Despite radical advances in technology, many companies still plan routes for their delivery trucks the same way they did a decade ago. Managers create itineraries the day before, and then hand printouts to drivers to follow or add them to the hand-held devices that their drivers carry at their hip.

　　尽管科技有了翻天覆地的发展，但许多公司为送货卡车规划路线的方式仍然和十年前一样。负责人前一天定好路线，并把打印的路线图交给司机，或是把它们传到司机裤子后面口袋放着的手机里。

　　But when drivers get stuck in traffic jams while on their rounds, they’re simply out of luck and behind schedule. The same thing happens if there’s a surprise snowstorm that makes roads impassable.

　　不过如果司机在路上陷入堵车，他们只能怪运气不好，导致晚点。如果出现了意外的暴风雪导致道路无法通行，结果也是一样。

　　In short, the routes are inflexible.

　　简而言之，这些路线太不灵活了。

　　But Wise Systems, a Boston startup, is tackling this age-old problem by pairing machine learning with data it collects from drivers’ mobile phones. It crunches information like the driver’s speed and GPS location with other details including traffic, weather, where the order is being delivered, and when customers are available to receive their orders.

　　不过波士顿的初创公司Wise Systems正在让机器学习来自司机手机中的数据，借此解决这个年代久远的问题。它会综合考虑驾驶速度、GPS定位以及包括交通路况、天气、订单目的地、客户收货时间等细节。

　　What emerges is a delivery route that can be tweaked on the fly depending on any complications that come up. If the technology determines that a driver will miss a scheduled stop because of road closures, for example, it will adjust the schedule for the entire day. If that’s not possible, the driver will receive alerts on his or her mobile phone as a not-so subtle hint to pick up the pace. (Red is not a good sign.)

　　最后生成的就是可以根据任何状况随时调整的送货路线。如果这项技术判定司机会因为道路关闭等因素无法按计划抵达，就会调整全天的日程。如果无法调整，司机就会在手机上收到明显的警告，提醒需要加快送货速度。(红色说明这不是个好的提醒。)

　　The goal is to create routes that allow drivers to work more efficiently. By doing so, companies can save money by increasing the number of deliveries that drivers can make during shifts while also making customers happier by improving the likelihood that orders will arrive on time, or by the driver they prefer.

　　这项技术旨在绘制路线，提高司机的工作效率。如此一来，公司可以通过提高司机一趟的送货量来节约成本，同时还能通过提高订单准点率或由客户偏好的司机运送的概率，从而取悦客户。