How to express constraints

Most routing problems only need the everyday constraints. Start there. The later pages cover pairing, then features you only need for some operations.

• Duration and parking

  Service time on site, and dock or gate time that should not be charged twice

• Time windows

  arrive_after and leave_by — appointments, opening hours, SLAs

• Route segment

  Fix first job (or last job) to the start or end of a run

• Capacity

  How much a vehicle can hold, in one dimension or several

• Types and territories

  Who is allowed to serve which Jobs, and delivery zones

• Driver start and end

  Shift hours, and where the Driver begins and finishes the route

• Speed multiplier

  Make one Driver slower or faster than the default travel times

• Pickup delivery and later than

  Carry an item on one vehicle, or require one stop after another

• Unserved penalty / job importance

  Say that some Jobs matter more if something has to be left unserved

• Multi-shift

  Several Shifts in one request — last-mile days, or a continuous journey

• Later shift usage penalty

  Optional penalty on used time on later Shifts, so later days stay open

• Active vehicle penalty

  Optional lump on each vehicle (or reset Shift) that serves any Job, so the fleet stays smaller