Vehicle Pre‐loading: Theory and Practice

Since it is necessary to ensure that the operational benefits from pre‐loading are not outweighed by the cost of its introduction, the first part of this article is devoted to the development of an algebraic expression which provides a rule for assessing the desirability of pre‐loading. There follows an empirical examination of the economic effectiveness of pre‐loading, as practised within the UK distribution industry. The conclusion is that industry is using pre‐loading as an effective measure to reduce warehouse staff costs.