Last visit was: 19 Nov 2025, 08:18 It is currently 19 Nov 2025, 08:18
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Rewards
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
   1   2 
555-605 Level|   Distance and Speed Problems|                        
User avatar
woohoo921
User avatar
Joined: 04 Jun 2020
Last visit: 17 Mar 2023
Posts: 516
Own Kudos:
142
Given Kudos: 623
Posts: 516
Kudos: 142
Al and Ben are drivers for SD Trucking Company. One snowy day, Ben lef 04 Jul 2022, 18:45
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
BrentGMATPrepNow
AbdurRakib
Al and Ben are drivers for SD Trucking Company. One snowy day, Ben left SD at 8:00 a.m. heading east and Al left SD at 11:00 a.m. heading west. At a particular time later that day, the dispatcher retrieved data from SD’s vehicle tracking system. The data showed that, up to that time, Al had averaged 40 miles per hour and Ben had averaged 20 miles per hour. It also showed that Al and Ben had driven a combined total of 240 miles. At what time did the dispatcher retrieve data from the vehicle tracking system?

A. 1:00 p.m.
B. 2:00 p.m.
C. 3:00 p.m.
D. 5:00 p.m.
E. 6:00 p.m.

Let's start with a "word equation"

(Ben's travel distance) + (Al's travel distance) = 240 miles

Let t = Al's travel time (in hours)
So, t + 3= Ben's travel time (since Ben spent 3 more hours driving)

Distance = (rate)(time)

So, our word equation becomes...
(20)(t + 3) + (40)(t) = 240 miles
Expand: 20t + 60 + 40t = 240
Simplify: 60t + 60 = 240
Subtract 60 from both sides: 60t = 180
Solve: t = 3
So, AL traveled for 3 hours (which means BEN traveled for 6 hours)

So, the dispatcher retrieved data at 2pm (since 8am + 6 hours = 2pm)

Answer: B

Cheers,
Brent
Show more

BrentGMATPrepNow

Thank you for this helpful explanation. I would be so appreciative if you can correct me as to where I am making an error in setting up my rt=d chart below to solve this problem.




R * T = D
-----------------------------------------------
Ben: (20 mi/hr) (T +3) = D
Al: (40 mi/hr) T = D
------------------------------------------------
I wasn't sure what to set D equal to, but I know that the combined distance was 240 but just left each equation equal to D above. But, I am not sure where I went wrong based on what else I have.
=(60 mi/hr)*(2T+3)=240
--> t=1/2 is my answer based on how I set up my chart.

Thank you for your time and help in advance.
User avatar
ThatDudeKnows
User avatar
Joined: 11 May 2022
Last visit: 27 Jun 2024
Posts: 1,070
Own Kudos:
977
 [1]
Given Kudos: 79
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 1,070
Kudos: 977
 [1]
Al and Ben are drivers for SD Trucking Company. One snowy day, Ben lef 04 Jul 2022, 18:56
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
woohoo921
BrentGMATPrepNow
AbdurRakib
Al and Ben are drivers for SD Trucking Company. One snowy day, Ben left SD at 8:00 a.m. heading east and Al left SD at 11:00 a.m. heading west. At a particular time later that day, the dispatcher retrieved data from SD’s vehicle tracking system. The data showed that, up to that time, Al had averaged 40 miles per hour and Ben had averaged 20 miles per hour. It also showed that Al and Ben had driven a combined total of 240 miles. At what time did the dispatcher retrieve data from the vehicle tracking system?

