Truck loading with weight balancing considerations

In order to ensure transportation safety, one main factor in the truck loading problem (TLP) that must be addressed is stability. This paper presents two models of the TLP with weight balancing considerations: 1) balancing the axle weight; 2) balancing the total weight. In the first model, a set of stock keeping units (SKUs) with different weights are loaded on to a pallet, and then the pallets are loaded on to available trucks to minimise the total number of used trucks under the constraints of truck weight limit and axle weight balancing. In the second model, a set of cargoes with different weights are loaded on to a fixed number of trucks with the purpose to balance the loaded weights for all the trucks under the constraints of weight limit. Both models are mixed integer programmes (MIPs). Efficient heuristics are designed to solve these models. Computational results show that the proposed approach can be used to solve the real world TLPs with balancing considerations.