Example: Cost model

  • Route Optimization's cost model, defined by various cost parameters, guides the optimization process by enabling trade-offs between factors like time, distance, and shipment completion.

  • Cost parameters, expressed in dimensionless units, are assigned to Vehicle and Shipment properties, allowing users to prioritize route characteristics and shipment importance.

  • Shipment penalty costs influence whether a shipment is included in a route; if the cost to complete a shipment exceeds its penalty cost, it may be skipped.

  • The OptimizeToursResponse message provides cost breakdowns, including metrics.costs and routeCosts, offering insights into the cost efficiency of the generated routes.

  • Soft constraints, such as LoadLimit and TimeWindow, introduce cost penalties when violated, allowing for flexibility while still encouraging adherence to limits.

This example shows how to use cost parameters to get a cost-effective route.

For a complete conceptual overview, see the Cost model key concept document.

Example request

The following example demonstrates a scenario where one vehicle must deliver three shipments. The vehicle has associated costs for time and distance, and each shipment has a penaltyCost that is incurred if the shipment is skipped.

This example request contains the following cost-related parameters:

See an example request with costs

{
  "model": {
    "globalStartTime": "2023-01-13T16:00:00-08:00",
    "globalEndTime": "2023-01-14T16:00:00-08:00",
    "shipments": [
      {
        "deliveries": [
          {
            "arrivalLocation": {
              "latitude": 37.789456,
              "longitude": -122.390192
            },
            "duration": "250s"
          }
        ],
        "pickups": [
          {
            "arrivalLocation": {
              "latitude": 37.794465,
              "longitude": -122.394839
            },
            "duration": "150s"
          }
        ],
        "penaltyCost": 100.0
      },
      {
        "deliveries": [
          {
            "arrivalLocation": {
              "latitude": 37.789116,
              "longitude": -122.395080
            },
            "duration": "250s"
          }
        ],
        "pickups": [
          {
            "arrivalLocation": {
              "latitude": 37.794465,
              "longitude": -122.394839
            },
            "duration": "150s"
          }
        ],
        "penaltyCost": 5.0
      },
      {
        "deliveries": [
          {
            "arrivalLocation": {
              "latitude": 37.795242,
              "longitude": -122.399347
            },
            "duration": "250s"
          }
        ],
        "pickups": [
          {
            "arrivalLocation": {
              "latitude": 37.794465,
              "longitude": -122.394839
            },
            "duration": "150s"
          }
        ],
        "penaltyCost": 50.0
      }
    ],
    "vehicles": [
      {
        "endLocation": {
          "latitude": 37.794465,
          "longitude": -122.394839
        },
        "startLocation": {
          "latitude": 37.794465,
          "longitude": -122.394839
        },
        "costPerHour": 40.0,
        "costPerKilometer": 10.0
      }
    ]
  }
}

Example response

The response shows that the optimizer creates a route that performs two of the three shipments. The third shipment is skipped because its penaltyCost is lower than the calculated vehicle costs for pickup and delivery.

See a response to the example request with costs

{
  "routes": [
    {
      "vehicleStartTime": "2023-01-14T00:00:00Z",
      "vehicleEndTime": "2023-01-14T00:28:22Z",
      "visits": [
        {
          "isPickup": true,
          "startTime": "2023-01-14T00:00:00Z",
          "detour": "0s"
        },
        {
          "shipmentIndex": 2,
          "isPickup": true,
          "startTime": "2023-01-14T00:02:30Z",
          "detour": "150s"
        },
        {
          "startTime": "2023-01-14T00:08:55Z",
          "detour": "150s"
        },
        {
          "shipmentIndex": 2,
          "startTime": "2023-01-14T00:21:21Z",
          "detour": "572s"
        }
      ],
      "transitions": [
        {
          "travelDuration": "0s",
          "waitDuration": "0s",
          "totalDuration": "0s",
          "startTime": "2023-01-14T00:00:00Z"
        },
        {
          "travelDuration": "0s",
          "waitDuration": "0s",
          "totalDuration": "0s",
          "startTime": "2023-01-14T00:02:30Z"
        },
        {
          "travelDuration": "235s",
          "travelDistanceMeters": 795,
          "waitDuration": "0s",
          "totalDuration": "235s",
          "startTime": "2023-01-14T00:05:00Z"
        },
        {
          "travelDuration": "496s",
          "travelDistanceMeters": 1893,
          "waitDuration": "0s",
          "totalDuration": "496s",
          "startTime": "2023-01-14T00:13:05Z"
        },
        {
          "travelDuration": "171s",
          "travelDistanceMeters": 665,
          "waitDuration": "0s",
          "totalDuration": "171s",
          "startTime": "2023-01-14T00:25:31Z"
        }
      ],
      "metrics": {
        "performedShipmentCount": 2,
        "travelDuration": "902s",
        "waitDuration": "0s",
        "delayDuration": "0s",
        "breakDuration": "0s",
        "visitDuration": "800s",
        "totalDuration": "1702s",
        "travelDistanceMeters": 3353
      },
      "routeCosts": {
        "model.vehicles.cost_per_kilometer": 33.53,
        "model.vehicles.cost_per_hour": 18.911111111111111
      },
      "routeTotalCost": 52.441111111111113
    }
  ],
  "skippedShipments": [
    {
      "index": 1
    }
  ],
  "metrics": {
    "aggregatedRouteMetrics": {
      "performedShipmentCount": 2,
      "travelDuration": "902s",
      "waitDuration": "0s",
      "delayDuration": "0s",
      "breakDuration": "0s",
      "visitDuration": "800s",
      "totalDuration": "1702s",
      "travelDistanceMeters": 3353
    },
    "usedVehicleCount": 1,
    "earliestVehicleStartTime": "2023-01-14T00:00:00Z",
    "latestVehicleEndTime": "2023-01-14T00:28:22Z",
    "totalCost": 57.441111111111113,
    "costs": {
      "model.vehicles.cost_per_kilometer": 33.53,
      "model.vehicles.cost_per_hour": 18.911111111111111,
      "model.shipments.penalty_cost": 5
    }
  }
}

The following fields show how the costs are calculated in the response:

  • routeCosts breaks down the operational costs for a specific route, which in this case are:
    • model.vehicles.cost_per_kilometer: 33.53.
    • model.vehicles.cost_per_hour: 18.91.
  • The routeTotalCost (52.44) is the sum of the costs listed in routeCosts.
  • At the top level of the response, the costs object summarizes every cost incurred in the solution. This includes the operational costs from all vehicle routes plus any penalties, such as the model.shipments.penalty_cost (5.0) for the skipped shipment.
  • The final totalCost (57.44) represents the grand total for the solution, which is the sum of the routeTotalCost from all vehicles and all penalty costs. In this case, it is 52.44 + 5.0.