Latest Contributions by DavidVidovic

Hi, I originally placed this question under the Idea Suggestion category, but I am also looking for a solution or workaround if anybody can help?!!   My context:   I have a waste pickup truck that Starts and Ends at Depot "A"...Depot "A" is only a truck depot where the truck is parked - it is not an unloading site.    I have established a separate Route Renewal site and associated it with the truck - this is the only location where the waste can be unloaded at. So, I need the truck to leave Depot "A" > pick up waste quantities from the orders > go to the Route Renewal Site to unload > return to Depot "A" empty. However, the VRP solver always picks up waste (whether or not it has been to the Route Renewal Site) on its way back to Depot "A". As mentioned, I don't want this because waste cannot be unloaded at Depot "A".   ESRI explains this here From: ArcGIS Desktop Help 9.3 - Solving a vehicle routing problem:  "For a route that has no renewal visits, its pickup orders (those with nonzero PickupQuantities values in the Orders class) are unloaded at the end depot. For a route that has renewal visits, only the pickup orders after the last renewal visit are unloaded at the end depot."   There is currently no parameter such as [DepotCapacity] for each Depot for a Vehicle Routing Problem. If there was, I could set [DepotCapacity] = 0, to prevent any pickups on the final return to Depot "A". If anybody has any suggestion or workaround to prevent orders being picked up on the way back to the End Point, please help!!  ... View more

At the moment, there is no limit to how much a vehicle can drop off at a Depot in a Vehicle Routing Problem. My context: I have a waste pickup truck that starts/returns at Depot "A". Depot "A" is a truck depot - it is not an unloading site. It is the start and end point for the route only.   I have established a separate Route Renewal site and associated it with the truck - this is the only location the waste can be unloaded at.   However, after the last visit to the Route Renewal site, the VRP solver continues to pick up waste on its way back to  Depot "A". As mentioned, I don't this because waste cannot be unloaded at Depot "A"   ESRI explains this here From: ArcGIS Desktop Help 9.3 - Solving a vehicle routing problem:  "For a route that has renewal visits, only the pickup orders after the last renewal visit are unloaded at the end depot"   So, there is currently no parameter such as [DepotCapacity] for a Vehicle Routing Problem. This is a shame.   If there was, I could set [DepotCapacity] = 0, to prevent any pickups on the final return to Depot "A".  ... View more

Hi, I'm having a problem understanding the route generated by the Vehicle Routing Problem tool. Given the set of parameters I've entered, I'm expecting a different result. I'm trying to generate a garbage waste pick-up route, starting from a Depot, to a series of neighborhood pickup points. I've loaded these points into the Orders list and I've entered assigned a field for the [PickupQuantities] property (the unit throughout is kilograms). Typically, the value for each stop i the field I've assigned is between roughly 500-1500 kg. For the Routes list, I've added a truck (Truck_1) and added values to all the relevant fields. The main ones of interest/confusion right now is [Capacities] and [MaxOrderCount]. I understand [Capacities] is for how much the vehicle can carry. In my case, it's 8000 kg until full. For [MaxOrderCount], I understand this to mean the maximum number of stops that my output route cannot exceed. In my case, I've entered 30 as this is the default and I'm happy with this because it's a number I don't think will be close to being reached or exceeded. ESRI describes it like so:              "The maximum allowable number of orders on the route. This field can't contain null values and has a default value of 30" Other inputs:  for Depots, I've loaded a list of points with relevant attributes assigned. I have generated a basic road network, with time and distance attributes. I have not added any turn or time restrictions. Here is my problem - I'm expecting the Solve output will; Generate a route starting at my nominated Depot for the truck The route will travel along the road network to the nearest stop(s) until up to 8000 kg have been picked up OR it has reached 30 stops. Given the rough average of kilograms per stop (500-1500 kg), I'm expecting the route will go to roughly 5-15 stops. Return to starting Depot. What I am getting: the route starts at my nominated Depot for the truck The route travels along the road network until it reaches 30 stops, first going to a few nearby stops, then veering off to stops many kilometers away, despite closer stops. Returns to starting Depot So, for some reason: the [MaxOrderCount] attribute is forcing the route to go to the absolute number I've assigned to it. When i change it 10, it always goes to 10 stops. Change it 20, it goes to 20 stops.  It is ignoring both the [Capacities] attribute of the truck and [PickupQuantity] attribute (that was assigned to a particular field when I initially set up the Orders list)  The route is not going to next nearest available stops. As mentioned, my road network is without turn or time restrictions, so I don't know why it is veering way off to other stops when closer ones are available. If anybody has any suggestions or questions that might help, please ask. I'm a novice user of Network Analyst and this is completely stumping me to the point I need help! David ... View more