# 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


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