About Speed Factors

Speed factors define the speed at which employees (that is, drivers) are expected to travel from point A to point B.

Speed factor is applied to distance and time calculations when attached to a run.

PASS allows you to create speed factors for vehicles that are operating:

  • At different times of the day
  • Up to and exceeding certain distances
  • On specific runs
  • Under specific employees
  • Through specific zones or polygons

The actual speed of a vehicle can be calculated by multiplying the average speed by all the speed factors affecting it:

Actual speed = Average speed × Time of Day SF × Distance SF × Run SF × Origin zone SF × Destzone SF × Employee SF

As a general rule, vehicles tend to move more quickly in rural areas or highways than in congested urban areas where there is more traffic and other miscellaneous obstructions. There is generally a lower density of traffic during off-peak hours than peak hours of the day and more traffic on weekdays than weekends. Schedule Administrator allows you to set speed factors that modify the average speed of vehicles to fit varying patterns in traffic due to times and distances.

Speed Factor Example

A vehicle is traveling through zones on a run at a time and distance with the following criteria:

Table 1. Example Criteria for a Speed Factor Calculation
Criteria Value
Average Speed 30 mph
Time of Day SF 0.80
Distance SF 1.2
Run SF 0.90
Origin SF 0.70
Dest SF 1.3
Using the described formula,
  • Actual Speed = 30 × 0.8 × 1.2 × 0.9 × 0.7 × 1.3 = 23.59 mph