This is a classic problem that has been around for hundreds of years - the good news, if it is that, is that it cannot be solved in general

However for a specific situation it can be by sheer trial and error (quite quick with a spreadsheet)

You don’t say whether it is a one off problem, or whether it is daily, weekly etc

Also are the sites all in a straight line? if not it makes a difference how they are laid out? That makes a big difference. Also time is (i guess) more important than miles, so how far are they apart in time? (Eg if you have full truck A to B then go by the quickest route, but if it is not full, it might be worth going via C if it is not too much of a detour

Finally your container numbers do not help. Where are they now and where do you want them? Totals of each are no help. If you post them in a reply. I can find you a good solution quite quickly.

It is certainly not a problem for Solver, it has been puzzling mathematicians for centuries. so I will never be able to do is prove that my solution is the best one


I need something like the attachment

Attached Files

Example 1.xlsx (8.6 KB, 10 views)