A sweep-based algorithm for the fleet size and mix vehicle routing problem

A sweep-based algorithm for the fleet size and mix vehicle routing problem

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Article ID: iaor20031427
Country: Netherlands
Volume: 140
Issue: 3
Start Page Number: 618
End Page Number: 628
Publication Date: Aug 2002
Journal: European Journal of Operational Research
Authors: ,
Keywords: heuristics
Abstract:

This paper presents a new sweep-based heuristic for the fleet size and mix vehicle routing problem. This problem involves two kinds of decisions: the selection of a mix of vehicles among the available vehicle types and the routing of the selected fleet. The proposed algorithm first generates a large number of routes that are serviced by one or two vehicles. The selection of routes and vehicles to be used is then made by solving to optimality, in polynomial time, a set-partitioning problem having a special structure. Results on a set of benchmark test problems show that the proposed heuristic produces excellent solutions in short computing times. Having a fast but good solution method is needed for transportation companies that rent a significant part of their fleet and consequently can take advantage of frequent changes in fleet composition. Finally, the proposed heuristic produced new best-known solutions for three of the test problems; these solutions are reported.

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