an unusual detour will make your normal route look worse than it is. Use the same start and finish point when comparing two days.

Day	Revenue	Stops	Hours worked	Minutes driving between jobs
Your busiest day
A day with an open slot

Revenue ÷ hours worked gives you revenue per hour before costs. Compare drive minutes between jobs across similar days, and check the trips to the first and from the last stop separately. One mowing operator in a 2016 LawnSite thread said he allows 5 to 10 minutes per stop for driving plus loading and unloading, or 1 to 2 hours on a 12-stop day.

Count the detour on each visit

Suppose a stop adds 15 minutes from the route and another 15 back. That is 30 minutes each visit, or 26 hours over 52 visits, before fuel and wear. Check whether the margin on the account pays for that time.

For a new job, count the extra driving it would add. Put the address where you’d actually visit it in the stop order. Compare the drive from the previous stop to the new house and onward to the next stop with the old drive between those two stops. The difference is your added travel. A house that looks close on a map may be across a highway exit or behind a gate. Check the road before promising a service day.

Choose doors near a day with room

Mark your current stops by service day. Choose a day with room, then find nearby blocks you could serve without much extra driving. Check which homes fit your work before knocking. Note moving trucks or “sold” signs there too, since new owners may need service.

Choose the day before the street. A neighbor on Thursday won’t fill an open Wednesday if Thursday is already full. If you run a crew, check whether the job needs equipment that’s already on the truck. Even next door, a lawn that needs a push mower can change what you load.

The Kansas City franchise in the trade association interview above leaves hangers beside a current customer’s house and across the street. Skip properties that don’t fit your work or have a “No Soliciting” sign.

RouteLeads lists homes that fit your service in the area you pick, so you can check the streets beside your open route day before you knock.

Knock while you are already on the street

Check before knocking

• Check local solicitor rules; some towns require a permit.
• Skip “No Soliciting” doors.
• Work around meal times, and keep the day’s service appointments ahead of knocks.

What to say

The opening question depends on your trade. Use the one in the plow, lawn, pool, Christmas lights or solar panel cleaning guide. Only say you work that street on a given day if you do. Offer to leave a quote instead of pressing for an answer at the door.

Bring what you need

Carry a hanger with the service day you work on that street and your calendar for booking an inspection. Bring your own work photos if the homeowner asks. Mark the addresses you plan to visit on your phone before you park.

If nobody answers

Note the address. You can try once more on your next service day where local rules allow. If someone says no or asks you not to return, stop there.

Hangers or mail

Hang it on the door, never in the mailbox. If mailing would spare your crew the walk, use the door hanger and postcard worksheet to compare costs before ordering.

Keep new jobs inside the route

New accounts can spread a route back out if you accept every job. Set rules before the calls come in:

• Travel pricing. Add a travel fee outside your usual area, or offer a far-off slot only on the day you work nearby.
• Nearby referrals. If a caller is too far away, ask whether they’d like the number of an operator who works that street. Ask that operator to send nearby inquiries your way.
• Saying no. Check the drive time before taking a well-priced one-off across town.

After a new account joins the route, recalculate revenue per hour for that service day.

Keep the old day’s figures beside the new ones. If you have to reshuffle the route to take a job, record the time again after the change rather than counting a planned saving as cash already earned. A stop that is close to one job can still lengthen the trip home at the end of the day.