Q I run a number of small delivery vehicles for local
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distribution over a wide area and rising costs are forcing me to re-assess the profitability of this operation I feel that there are economies to be made from more objective scheduling of the regular rounds and I am thinking of using a computer to do this. Are there any drawbacks to this which might not be apparent?
AThere is no easy answer to the problem of route scheduling for distribution vehicles. Many very large distribution companies have
changed from manual scheduling to using computers and then changed back again. The problem with computer designed schedules is that the computer package is not flexible enough to take into consideration changes in constraints in a reasonable time.
The introduction of one way streets, closure of roads and bridges, changes in customer acceptance patterns and times all tend to frustrate the package so that it takes several weeks to change it. By this time other alterations in the routes have appeared so that the computer package is still difficult to adhere to if not impossible to follow.
There is really no substitute for the good old-fashioned experienced scheduler who, with his local knowledge, is able to redeploy and redirect units on an hour to hour basis if this becomes necessary.
Only if you are sure that the routes your vehicles will take will remain constant for long periods and that customers will not change the days of the week or the time of day at which they will accept delivery, should you rely on computer designed delivery.