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    failed delivery cost calculator

    Failed delivery cost calculator

    Quantify how much failed stops and reattempts cost each month in labor and fuel.

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    Summary

    • Estimates monthly cost of failed deliveries
    • Breaks cost into labor and fuel
    • Useful for justifying ETA updates and better stop notes
    • Helps prioritize failure reduction work

    Definitions

    Failed stop
    A delivery attempt that fails and must be reattempted.
    Reattempt time
    Extra time spent on the second attempt (including drive and stop time).
    Failure rate
    Percent of total stops that fail on the first attempt.
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    Estimated monthly failure cost
    $2,464.00
    Failed stops: 320
    Labor cost: $2,112.00
    Fuel cost: $352.00

    Cost vs failure rate

    Monthly cost at different failure rates

    Worked example

    Inputs

    Stops/month
    8,000
    Failure rate
    4%
    Reattempt time
    18 min
    Extra miles/reattempt
    5
    Driver cost/hour
    $22
    Fuel cost/mile
    $0.22

    Outputs

    Monthly failure cost
    ≈ $3,872

    Even small failure rates add up fast. Reducing failures by 1–2 points can fund better ETA updates and stop notes.

    Benchmarks / ranges

    These are conservative ranges. Your results depend on density, stops, traffic, and service type.

    • Typical failed delivery rate
      1–5%
      Higher for unattended or low-contact deliveries.
    • Reattempt time
      10–30 minutes
      Includes driving back and completing the stop.
    • Extra miles per reattempt
      2–8 miles
      Depends on route density.

    What to do next

    • Send live ETA links to improve readiness.
    • Require access notes for first-time or gated stops.
    • Standardize exception codes and evidence collection.
    • Track failures weekly and focus on the top 2 reasons.

    Use Lynxo to run this in real life

    Lynxo is delivery management software: dispatch + driver app + live tracking + proof of delivery + reporting.

    • Plan routes and assign runs in a dispatch dashboard
    • Send live ETA links so customers/sites are ready
    • Use a driver app for stop-by-stop execution and exceptions
    • Capture proof of delivery (photos, signatures, timestamps) per stop
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    Where this helps

    • Same-day delivery teams
    • Recurring home deliveries
    • B2B drops with receiving constraints

    FAQs

    Does this include customer support cost?

    No. This is labor + fuel only. Support time makes the real cost higher.

    What if I don’t track reattempt time?

    Start with a conservative estimate, then measure one week and update.

    What’s the fastest way to reduce failures?

    ETA updates and better access notes usually have the quickest impact.

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