Big Ambitions Logistics and Delivery Guide
The supply chain that runs while you sleep -- or the hole that bleeds your empire dry.
Logistics is the system that separates a five-shop chain from a fifty-shop chain in Big Ambitions. Without it, you are ferrying boxes in a van personally. With it, a logistics manager, a driver, and a vehicle deliver stock to every location on a schedule while you watch Econoview. This guide covers the 1.0 warehouse system, delivery vehicles, the logistics manager role, driver skill caps, and the smart delivery chain that makes everything run automatically.
This page is the operational foundation. It sits next to the warehouses page for the building itself, vehicles for the rolling stock, and headquarters for the purchasing agents that feed the chain.
The warehouse as a logistics hub
A warehouse in Big Ambitions is not just storage. It is the hub of a delivery network. The moment you sign a warehouse lease, you open a bay for a delivery vehicle. Assign a vehicle to that bay, assign a driver to the vehicle, and set destinations through the logistics manager. The chain is: purchasing agent orders from wholesaler → truck delivers to warehouse → warehouse bays stock up → warehouse vehicle delivers to shops.
The warehouses guide covers bay math, import contracts, and shelf calculations. This page is the delivery side of that chain.
Delivery vehicles and destination limits
A vehicle’s value is how many addresses it can serve per route, not its top speed. Typical destination bands in 1.0:
- Most cars: one drop, two with a skilled logistics manager.
- Compact vans: two drops, four with a high-skill logistics manager.
- Mid couriers: three drops, six with a high-skill manager.
- Freight trucks: four drops, eight with a high-skill driver and manager.
The logistics manager assigned to the same warehouse determines the multiplier. A weak manager caps a freight truck at four destinations; a strong one pushes it to eight. Recruit for high Logistics skill when you need more drops per route.
The 1.0 September patch (Build 3674) fixed a memory ceiling issue for large saves that could affect route performance on the first session after launching. Restart the client if routes behave oddly after a long session.
The logistics manager role
The logistics manager is a headquarters staff role that plans and oversees delivery routes. Without one, your driver makes stops but the system does not optimize the order, frequency, or stock levels. With a good logistics manager:
- Routes are ordered by efficiency (no backtracking across town).
- Stock targets are set per shop.
- Auto-restock triggers when a shop falls below its target.
- Priority goes to shops that are actively selling.
Logistics Manager skill affects the quality of route planning and the number of destinations the driver can reach. The headquarters page covers hiring and skill bands. The employees guide covers schedules and uniforms.
Driver skill and route efficiency
Driver skill affects delivery reliability and speed. Low-skill drivers:
- Miss drop-off windows more often.
- Take longer per stop.
- Have lower vehicle utilization (fewer destinations per route).
High-skill drivers (around 75% skill recommended for freight trucks):
- Hit more stops per route.
- Deliver on schedule more consistently.
- Handle the destination limit ceiling without topping out early.
Recruit drivers with Delivery skill. Schedule them for the hours the warehouse operates. A driver with no shift overlap with the warehouse is useless.
Smart delivery chain
The smart delivery system in 1.0 works like this:
- Purchasing agent at HQ orders stock from wholesaler.
- Wholesaler truck delivers to your warehouse.
- Warehouse bay stocks up based on shop targets.
- Your warehouse vehicle delivers to each shop on the route.
- Logistics manager reorders stock when shops approach their low threshold.
The importing page covers step two (dock contracts and purchasing agents). The headquarters page covers step one. This page is steps three through five.
Set shop stock targets in BizMan. Each shop has a target inventory level. When the warehouse vehicle delivers and the shop falls below that level, the logistics manager flags it for the next route. This prevents the stockout problem where a shop looks fine on paper and is empty on the floor.
Common logistics failures
Stock never arrives at a shop: The vehicle is not assigned to the warehouse bay, the driver is not assigned to the vehicle, or the logistics manager has no route set. Check all three in BizMan.
Routes miss half the stops: The driver skill is too low for the number of destinations, or the logistics manager skill is capping the route. Recruit a better driver or manager.
Warehouses full but shops empty: The warehouse vehicle limit is too low for the number of shops. Add a second vehicle or split the route.
Delivery vehicle sitting idle: The driver shift does not overlap with warehouse hours. Set the driver’s schedule to match warehouse operating hours.
When to expand the logistics network
You need a second warehouse when:
- The first warehouse vehicle is at destination capacity and shops are still waiting.
- The drive from warehouse to the furthest shop takes too long per route.
- Geographic expansion makes the first warehouse too far from new locations.
The rule is: open a second warehouse because the first truck is full, not because the first truck is lonely. If you have five shops and a van that handles four, add a second van before adding a second warehouse.
For the purchase side of the chain, see importing. For vehicle types, see vehicles. For the employee layer, see employees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
What does a logistics manager do in Big Ambitions?
Plans delivery routes, sets shop stock targets, and triggers auto-restock when shops fall below their threshold. Without one, deliveries are inefficient.
How many shops can one delivery vehicle serve?
Typically 2-4 for vans, 4-8 for freight trucks, with multipliers based on driver and logistics manager skill.
Why do stockouts happen despite having a warehouse?
The vehicle may not be assigned to the warehouse, the driver may not be on shift, or the logistics manager route may not include all shops. Check BizMan.
When should I open a second warehouse?
When the first warehouse vehicle is at destination capacity and shops are waiting, or when geographic expansion makes the first warehouse too far from new locations.