A. 1:00 p.m.
B. 2:00 p.m.
C. 3:00 p.m.
D. 5:00 p.m.
E. 6:00 p.m.

Let's start with a "word equation"

(Ben's travel distance) + (Al's travel distance) = 240 miles

Let t = Al's travel time (in hours)
So, t + 3= Ben's travel time (since Ben spent 3 more hours driving)

Distance = (rate)(time)

So, our word equation becomes...
(20)(t + 3) + (40)(t) = 240 miles
Expand: 20t + 60 + 40t = 240
Simplify: 60t + 60 = 240
Subtract 60 from both sides: 60t = 180
Solve: t = 3
So, AL traveled for 3 hours (which means BEN traveled for 6 hours)

So, the dispatcher retrieved data at 2pm (since 8am + 6 hours = 2pm)

Answer: B

Cheers,
Brent

BrentGMATPrepNow

Thank you for this helpful explanation. I would be so appreciative if you can correct me as to where I am making an error in setting up my rt=d chart below to solve this problem.




R * T = D
-----------------------------------------------
Ben: (20 mi/hr) (T +3) = D
Al: (40 mi/hr) T = D
------------------------------------------------
I wasn't sure what to set D equal to, but I know that the combined distance was 240 but just left each equation equal to D above. But, I am not sure where I went wrong based on what else I have.
=(60 mi/hr)*(2T+3)=240
--> t=1/2 is my answer based on how I set up my chart.

Thank you for your time and help in advance.
Show more

woohoo921

You asked Brent, but I notice what you're not doing, so I hope neither of you minds me chiming in.

You've set up an equation to find Ben's distance and an equation to find Al's distance. You called them both D, but they are not the same; you may have been more accurate to call them something like Dben and Dal. Anyway, the two distances combine to be 240 miles. So you have (20)(T+3)+(40)(T) = 240. From there, you get 20T+60+40T = 240. So 60T = 180, or T = 3. That's the amount of time Al drove. he started at 11am. 11am + 3 hours = 2pm. Make sense?
User avatar
woohoo921
User avatar
Joined: 04 Jun 2020
Last visit: 17 Mar 2023
Posts: 516
Own Kudos:
142
Given Kudos: 623
Posts: 516
Kudos: 142
Al and Ben are drivers for SD Trucking Company. One snowy day, Ben lef 04 Jul 2022, 19:38
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
ThatDudeKnows
Thank you so much for your response! I truly appreciate it.

To clarify, what if they had different distances such as Ben's distance was 130 and Al's distance was 180. Would you add across the r*t=d chart like I did above to get (60 mi/hr)*(2T+3)=130+180 ? Or, would it still be (20)(T+3)+(40)(T) = 130 + 180.

In other words, I was confused as to how to order my operations for the r*t=d chart above when you combine the rates.
User avatar
ThatDudeKnows
User avatar
Joined: 11 May 2022
Last visit: 27 Jun 2024
Posts: 1,070
Own Kudos:
977
Given Kudos: 79
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 1,070
Kudos: 977
Al and Ben are drivers for SD Trucking Company. One snowy day, Ben lef 04 Jul 2022, 19:50
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
woohoo921
ThatDudeKnows
Thank you so much for your response! I truly appreciate it.

To clarify, what if they had different distances such as Ben's distance was 130 and Al's distance was 180. Would you add across the r*t=d chart like I did above to get (60 mi/hr)*(2T+3)=130+180 ? Or, would it still be (20)(T+3)+(40)(T) = 130 + 180.

In other words, I was confused as to how to order my operations for the r*t=d chart above when you combine the rates.
Show more

If you look back at the original question, we were actually never told that their distances were equal. They ended up being equal, but there was nothing until after we'd already answered the question that told us that! Your method was a-okay except that the two "D"s were not necessarily the same distance and you never added them together to get to 240.

