From the perspective of a dispensary manager, the promise of cannabis delivery and fleet management software is enticing: streamlined operations, driver accountability, compliance automation, and happy customers. But in practice, the day-to-day realities often reveal a frustrating disconnect between what these platforms say they do and what they actually deliver.
One of the biggest pain points is lack of real-time visibility. Many fleet management platforms claim to offer GPS tracking, but the updates are often delayed or glitchy. When drivers go offline or deliveries are behind schedule, we’re stuck fielding customer calls with no accurate ETAs. Some systems won’t even allow for live communication between the dispatch team and drivers unless you’re paying top-tier pricing. That leaves managers blind and reactive when they should be proactive.
Another recurring issue is integration breakdowns. Most delivery and fleet software is supposed to sync seamlessly with the dispensary’s POS and inventory systems—but more often than not, this sync is half-baked. Orders come in, but driver manifests don’t match inventory. Or worse, customer addresses get misrouted because of formatting conflicts between platforms. This creates confusion for drivers, results in delayed orders, and sometimes violates compliance rules for how products are logged and transferred.
Then there’s the user experience problem—especially on the driver end. Many of these apps are clunky, crash frequently, or require multiple logins for different functions. When drivers are out in the field dealing with poor cell coverage or multitasking, they need simplicity and speed. Instead, they’re stuck refreshing apps or calling support while customers grow impatient. As a manager, I’ve had to create printed backup manifests more times than I’d like to admit just to keep operations moving.
Compliance tracking, another core function of delivery software, can also become a headache. Each state has different requirements for manifests, mileage logs, route documentation, and time stamps. Some platforms only support general tracking without enough granularity to meet our state’s auditing standards. Others force us into clunky workarounds to export the right reports. This isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a potential legal risk.
Customer notifications and communication are also a consistent failure point. Some software solutions don’t support SMS updates or two-way messaging unless you pay for add-ons. That creates a bottleneck in customer satisfaction. When customers don’t know their delivery is en route or can’t confirm they’ll be home, failed deliveries stack up. That’s time, fuel, and labor wasted—and we get the blame.
Lastly, support and customization are limited. Most providers serve a wide market, but cannabis has unique legal and operational needs. Getting a feature update or fix can take weeks or months. And if you’re not a multi-state operator, your feedback usually ends up in the “maybe later” pile.
In theory, delivery and fleet software should make life easier. But as a dispensary manager, I find myself constantly navigating workarounds, making up for tech shortfalls with manual labor, and apologizing to customers for delays. Until the software catches up to the fast-paced, compliance-heavy reality of cannabis delivery, these frustrations will remain a part of daily operations.
