DHL said earlier this week it has made major inroads with its Route Optimization Initiative, which was designed to deliver customer service improvements through courier pick up and delivery enhancements.

The initiative, which was rolled out in March, is being utilized in more than 400 metropolitan United States areas for more than 500,000 businesses. And it is comprised of a proprietary route planning software platform in approximately 340 DHL facilities. The software is designed to help DHL better align product offerings by time of day, provide better service for customers and absorb volume growth as business increases.

The express delivery and logistics services provider says that since the initiative was rolled out it has decreased drive times, limited route length and fuel consumption, and allotted for quicker shipment processes.

These improvements have subsequently resulted in more predictable regular delivery times, and have allowed DHL to extend the deadline for pick-up service by as much as 90 minutes.

DHL said it will expand this initiative in 2007 with augmented shipper forecasting tools that will ensure all courier routes are constructed to account for fluctuating volume by customer seasonality and historical data.