Best Route Assistant

Updated 4 hours ago by Sylwia Olek

Who can use this feature?

This feature is available to users of the carriers’ product line (TFC – Trans For Carriers) and the forwarders’ product line (TFF – Trans For Forwarders), under the terms defined for each line. Check the details on the Best Route Assistant page.

In this article you’ll learn how to:

  • find the Best Route Assistant
  • plan a route with road restrictions and route preferences
  • show alternative routes, avoid toll roads and exclude countries
  • set the vehicle profile and the emission class
  • use the route cost calculator
  • display additional map layers

The Best Route Assistant (BRA) helps you quickly plan a truck route and calculate costs—fuel, tolls (including vignettes for vehicles up to 3.5 t)—compare alternative routes, and turn on map layers (Low Emission Zones, Traffic Incidents, Traffic).

Where to find the Best Route Assistant

The Best Route Assistant is available in several places across the Trans.eu Platform to make planning and pricing faster:

  • Search Loads
  1. From the main menu, open the Search loads module.
  2. Open the load offer you’re interested in.
  3. In the offer details, open the Route tab.

At first you’ll see an automatically calculated route (based on offer data). You can adjust the route and parameters (vehicle profile, emission class, avoid toll roads, exclude countries, etc.).

All changes are visible only to you (not to the shipper or other users in your company) and will be remembered and suggested the next time you open this offer.

Freights

  1. From the main menu, open Freights.
  2. Open the offer you’re interested in.
  3. In the offer details, open the Route tab.

In the freight drawer you’ll see a system-generated route for a vehicle that meets the freight requirements. It’s an optimal route balancing distance, time, and costs.
Costs do not include the carrier’s internal costs (e.g., driver wages, overnight stays).

If the carrier wins the negotiation, the route and parameters set by the carrier will be saved under “Accepted” freights and will be available only to the carrier’s company.

  • Orders
  1. From the main menu, open Orders.
  2. Open the order you’re interested in.
  3. In the details view, open the Route tab.

The map shown next to offers in the Orders module in the Accepted and Archived tabs is view-only.
  • Maps
  1. From the main menu, open the Maps module.
  2. Turn on the Best Route Assistant and enter the locations.

Move the green toggle to switch between the basic version (Route Calculator) and the extended version (Best Route Assistant).

Check route cost in a load offer

  1. Open the Search loads module.
  2. Open the offer and switch to the Route tab.
  3. Set the departure date and time and load weight—you can use our suggestions.
  4. Select the Vehicle profile and Emission class.
  5. Click Recalculate route.
  6. Open Costs → Fuel, Toll costs, Other costs and compare with the Rate tab.

You can edit individual items in the Costs, Route and time, and Rate tabs. Click the pencil icon to edit.

Check route cost in the Maps module

  1. Open the Maps module.
  2. Select the start and destination (add waypoints if needed).
  3. Set the departure date and time and the load weight.
  4. Select the vehicle profile.
  5. Click Recalculate route.
  6. Open Costs → Fuel, Toll costs, Other costs.
In some countries, calculating toll costs correctly requires providing the transport start date and time (set them in the route parameters before clicking Recalculate route).

Plan the route and see alternative routes

If you plan a route based on an existing offer or order, the route points will already be filled in. When planning a route from scratch:

  1. Enter the locations for the route you want to plan.
  2. Enable Show Alternative Routes. The map will show up to 3 alternatives and a table with distance/time/tolls/CO₂e.
  3. Click an alternative route (grey line)—it will be saved as the main route for the current calculations.

This option is available from the large map view for routes with two points (start and end). If you’re in the offer details (small map), click Show large map.

Set vehicle profile and emission class

  1. Select a profile from the list.
Click the ⓘ icon to see descriptions of the available vehicle profiles.
  1. Create your own vehicle profile if needed.
  2. Set the CO₂ emission class (affects tolls in some countries, e.g., DE/AT/HU).

Avoid toll roads / exclude countries

Under Route Options you can also use:

  1. Avoid tolls - the route will be recalculated to minimise tolls (when a full avoidance is not possible).
  2. Prohibit Countries - choose countries to avoid or use quick exclusions: Switzerland, Non-EU.

Enable map layers

The new layers (Low Emission Zones, Traffic Incidents, Traffic) are available only on the large map for accounts with an active Best Route Assistant add-on. Road Restrictions and Postal Codes are also available without the add-on.

These layers provide valuable information about road conditions and the route’s context:

Road Restrictions

Permanent restrictions along the route (e.g., weight, height, truck bans). Restrictions are taken into account when calculating the route.

Postcodes

Postal-code grid—useful to quickly understand areas/regions.

Low emission zones

Shows areas covered by environmental restrictions (LEZ). Informational layer.

Traffic Incidents

Current and planned disruptions (accidents, roadworks, closures). Choose the date and time to see the restrictions that apply at a given moment.

Traffic

Current and forecast congestion on major arteries. Choose a time to see the expected restrictions/capacity at that time (e.g., the 16:00 rush hour).

If you don’t see LEZ/incidents/traffic, make sure you’re on the large map and your account has the BRA add-on active.

To use layers:

  1. Go to the large map.
  2. Select a layer from the top-right corner.
  3. Choose the date and time for which the restrictions displayed by the layer should apply—if the layer supports it.