Try tweaking the original question by changing "a combined total of 240 miles" to "a combined total of 180 miles" and see if you can derive (1) the time and (2) the distances that each driver traveled.
User avatar
DanTheGMATMan
User avatar
Joined: 02 Oct 2015
Last visit: 18 Nov 2025
Posts: 378
Own Kudos:
226
Given Kudos: 9
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 378
Kudos: 226
Al and Ben are drivers for SD Trucking Company. One snowy day, Ben lef 12 May 2024, 05:04
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
­Classic separation problem. Don't throw it all into one formula, just take it one chapter at a time for clarity:

­
User avatar
abhik1213
User avatar
Joined: 14 Nov 2024
Last visit: 13 Nov 2025
Posts: 3
Given Kudos: 12
Location: India
Schools: NUS '26 ISB '26
GPA: 7.5
Schools: NUS '26 ISB '26
Posts: 3
Kudos: 0
Al and Ben are drivers for SD Trucking Company. One snowy day, Ben lef 27 Jun 2025, 00:39
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
why cannot we equate total distances ( 40t=20(t+3) and then solve for t?

JeffTargetTestPrep
AbdurRakib
Al and Ben are drivers for SD Trucking Company. One snowy day, Ben left SD at 8:00 a.m. heading east and Al left SD at 11:00 a.m. heading west. At a particular time later that day, the dispatcher retrieved data from SD’s vehicle tracking system. The data showed that, up to that time, Al had averaged 40 miles per hour and Ben had averaged 20 miles per hour. It also showed that Al and Ben had driven a combined total of 240 miles. At what time did the dispatcher retrieve data from the vehicle tracking system?

A. 1:00 p.m.
B. 2:00 p.m.
C. 3:00 p.m.
D. 5:00 p.m.
E. 6:00 p.m.

Let t represent the time passed between the departure of Al (11:00 a.m.) and the retrieval of data by the dispatcher. Since Ben left at 8 a.m., his time is (t + 3). Since they both traveled for a total 240 miles, we can use the formula distance = rate x time and create the following equation:

Ben’s distance + Al’s distance = 240

20(t + 3) + 40t = 240

20t + 60 + 40t = 240

60t = 180

t = 3 hours

Thus, it was 11 a.m. + 3 hours = 2 p.m. when the dispatcher retrieved data from the vehicle tracking system.

Answer: B
Show more
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 19 Nov 2025
Posts: 105,389
Own Kudos:
778,266
 [1]
Given Kudos: 99,977
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 105,389
Kudos: 778,266
 [1]
Al and Ben are drivers for SD Trucking Company. One snowy day, Ben lef 27 Jun 2025, 04:05
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
abhik1213
why cannot we equate total distances ( 40t=20(t+3) and then solve for t?

JeffTargetTestPrep
AbdurRakib
Al and Ben are drivers for SD Trucking Company. One snowy day, Ben left SD at 8:00 a.m. heading east and Al left SD at 11:00 a.m. heading west. At a particular time later that day, the dispatcher retrieved data from SD’s vehicle tracking system. The data showed that, up to that time, Al had averaged 40 miles per hour and Ben had averaged 20 miles per hour. It also showed that Al and Ben had driven a combined total of 240 miles. At what time did the dispatcher retrieve data from the vehicle tracking system?

A. 1:00 p.m.
B. 2:00 p.m.
C. 3:00 p.m.
D. 5:00 p.m.
E. 6:00 p.m.

Let t represent the time passed between the departure of Al (11:00 a.m.) and the retrieval of data by the dispatcher. Since Ben left at 8 a.m., his time is (t + 3). Since they both traveled for a total 240 miles, we can use the formula distance = rate x time and create the following equation:

Ben’s distance + Al’s distance = 240

20(t + 3) + 40t = 240

20t + 60 + 40t = 240

60t = 180

t = 3 hours

Thus, it was 11 a.m. + 3 hours = 2 p.m. when the dispatcher retrieved data from the vehicle tracking system.

Answer: B
Show more

You can’t assume 40t = 20(t + 3) unless you're told that Al and Ben traveled the same distance. That equation means both drivers covered equal distances, but the question never says that. What we’re actually given is that their combined distance is 240 miles, which is why we use 20(t + 3) + 40t = 240. After solving, it just happens to turn out that both distances are equal, but that’s not something we can assume from the start.
   1   2 
Moderators:
Bunuel
Math Expert
105389 posts
Krunaal
Tuck School Moderator
805 posts