- This how-to guide assumes you already completed the get started with vehicle routing tutorial.
| Field name | Required | Data type | SI Unit | Defined on | Example | Configurable via defaults |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
start_time | No | timestamp | NA | vehicle | {"start_time": "2023-01-01T00:00:00Z"} | ✅ |
end_time | No | timestamp | NA | vehicle | {"end_time": "2023-01-01T00:00:00Z"} | ✅ |
You can specify the time at which a vehicle starts its route, with the start_time. By default, there are no arrival or departure times given for vehicles at stops in the solution. When you specify the start_time for a vehicle, there is context for when the route starts, and thus, there are timestamps calculated as part of the output, such as the arrival_time for each stop.
In addition to the start time, you can also define the latest time at which a vehicle must end its route, with the end_time. Defining both the start_time and end_time defines a shift for the vehicle. Please note that the end_time includes any time spent traveling, waiting at stops, and servicing them.
Both the start_time and end_time are optional.
When defining start_time and end_time there is a time duration defined by end_time - start_time. The route duration is limited by the most constrained duration between end_time - start_time and max_duration.
Defining the start_time on the vehicle makes it possible to calculate the arrival_time, start_time and end_time for the vehicle's planned stops in the output.
Here is an example input defining the start_time and end_time for some vehicles. Note how defining different attributes for each vehicle leads to distinct route information. A sample output obtained after solving the problem is also shown.