Multi-Stop Route Planner Spreadsheet for Excel: Free Template for 2026

1. Set cost and alert assumptions

Begin on Settings by entering the operating assumptions in B4:B8. These are Fuel Price per Gallon, Vehicle Fuel Economy, Driver Labor Rate, Maintenance Cost per Mile, and Late Alert Threshold. The validated ranges accept a fuel price from $0.01 to $20.00 per gallon, fuel economy from 0.1 to 100 mpg, labor from $0 to $500 per hour, maintenance from $0 to $10 per mile, and a late threshold from 0 to 240 minutes.

Driver, vehicle, stop-type, active-status, and state-code lists on this sheet supply selections used elsewhere in the file. Replace the fictional driver and vehicle examples when preparing the workbook for operating use.

2. Replace the fictional stop examples

On Stop List, enter one unique Stop ID per row in rows 5:104. User-entered fields include location name, street address, city, state, ZIP Code, stop type, optional window start and end, default service minutes, contact name, phone, and active status. Full Address is calculated from the address fields.

The calculated Record Check reports duplicate IDs, missing required fields, or an incomplete or invalid time window. Sample locations, names, addresses, contacts, and phone numbers are fictional. Replace those populated examples; use the remaining blank prepared rows for additional operating records.

3. Build the route in planned order

Enter Route Name, Route Date, Start Time, Driver, Vehicle, and Route Instructions at the top of Route Plan. Driver and vehicle cells use lists from Settings. In rows 12:111, the user-entry columns are Stop ID, Service Override Minutes, Leg Miles, Drive Minutes, and Notes. Stop IDs are selected from Stop List.

Place stops in the intended operating order without blank gaps. Leg miles and drive minutes represent travel from the previous active stop to the current stop. The first route row must use 0 miles and 0 drive minutes. Later legs accept 0 to 1,000 miles and 0 to 1,440 drive minutes.

4. Review calculated times and route checks

Route Plan looks up each location, address, stop type, time window, and default service duration. It then calculates sequence, applied service minutes, planned arrival, service start, planned departure, waiting time, late minutes, cumulative miles, fuel gallons, fuel cost, and Schedule Status.

Use Dashboard to review totals and the first 15 route rows. The Route Row Check, Leg Input Check, Stop Record Check, and Settings Check identify gaps, missing leg data, stop-record issues, or invalid assumptions that need review.

Dashboard brings the selected route details and calculated totals into one view. Route name, date, start time, driver, vehicle, late threshold, and planned finish appear above the summary.

Operational outputs include Customer Stops, Total Miles, Drive Time, Route Duration, Fuel Gallons, Fuel Cost, Late Alert Stops, and Waiting Time. Cost fields show labor cost, maintenance cost, variable route cost, and cost per customer stop. Customer Stops excludes entries whose stop type is Depot.

A planned-stop schedule displays the first 15 Route Plan rows with arrival, departure, leg miles, wait minutes, late minutes, and status. The included chart pairs stop names with leg miles for the first 10 displayed schedule rows.

Route Plan converts the entered sequence and manual travel data into a working schedule. Planned arrival follows the route start and prior legs. If a vehicle reaches a stop before its window opens, service start moves to the window start and the difference becomes waiting time.

Applied service time uses the stop-directory default unless a route-specific override is entered. Planned departure adds that service time. Late minutes measure how far service start falls after the listed window end, and the status can flag lateness above the threshold selected on Settings. Cumulative miles continue across the entered route rows.

Stop List keeps route planning details in one directory so they do not have to be typed into every route row. Each record can hold a unique ID, location and address details, stop type, optional time window, default service minutes, contact information, and active status.

Entry controls limit state values to the supplied state-code list, service time to 0 through 480 minutes, and window entries to valid times. ZIP Code validation accepts a five-digit ZIP or ZIP+4 format. A stop may have no window, but entering only one side of a window causes the record check to request review. Inactive or missing stops selected on Route Plan are also identified by schedule status.

Fuel gallons are calculated by dividing entered leg miles by the vehicle fuel economy setting. Fuel cost multiplies those gallons by the entered price per gallon. Maintenance cost uses total miles and the maintenance-per-mile setting, while labor cost uses route duration and the hourly labor rate. Variable route cost adds fuel, labor, and maintenance.

This file is a manual planning aid. It does not geocode addresses, determine the best stop order, retrieve live traffic, or supply leg distances and travel times. Its estimates depend on the entries and assumptions provided by the user. It does not replace accounting, legal, tax, DOT/FMCSA, safety, or compliance advice.