A comparative evaluation of heuristics for container loading

This paper is concerned with the development of heuristics for determining efficient packing patterns in loading freight containers with rectangular items. A focal point is the domain-dependency of such heuristics, i.e. the effect which certain parameters of a problem may have on the performance of a heuristic. The paper draws on the results of a comparative analysis of fourteen heuristic rules which examines the impact of the number of different types of items in a load on the loading efficiency achieved. The implications for the design of composite heuristics are discussed and suggestions for a workable compound approach made.