Penalty per late hour

This constraint represents an additional cost applied per hour of delay. It gives the user finer control over how strictly visit time windows are respected. Note: Constraints related to tolerance should be used with care, as they can dominate the optimization process by making delays the primary optimization priority.

Format: Numeric (integer or decimal)

Example: If you are willing to accept detours and additional distance to better respect delivery time windows—for example, traveling an extra 70 km to avoid being 5 minutes late—the penalty can be calculated as follows:

• Cost per km = 0.5

• Extra distance = 70 km

• Conversion factor = 12 (60 minutes / 5 minutes)

Penalty per late hour = 0.5 × 70 × 12 = 420

Therefore, the value to enter for the Penalty per late hour constraint is 420.

Depends on:

• Opening time

• Closing time

Incompatible with:

• Delay tolerance