Vehicle costs are specified in arbitrary units. The unit used must be consistent across the scenario.
Cost per Use
This is a cost incurred whenever the vehicle is used (i.e. has orders assigned to it) in a solution.
Hidden Cost per Use
The hidden version of the cost per use. This is used in the computation of a solution, but it will not be seen in the final output.
Cost per Hour
This is the cost-per-hour for the vehicle.
Hidden Cost per Hour
The hidden version of the cost per hour. This is used in the computation of a solution, but it will not be seen in the final output.
Cost per Kilometre
This is the cost-per-kilometre for the vehicle.
Hidden Cost per Kilometre
The hidden version of the cost per km.
Cost per Mile
This is the cost-per-mile for the vehicle.
Hidden Cost per Mile
The hidden version of the cost per mile.
Cost per Load
This is a cost that is incurred for each load a vehicle has in the solution.
Hidden Cost per Load
The hidden version of the cost per load. This is used in the computation of a solution, but it will not be seen in the final output.
Costs and hidden costs per distance may be specified using either kilometres or miles, but not both.
There are additional hidden costs (penalties) for vehicles that are useful for controlling the “shape” of a vehicle’s route.
Starting Location
This is the location of the vehicle at the start of its route.
If this location differs from the first pickup location, then the vehicle is required to travel from the start location to the first pickup location. In such a case, the travel time and distance to the first pickup location are included in the solution.
If no start location is specified, then the vehicle begins its route at the location of its first pickup.
Finishing Location
This is a location to which the vehicle must return at the end of its route. The travel time and distance to return to this location are considered in the solution.
If no finish location is specified, then the vehicle ends its route at the location of its last delivery.
Earliest Start
This is the earliest time that a vehicle can start its route.
Latest Start
This is the latest time that a vehicle can start its route.
Latest Finish
This is the latest time that the vehicle can finish its route. It includes the time taken for the vehicle to return to its finish location.
Maximum Drive Time
This is the maximum time that a vehicle can spend in transit during a route.
Maximum Work Time
This is the maximum time allowed between the start of the route and its completion. This includes the time needed for a vehicle to return to its finish location at the end of its route.
Load Time
Load time is the time incurred by the vehicle when it begins a sequence of pickups at a location. A vehicle’s load time will override a location’s load time if both the vehicle’s and location’s load time are greater than zero.
Unload Time
Unload time is the time incurred by the vehicle when it begins a sequence of deliveries at a location. A vehicle’s unload time will override a location’s unload time if both the vehicle’s and location’s unload times are greater than zero.
Vehicles may have both a maximum weight capacity and maximum volume capacity. These are upper bounds on how much the vehicle can carry.
Vehicles may be divided into multiple compartments. Each compartment has its own capacities (e.g. maximum weight, maximum volume) and attributes. A compartment scheme is a list of compartments identified using a unique identifier. An individual compartment scheme can be applied to multiple vehicles.
If batched loads is enabled, then this is an upper bound on the number of loads the vehicle is allowed to do.
If batched loads is enabled, then this is an upper bound on the number of locations a vehicle can deliver to per load.
This is an identifier that specifies the fatigue management rules that apply to the vehicle. Driver breaks inserted by the optimiser will satisfy all rules in the fatigue management scheme.
A loaded break is a driver break that is scheduled while one or more orders are loaded on the vehicle. The optimiser can optionally prevent loaded breaks from being scheduled (i.e. driver breaks will only occur while the vehicle is not loaded).
As all vehicles use the same time and distance matrices in computation of transit times and distance, applying a scaling factor allows the user to account for vehicles with varying speed. For example, if a vehicle was known to be 30% slower than the average vehicle in the fleet, a scaling factor of 0.7 (70%) could be applied. Similarly, if a vehicle was known to be 10% faster, a scaling factor of 1.10 (110%) could be applied.
To avoid unnecessary repetition when defining vehicles, DTO-Excel (only) allows for the definition of vehicle types. All vehicles of the same type share the properties defined for that type, such as maximum weight, speed scale etc. Note that defining both a vehicle type and vehicle properties in the Fleet sheet is not allowed.