Waze and its impact on Courier Services
Quite simply, Waze is the greatest technological breakthrough since A-1 Courier was founded over two decades ago. Back then we didn’t have much of a computer system, but nothing compares to the benefits Waze and other GPS apps offer in helping our couriers get from point A to point B as fast as possible.
In the past, we could only hire a messenger if they knew the area and proved it on a test we have them take. It was a rare person that was new to Los Angeles and could do a good job with only a Thomas Brothers map book. We hired some of those couriers from time to time, but hiring back in the pre-Waze days was much harder and very different. (This doesn’t include the impact of Uber and Lynft, but that’s discussed in another post.)
Still, it’s up to the courier to make Waze as user-friendly as possible. For example, turning left at a busy intersection is very time consuming and a bit maddening, but did you know that Waze has a feature to enable that avoids difficult left turns? It hardly works, but it’s there.
Other customizations that are important for a courier service, would be telling Waze to stay off of toll roads. This is an important one, specifically with regard to going down to Orange County and not really needing to save one or two minutes using the 73 freeway.
Another customization we like is to make the screen less busy, so you don’t see all the other Wazers nearby. It’s not like you’re going to make any friends out there. Not sure why anyone would want to see their driving competition.
And one other thing about using a GPS app when trying to make fast deliveries. Sometimes they don’t really offer the fastest way. There are many occasions, where if you’re in your own neighborhood, for example, you know a better way to avoid a stop sign or two and get there a minute or two earlier. So we won’t argue with you if you disagree with Waze once in a while.
But there is no doubt the GPS apps, and we do favor Waze by the way, are the greatest friend our couriers have when dealing with Los Angeles traffic. Waze has made it all so much easier. Thank you Waze! We’re huge