Investment payback should be assessed from actual use and costs. A vehicle making trips does not mean its carrying volume or investment capacity is fully used.
Measure time utilisation
Compare operating days or hours during the period with total available days or hours. Mark maintenance and planned idle time separately.
Record load utilisation separately. For each trip, compare actual volume or weight with the same vehicle's usable capacity in the same unit. If empty pallet positions are used as a volume proxy, record that method.
Expose peak demand. Record demand during busy weeks, simultaneous vehicle needs and unserved orders instead of relying on monthly averages. Do not hide seasonality in an average.
Build the investment case. Enter initial cost, financing and operating expense, plus delivery or contribution genuinely added by the new capacity. A simple payback period divides initial investment by annual net incremental contribution. State assumptions behind estimated benefits.
Refresh the calculation with records
Update the case when fill, operating time or demand changes. If combining time and load utilisation, state the formula and period; do not assume guaranteed performance.
