Make changes to a live route
Adjust a route after dispatch in Upper Route Planner — swap a driver, add a stop, reverse, move stops between drivers, and re-optimize from the Timeline view.
Plans change once drivers are on the road. A driver calls in sick, a vehicle breaks down, or a rush order lands mid-shift. In Upper Route Planner you can adjust a route from the route plan's Timeline view — swap the driver, add a stop, reverse the order, move stops between drivers, and re-optimize the remaining work — without rebuilding from scratch.
Your workspace may show Technician and Service labels instead of Driver and Delivery (for example, "Swap route with Technician"). The features are the same — this article uses the driver labels.
Open the route in Timeline view
Open the route plan you want to change from your route plan list.
Turn on the Timeline toggle at the top right. The Timeline view shows the map alongside each driver's row, with their stops laid out in sequence.
Find the driver whose route you want to adjust in the driver list on the left.
Available actions
Open the ... (more) menu on a driver's row in the Timeline view. The menu includes:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Swap route with Driver | Moves this driver's route to a different driver. Opens a Swap Route with Driver panel where you pick the replacement from your other drivers. |
| Reverse Route | Reverses the order of the stops on the route. |
| Add Stop | Adds a stop to the route. |
Each driver row also shows a Reassign Route link, and a lock / unlock padlock you can toggle per row.
After you change a route, re-share it so the driver's app picks up the update. Use the Share to Drivers flow from the route header — see Dispatch routes to drivers.
Swap the route to a different driver
Open the route in Timeline view and find the driver you want to replace.
Open the ... menu on that driver's row and choose Swap route with Driver.
In the Swap Route with Driver panel, pick the replacement from the Reassign to other Driver list. Your other drivers appear here.
Re-share the route so the new driver receives it. See Dispatch routes to drivers.
A Reassign Route link also appears on each driver row — another way to move a route to a different driver.
Add a stop to the route
Open the route in Timeline view and find the driver who should take the stop.
Open the ... menu on that driver's row and choose Add Stop.
Enter the stop's address and any details, then save it.
Re-optimize if you want Upper to slot the new stop into the best position (see below), then re-share the route.
Re-optimize after a change
After you add, move, or swap stops, re-optimize so Upper recalculates the best order for the remaining work. Use the Optimize Route button on the route (it reads Re-optimize Route after the first run).
Re-optimize after any meaningful change. Without it, a newly added stop keeps its current position rather than being slotted into the most efficient spot.
Common scenarios
- A driver calls in sick — Open their route in Timeline view, open the ... menu, choose Swap route with Driver, and pick a driver with capacity. Re-share the route.
- A vehicle breaks down with stops remaining — Swap the route to another driver, then re-optimize so the new driver's start location is taken into account.
- A rush order arrives — Add Stop to the nearest driver's route, re-optimize, then re-share.
- A driver is running behind — Reassign their route, or move some of their stops to another driver, then re-optimize.
Troubleshooting
Related
Handle failed or skipped deliveries
Handle failed and skipped deliveries in Upper Route Planner by duplicating only the Skipped/Missed stops from a completed route into a fresh reattempt route.
Monitor driver ETAs
Track driver ETAs in Upper from the Live Tracking page. See each driver's estimated time of arrival and route progress, updated as they work through their stops.