The idea that you have to scratch on a route to qualify is so stupid. Most routes haven’t had a time study by an actual person in years. They just use satellite imagery and a computer program to give time allowances. These computers don’t take into account apartment buildings, over 70s, or weird shaped packages that make you make multiple trips to the same place instead of one.
i think as long as your stops per hour on a business/resi route is between 15-20 and 20-30 on a pure resi route, you should qualify. I have no idea how it would play out on a country route since you would end up driving so far for those kind of routes.