Why measure
The last mile concentrates up to 41% of logistics costs (Capgemini Research Institute). A cost line that heavy can't be run on intuition. Here are eight metrics that, in ten minutes a day, reveal most operational problems.
The 8 essential metrics
- First-attempt success rate — the most structural: every failure is costly.
- Cost per delivery — fuel + labour + vehicle, divided by parcels.
- Route density — stops per kilometre, a direct margin predictor.
- Average time per stop — reveals tough areas and driver-to-driver gaps.
- On-time / window adherence — the customer promise, measured.
- Kilometres per delivery — the inverse of density, easy to benchmark.
- Vehicle utilisation — capacity actually used vs available.
- Order-to-delivery lead time — the speed the customer perceives.
From dashboard to ROI
Measuring only helps if you act. The cost of a failure is concrete: about $17.2 in the US and £11.6 in the UK per parcel per Statista. And the investment pays back fast: according to industry analyses of the fleet-management market, 41% of fleets achieve positive ROI in under 12 months, with operational cost reductions of 10 to 20%.
With dropfleet
The dropfleet dispatch console centralises these metrics in real time. No more consolidating three spreadsheets: route, driver and order data converge in a single interface.
- The last mile = 41% of costs: it must be measured (Capgemini)
- 8 key KPIs, starting with first-attempt success rate
- A failure costs ~$17.2 / ~£11.6 per parcel (Statista)
- 41% of fleets: positive ROI in under 12 months (industry analyses)
A real-time dispatch dashboard. Try dropfleet free for 14 days — no credit card, ready in 5 minutes.
Sources
This article is based on verifiable public sources: