diff --git a/veilid-core/src/routing_table/tasks/private_route_management.rs b/veilid-core/src/routing_table/tasks/private_route_management.rs
index 7ae002ef..c6686f67 100644
--- a/veilid-core/src/routing_table/tasks/private_route_management.rs
+++ b/veilid-core/src/routing_table/tasks/private_route_management.rs
@@ -7,6 +7,83 @@ use stop_token::future::FutureExt as StopFutureExt;
 const BACKGROUND_SAFETY_ROUTE_COUNT: usize = 2;
 
 impl RoutingTable {
+    /// Fastest routes sort
+    fn route_sort_latency_fn(a: &(DHTKey, u64), b: &(DHTKey, u64)) -> cmp::Ordering {
+        let mut al = a.1;
+        let mut bl = b.1;
+        // Treat zero latency as uncalculated
+        if al == 0 {
+            al = u64::MAX;
+        }
+        if bl == 0 {
+            bl = u64::MAX;
+        }
+        // Less is better
+        al.cmp(&bl)
+    }
+
+    /// Get the list of routes to test and drop
+    ///
+    /// Allocated routes to test:
+    /// * if a route 'needs_testing'
+    ///   . all published allocated routes
+    ///   . the fastest 0..N default length routes
+    /// Routes to drop:
+    /// * if a route 'needs_testing'
+    ///   . the N.. default routes
+    ///   . the rest of the allocated unpublished routes
+    ///
+    /// If a route doesn't 'need_testing', then we neither test nor drop it
+    #[instrument(level = "trace", skip(self))]
+    fn get_allocated_routes_to_test(&self, cur_ts: Timestamp) -> Vec<DHTKey> {
+        let default_route_hop_count =
+            self.with_config(|c| c.network.rpc.default_route_hop_count as usize);
+
+        let rss = self.route_spec_store();
+        let mut must_test_routes = Vec::<DHTKey>::new();
+        let mut unpublished_routes = Vec::<(DHTKey, u64)>::new();
+        let mut dead_routes = Vec::<DHTKey>::new();
+        rss.list_allocated_routes(|k, v| {
+            let stats = v.get_stats();
+            // Ignore nodes that don't need testing
+            if !stats.needs_testing(cur_ts) {
+                return Option::<()>::None;
+            }
+            if v.is_published() {
+                must_test_routes.push(*k);
+            } else if v.hop_count() == default_route_hop_count {
+                unpublished_routes.push((*k, stats.latency_stats.average.as_u64()));
+            } else {
+                dead_routes.push(*k);
+            }
+            Option::<()>::None
+        });
+
+        // Sort unpublished routes by speed if we know the speed
+        unpublished_routes.sort_by(Self::route_sort_latency_fn);
+
+        // Save up to N unpublished routes and test them
+        for x in 0..(usize::min(BACKGROUND_SAFETY_ROUTE_COUNT, unpublished_routes.len())) {
+            must_test_routes.push(unpublished_routes[x].0);
+        }
+
+        // Kill off all but N unpublished routes rather than testing them
+        if unpublished_routes.len() > BACKGROUND_SAFETY_ROUTE_COUNT {
+            for x in &unpublished_routes[BACKGROUND_SAFETY_ROUTE_COUNT..] {
+                dead_routes.push(x.0);
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Process dead routes
+        for r in &dead_routes {
+            log_rtab!(debug "Dead route no test: {}", r);
+            rss.release_route(r);
+        }
+
+        // return routes to test
+        must_test_routes
+    }
+
     /// Test set of routes and remove the ones that don't test clean
     #[instrument(level = "trace", skip(self, stop_token), err)]
     async fn test_route_set(
@@ -60,7 +137,7 @@ impl RoutingTable {
         // Process failed routes
         let ctx = &mut *ctx.lock();
         for r in &ctx.dead_routes {
-            log_rtab!(debug "Dead route: {}", &r);
+            log_rtab!(debug "Dead route failed to test: {}", &r);
             rss.release_route(r);
         }
 
@@ -87,15 +164,7 @@ impl RoutingTable {
 
         // Test locally allocated routes first
         // This may remove dead routes
-        let rss = self.route_spec_store();
-        let routes_needing_testing = rss.list_allocated_routes(|k, v| {
-            let stats = v.get_stats();
-            if stats.needs_testing(cur_ts) {
-                return Some(*k);
-            } else {
-                return None;
-            }
-        });
+        let routes_needing_testing = self.get_allocated_routes_to_test(cur_ts);
         if !routes_needing_testing.is_empty() {
             self.test_route_set(stop_token.clone(), routes_needing_testing)
                 .await?;
@@ -105,6 +174,7 @@ impl RoutingTable {
         let default_route_hop_count =
             self.with_config(|c| c.network.rpc.default_route_hop_count as usize);
         let mut local_unpublished_route_count = 0usize;
+        let rss = self.route_spec_store();
         rss.list_allocated_routes(|_k, v| {
             if !v.is_published() && v.hop_count() == default_route_hop_count {
                 local_unpublished_route_count += 1;