How would you cover the delivery route?
Assign three complete orders when the original van drops out.
The question
At 13:00, the original van for a fictional U.S. delivery route is unavailable before loading. All orders are at the depot. Each order must go whole. You can spend up to $120 on an approved backup.
| Cartons | Handoff due | |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4 | 14:10 |
| B | 3 | 14:35 |
| C | 2 | 16:00 |
The deadlines are for completed customer handoffs.
- Relief vanCapacity: 7 cartons. The route model estimates handoffs at 13:50 for A and 14:20 for B if A goes first, or 13:50 for B and 14:25 for A if B goes first.
- Scheduled vanThe scheduled van can take both cartons for C and complete the handoff at 15:10.
“Which vehicle would you assign to each order?”
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A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: What must the plan protect?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Load the biggest orders together and decide the sequence later.
Tempting, but it misses something. A feasible load can still miss a customer deadline.
Check capacity, handoff times and the existing plan for C.
The strong move. This gives the constraints for each dispatch decision.
Put all nine cartons in the relief van.
Tempting, but it misses something. The relief van has room for seven.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Check the whole order, vehicle capacity and each handoff deadline. Keep C on the scheduled van while that option works.”
Why it works: The plan needs an assignment for all three orders within their receiving windows.
Step 2: Which order should the relief van visit first?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Send the relief van to A then B.
The strong move. Both orders fit, and both handoffs finish in time.
Send the relief van to B then A.
Tempting, but it misses something. A would finish at 14:25 against a 14:10 deadline.
Send C with A and hold B at the depot.
Tempting, but it misses something. C already has a confirmed vehicle and this leaves B without a route.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Visit A first. A and B fill all 7 carton spaces. A completes at 13:50 and B at 14:20. Going to B first would put A 15 minutes late.”
Why it works: The A-first plan completes both stops within the opening windows.
Step 3: Can one van still cover A and B?
B now needs a completed handoff by 14:05. An approved backup can take all 4 cartons for A and complete its handoff at 14:00 for $95. The relief van can keep B’s 13:50 time if it goes there first.
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Keep A first because both orders fit.
Tempting, but it misses something. B now needs the handoff by 14:05.
Swap the relief sequence and keep both orders on it.
Tempting, but it misses something. The swap leaves A 15 minutes late.
Send B on relief, A on the approved backup and C as planned.
The strong move. All three orders keep their receiving windows.
See how a strong candidate says it
“A first makes B 15 minutes late. B first makes A 15 minutes late. Send B on the relief van, A on the $95 approved backup and C on the scheduled van.”
Why it works: The new window changes route feasibility. The backup fee is within your $120 authority.
Step 4: What would you confirm before dispatch?
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Send one generic update to all three customers.
Tempting, but it misses something. Each customer needs its own delivery time.
Confirm each load and communicate its handoff time.
The strong move. This turns the plan into an assignment that staff can check.
Record the jobs as complete when the vans leave.
Tempting, but it misses something. Departure gives no evidence that a customer received the order.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Confirm the approved backup and the carton count on each van. Tell A, B and C their handoff times. Assign someone to watch for each handoff confirmation.”
Why it works: The recovery plan needs confirmed assignments and a check that the orders arrived.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Send B on relief, A on the approved backup and C as planned.
- Because
- The relief van can no longer meet both A and B’s deadlines.
- What would change it
- A verified change to a customer window or another available vehicle.
Common traps
- Using carton capacity alone to choose the route.
- Dropping a confirmed plan for C.
Check your answer
- What must go whole?
- Which deadline controls the first trip?
- What changed for B?
- How will you verify each handoff?
Last reviewed Nov 11, 2026