East Cost Trucking provides specialized shipping services in major cities along the east cost of the United
Question:
East Cost Trucking provides specialized shipping services in major cities along the east cost of the United States. The company currently has facilities in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Florence, Savanna, Jacksonville, and Tampa. The company wants to expand it service offerings by purchasing new trucks for some of the regional facilities. The trucks are larger and more fuel efficient than what the company is currently using. Management realizes that they cannot afford to purchase a new truck for each regional facility. The company has also decided that no more than one new truck will be purchased for a regional city. In other words, a single new truck will be purchased for a given facility or it will not. However, if a truck is purchased for a facility, it can service other cites as long as the other cities they are located no more than 400 miles away. For example, if a truck is purchased and placed in Richmond, it can provide service to itself and New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Raleigh, and Florence, because each city is located within 400 miles from Richmond.
The company wants to determine the minimum number of trucks that they have to purchase if every city is to be serviced by at least one new truck. Therefore, the company not only needs to know the minimum number of trucks to purchase, they need to know which facilities will receive the new trucks so that all other cities are serviced by at least one new truck.
The number of miles between the regional facilities is provided in the following table.
Business Communication Essentials a skill based approach
ISBN: 978-0132971324
6th edition
Authors: Courtland L. Bovee, John V. Thill