The timely collection and transportation of checks from branches to the operations center is a primary concern to bank managers. Transit checks need to be cleared quickly to maximize available funds to the bank's cash managers. However, management must not over-commit resources, such as drivers...

The purpose of this paper is to place into focus a whole class of problems that have not yet received the attention they deserve. The problem studied, although seemingly narrow in scope, reflects a much broader class of problems relating aggregate and disaggregate cost functions. It raises...