The Postcode-Based Route Charge Calculation feature allows you to calculate route charges for orders based on postcode areas, rather than exact addresses. This is particularly useful where locations may cover wider areas and where predictable pricing across is more practical than varying charges.
Key Features
Charges based on postcode distances: Calculate route costs using postcodes instead of exact locations.
Postcode zone mapping overrides: Apply pricing rules using custom postcode zones.
Configuration: Enable and configure under Configuration > Organisation settings > Route planning & Optimisation.
How It Works
Orders are assigned postcodes for collection and delivery.
Route charges are calculated using the distance between these postcodes.
Calculations can be set by:
Total postcode distance
Empty postcode distance
Loaded postcode distance
Define postcode zone overrides to adjust charges for specific areas if needed
Postcode zones must be set up first and then added under Configuration > Organisation settings > Route planning & Optimisation.
Multi-stop orders that revisit the same postcode are handled without inflating stop counts, making planning more flexible.
Postcode zone overrides
Why use a postcode zone override?
Postcode zone overrides allow users to use a different post code instead of the specific one assigned to the location.
Useful in cases where a location is associated with multiple addresses, for example the Port of Antwerp.
Key postal codes associated with the port and surrounding areas:
2000: Antwerp city center (where the Port Authority's old address was located).
2030: Directly associated with industrial and port terrains, including many terminal addresses and the current Port Authority address.
2040: Associated with the districts of Berendrecht-Zandvliet-Lillo, which are located in the far north of the port area.
2100: Home to the European Logistical Support Office (ELSO) facility located within the broader Antwerp area.
In this example each of these postcodes can be mapped to one specific postcode that can then be used for generating a route based cost calculation.
Create a postcode zone override
Navigate to LOCATIONS > Postcode zone groups
Click '+ New postcode zone group'
Give the new zone a name that clearly identifies what it is used for.
Add a description to help users understand what this zone is used for
Create the zone mapping: (see article link below for more details)
Postcode Prefix - use the beginning of the postcode only.
Postcode range - use a start and end range of postcodes, allocating the range to a single postcode.
‼️ All postcodes that fall within the range will be mapped to the specified zone
Enter the country code - all mapping must be within the same country
Enter the postcode prefix or range in the 'starts with' / 'start' & 'end' column
Enter the OVERRIDE postcode to use in the 'Zone code' column
This will be the postcode used in place of the original.
Add all overrides to the same table.
📚 Only 1 postcode zone group can be entered in the organisation settings.
Click Save
The next time a location is used that contains a postcode included in the override table, the postcode specified in the Zone Group will be used instead of the actual postcode in the location.
To learn more about how postcode zones work, click the link below 👇
Video below walks through setting up and using Postcode zone override.
Important Considerations
Postcode zone mapping overrides only support valid postcodes.
Overrides must be within the same country.
Where an order covers multiple different post codes (3 or more), postcode routing is not applied.
This method provides a simpler and more predictable cost model, especially useful for port-based container transport.
Troubleshooting
Q: Why isn’t my postcode override working?
Make sure the postcode is valid and exists within the country of the order.
Check that the override is correctly configured in the postcode zone mapping section.
Q: My multi-stop route still seems limited. Why?
Only visits to different postcodes are counted as a new segment, segments that stay within the same postcode will be counted as 1.
What this means in practice:
A route like
A → B → A → B → A → Bworks fine.A route like
A → B → C → Aalso works, as long as any two of the locations share the same postcode.
Q: Charges don’t match my expectations.
Verify that distances are being calculated correctly between the postcodes.
Check if any overrides are applied that could adjust the route charges.
Q: Can I use this for international orders?
Overrides are currently limited to within the same country. For international routes, standard rate calculation applies.