Set default values for costs and rates

  1. Open the Assistant settings (settings icon or Settings → Best Route Assistant).
  1. Enter your default values for specific fields. Changes are saved automatically for your account.
From now on, these values will be applied in the cost, rate, and route calculation tabs.

Check and edit route costs

The feature is available on the large map (Maps module) and on the small map in the offer/freight details.

  1. Select the appropriate vehicle profile.
  2. Open the Costs tab.
  3. Click an item to see its details.
  4. Edit the values you want to change.

In the Costs tab you can check:

  • Fuel – calculated fuel consumption and fuel cost,
  • Toll costs – all paid road-infrastructure elements (e.g., motorways, bridges, tunnels),
  • Other costs – click the pencil icon to add your own rate (e.g., per-km cost).
Recommended method:
Fixed rate (per km) = (Company fixed costs for the period excluding fuel and tolls / total km) × (1 + profit margin) × (1 + risk buffer).
Then enter the result as the rate in Other costs to get a realistic total cost.
  • Total – here you’ll see the total cost and the per-kilometre cost.
Ferry crossings are not added automatically—include them under Other costs.

Check the vignette price list

  1. Select the appropriate vehicle profile.
  2. Click Recalculate route.
  3. Open the Toll costs section.
  4. Click Check vignette price list.

Check route and time

Review the route and the driving time. Open the Route and time tab to see:

  • Distance: Total route length in km.
  • Travel time: Time needed to drive the route without driver-breaks required by applicable regulations. This information covers both the main route and the approach/departure segments to/from the loading/unloading points.
  • Predicted CO₂e emission: The estimated CO₂e level during driving (Tank-to-Wheel) for the selected vehicle profile (typically diesel engines). This result is determined in accordance with ISO 14083:2023.

Check and edit the rate

Rate lets you calculate a standard per-kilometre rate for the main route and possible approach/departure segments, and compare this quote with the costs calculated by the Assistant. You’ll see:

  • Rate – a calculation based on the number of route kilometres multiplied by the selected per-km rate. You can edit the per-km rate and change the currency by clicking the pencil icon. Changes in this section are saved for the given offer, and the currency is remembered for all freights.
  • Profit – the expected transport profit, calculated as the difference between the rate and the total of all costs calculated by the Assistant. The profit currency defaults to the rate currency.

FAQ

Is BRA a navigation app?
No. It’s a planning and calculation tool (costs/time), not navigation. You cannot export the calculated route to a navigation app.
Does BRA account for truck-specific and size restrictions?
Yes—routes are calculated for a truck vehicle profile (including a Custom profile), taking truck restrictions and truck speed limits into account; this is a key difference from car maps.
Can I set default values so I don’t have to enter them every time?
Yes. Use the Assistant’s settings icon and save default parameters—they’ll be suggested for future calculations (you can still edit them ad hoc).
Does BRA include vignettes for vehicles < 3.5 t?
Yes. In the vignette price list you can check the available options (e.g., 1/7/30 days).
Does BRA include toll costs, and where can I see them?
Yes. For each route you’ll see the cost split by countries and—where applicable—by operators. Daily vignettes are included; you can preview other options in the vignette price list. Ferry costs are not included.
Does the driving time include driver breaks?
No. Time is calculated for continuous driving—without the breaks required by Regulation (EC) 561/2006. Please plan them separately.
What’s the difference between the engine EURO class and the emission class in BRA?
EURO refers to engine emission norms (EURO 1–6). The emission class in BRA is a parameter used for toll calculations (1–5), independent of EURO. In some countries (e.g., DE, HU) the cost is also affected by the Total Technically Permitted Weight (field F1 in the vehicle registration)—do not confuse it with GVW (F2).
Does BRA save and store routes?
In the context of a specific offer, your settings and pricing are saved for you until the offer expires; if you win the negotiation, the arrangements are stored with the accepted offer. If you don’t win, the data is removed when the publication ends. There’s no separate manual “save route for later” outside this context.
How does BRA calculate fuel costs?
Based on route length and the consumption from the vehicle profile (or your custom profile). You provide the fuel price and currency; the fuel amount and cost update automatically.
How do I add my company’s “Other costs”?
In the Costs tab, click the pencil next to Other costs and enter your per-km rate (e.g., in your currency). Recommended method: compute a fixed rate from the company’s fixed costs for a period (excluding fuel and tolls) divided by total distance, with profit margin and risk buffer:
Fixed rate = (Costs / Kilometres) × (1 + profit margin) × (1 + risk margin)
Why does my route still have tolls despite “Avoid toll roads”?
In many cases fully avoiding toll roads is impossible (e.g., no comparable alternative). BRA minimises tolls but won’t always reduce them to zero.

Sometimes choosing to avoid toll roads can increase the total cost if it results in a significantly longer route.
Why doesn’t the route “react” when I change parameters? What am I doing wrong?
After each change, click Recalculate route—only then will you get updated results.
Why can’t I exclude a country I must pass through?
Exclusion won’t work if it’s the start or destination country—change the points or remove the exclusion.
Why can’t I see layers on the map?
Layers are available only on the large map and only for accounts with the active BRA add-on. Try zooming in (layers disappear when zoomed out).

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