How will you deliver 660 units by Friday?
Check the full route, cost and delivery window before you commit.
The question
A distributor owes 660 units at a customer’s distribution centre by Friday. Its warehouse can deliver 240 units already on hand. The original inbound shipment cannot reach the customer until the following Tuesday. Keep the full Friday commitment within a $1,800 premium cap.
| Maximum units | Premium per unit ($) | |
|---|---|---|
| Rail from alternate inland terminal | 500 | 1 |
| Truck from the same terminal | 300 | 3 |
| Approved local reserve | 160 | 7 |
The terminal holds 500 cleared units in total across both modes. Options allow partial quantities. Premiums are incremental recovery costs.
“Choose the least-cost recovery plan and confirm how the customer will receive it.”
Not saved by this site. Your browser may restore text when you navigate back.
A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: Count the gap
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Recover 420 units through a confirmed transport path.
The strong move. Count the units that reach the customer’s distribution centre before the deadline.
Count the Tuesday inbound shipment toward Friday delivery.
Tempting, but it misses something. The original stock will reach the customer after the Friday deadline.
See how a strong candidate says it
“The warehouse can deliver 240, so I need 420 more by Friday. I’ll use an option that reaches the customer by then.”
Why it works: Count the units that reach the customer’s distribution centre before the deadline.
Step 2: Book the first route
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Use rail for the 420-unit gap.
The strong move. The available rail allocation can cover all 420 units at $1 each.
Send all 500 available units by rail for protection.
Tempting, but it misses something. The order needs only 420 additional units. The extra 80 would add freight cost without filling this order.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I would book 420 units by rail for $420. This covers the gap at the lowest listed cost.”
Why it works: The available rail allocation can cover all 420 units at $1 each.
Step 3: Replace the lost slot
The rail operator cancels the slot. The next train will miss Friday. The truck and local reserve options still have their listed capacity, price and delivery windows.
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Truck 300 units and source the last 120 locally.
The strong move. Use the cheaper remaining option up to its capacity, then fill the balance.
Truck all 420 units at the truck rate.
Tempting, but it misses something. The carrier can take only 300 units by Friday. The plan needs another route for the last 120.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I can truck 300 from the terminal and take 120 from local reserve. That costs $900 plus $840, or $1,740. It covers the 420-unit gap with $60 of budget left.”
Why it works: Use the cheaper remaining option up to its capacity, then fill the balance.
Step 4: Confirm the final handoff
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Confirm both receiving windows and update the original inventory plan.
The strong move. The plan needs both fallback deliveries and one owner for the promise.
Keep the Tuesday shipment assigned to the same Friday order.
Tempting, but it misses something. The recovery plan fills the original order. Keeping the same assignment would reserve the units twice for one demand.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I’ll confirm both arrivals with the customer’s receiving team and give customer operations one delivery plan. Then I’ll reallocate the Tuesday inbound stock when it becomes available.”
Why it works: The plan needs both fallback deliveries and one owner for the promise.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Use 300 truck units and 120 local units for $1,740.
- Because
- Together with the 240 on hand, both timely options meet the 660-unit commitment within budget.
- What would change it
- If either fallback misses its receiving window, confirm the new service gap before committing.
Common traps
- Counting stock without a route to the customer.
- Ignoring the truck capacity when rail is lost.
Check your answer
- I computed the units to recover.
- I compared routes before the deadline.
- I stayed within capacity and budget.
- I updated the receiving plan.
Last reviewed Nov 11, 2026