Constraints: the rules every route respects
Constraints are hard rules: a route never breaks them. When an order cannot be served without breaking one, it is left unassigned with the reason, so you can decide what to change.
Capacity, weight and volume
Every vehicle has a capacity in load units (boxes, pallets, parcels: your unit), and every order a demand in the same unit (1 if empty). A vehicle file can add Max weight and Max volume, with Weight and Volume on the orders, in whatever units you use consistently. The engine checks all three at once: a van can be full by volume before it is full by weight.
If no vehicle has a weight limit, order weights are ignored (and the plan says so). A file with only a Weight column and no quantity uses the weight as the load.
Time windows and service time
Window start and Window end are the earliest and latest arrival at the stop (08:30, 8:30 AM and Excel times all work). A vehicle that arrives early waits. A window with only an end means before that time. Service time is how long the driver stays at the stop: 5 minutes if not given. Long service times (installations, repairs) are often what limits how many stops fit in a day.
Tight windows force zigzags and can need more vehicles: compare a plan with and without them to see what they cost. A window no vehicle can reach comes back as unassigned with that reason.
Shifts
Each vehicle works between its Shift start and Shift end (08:00–18:00 unless you say otherwise), from leaving its start point to coming back. Drivers can have different shifts in a vehicles file.
Driver breaks
Break (min) with an optional window, Break from and Break until, gives each driver one break that must start and end inside the window (or inside the shift). The engine places it where it costs least, typically at a stop already on the way, and shows it in the route and the driver sheet. If a break cannot fit, the plan warns you instead of hiding it.
Skills and equipment
Required skills on an order (liftgate, fridge, hazmat, two-person, gas-certified…) can only be served by a vehicle whose Skills include all of them. Write them separated by commas; case does not matter. Use skills for refrigerated loads, heavy items, certifications or a customer who must see the same technician.
Priorities
Priority is high, normal or low (also accepted: urgent, must, 1/2/3, P1/P2/P3, optional, if possible). It only matters when everything cannot fit: low-priority orders are left out first, and high-priority orders are kept unless they are impossible. The plan warns you if a high-priority order is unassigned.
Route limits
Max route length (hours), Max route distance (km) and Max stops per route cap every route: for regulations, electric vehicle range, or drivers who must be back by a given time. Limits make routes shorter and can leave orders unassigned when the fleet is too small; the reason says which limit was hit.
When an order is unassigned
| Reason | What it means and what to do |
|---|---|
| geocode_failed | The address could not be located. Fix the street, city or postal code. |
| too_large | The order is bigger than the largest vehicle. Split it or use a larger vehicle. |
| too_heavy / too_bulky | Above every suitable vehicle's max weight or volume. |
| missing_skill | No vehicle has all the required skills. |
| window_unreachable | No vehicle can arrive inside the window. Widen it or start earlier. |
| outside_shift | The stop and the way back do not fit in any shift. |
| capacity | All vehicles were full. Add a vehicle or raise a capacity. |
| no_fit / no_fit_limits | Capacities, windows and route limits together leave no room. |
| beyond_route_limit | Even alone, this stop breaks your max duration or distance. |
| low_priority | Left out so that higher-priority orders fit. |
| locked_vehicle_unfit | Assigned to a vehicle that cannot serve it. |
| pickup_geocode_failed | The pickup address of a shipment could not be located. |
| carried_over | A re-planned service day has no time left for this visit. Download it and plan it on another day. |