Work Assignment Optimizer to only Pair Shipments with Same Equipment Group

This feature provides you with a new Resource Schedule Logic Configuration Parameter that is designed to force the optimizer to only pair together shipments with the same Equipment Group.

• This enhancement provides clients with the option that strung shipments will always use the same equipment.
• This is an option that some clients may like but is not always necessary.
• Example 1 (not shown) has an inbound with a dry trailer and an outbound with a flatbed.  This may be perfectly fine for some clients.
• Example 2 does not have any mismatches of equipment.
• The lumber outbound is now paired with a lumber inbound.
• Please note that to make this work correctly, the items must have an equipment restriction else they can ship on any equipment.

Resource Scheduler Configuration

Two test cases were run.  The first did not utilize the parameter and an Inbound Dry Van shipment was paired with an Outbound Flatbed Shipment.   This is not necessarily bad.  It is the client configuration that will make the rule to only string shipments with the same equipment

Gantt Chart of 6 Work Assignments

.  These are the results of the WA plan.

Work Assignment Bulk Plan Results

Both shipments were strung together based on the Equipment Group.  The other 10 outbound orders formed 5 outbound shipments in dry vans.  These were paired with 5 inbound shipments that required dry vans.

Work Assignment First Shipment

Work Assignment Second Shipment

This feature provides clients with a choice on stringing shipments based on the equipment.   It may be perfectly normal for drivers to make deliveries with a dry van in the morning and then switch to a tank truck in the afternoon as one of our clients does.  They would not configure this option.  However, some might because if the driver takes a dry van out to make deliveries and does NOT return home, the dispatcher would not want that driver to make a pickup that required a flatbed. 

Steps to Enable

There is a new parameter in the Resource Scheduler as illustrated previously.

Tips And Considerations

The equipment options in the Work Assignment are a next level of complexity.   Resource Schedules have the ability to restrict equipment but that is not mandatory.  Items have a number of ways to be associated with specific equipment groups but that too is not mandatory.  To use this feature, those relations need to be made in order to create shipments with specific equipment.  When that happens, Work Assignment will only string together shipments with the same equipment. This example used two trucks that were quite different.  Another use case could be a small delivery trucks and a large delivery truck of the same type.  In which case the cargo would not play a role in the equipment choice.