Lawn Route Ledger / GUIDE
Route density: why nearby work can be worth more
Compare contribution per route hour, including travel and gaps.
Measure the route day
Start with paid crew time, not only time spent mowing. Include loading, travel, breaks as applicable to your operation, disposal and administration. The sum of quoted service minutes can fit on paper while the actual day exceeds capacity. Build a route from observed durations and realistic access windows.
Allocate travel transparently
Choose a method for assigning travel to stops, such as the actual leg into each property or an average across a stable route. Include the trip to the first stop and return from the final stop somewhere in the model. Whatever you choose, document it so a new account is not compared with an old one on a different basis.
Worked route comparison
Consider two $75 stops with $45 cost before allocated travel. If one adds $5 travel cost and the other adds $15, their modeled contributions become $25 and $15. Neither number alone tells you whether to accept the job: consider available time, customer requirements and whether another nearby stop can be added.
Avoid false precision
Map estimates do not capture every gate, loading delay or parking problem. Record actual route minutes for several days. A single unusually clear traffic day is not a scheduling standard. Keep a buffer for ordinary variation rather than promising narrow arrival windows that the route cannot support.
Use the worksheet to test a change
Group nearby stops and compare the same set of properties before and after the change. Look at total crew hours and contribution, not merely miles saved. Ask customers about schedule changes before treating them as accepted. Expand the route only after the current schedule can be delivered reliably.
Prepared with AI assistance. Examples are constructed for explanation, not reported client results. Corrections are welcome.