Published In
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2008
Subjects
Vehicle routing problem, Urban networks, Transportation logistics
Abstract
This paper studies approximations to the average length of vehicle routing problems (VRPs). The approximations are valuable for strategic and planning analysis of transportation and logistics problems. The focus is on VRPs with varying numbers of customers, demands, and locations. This modeling environment can be used in transport and logistics models that deal with a distribution center serving an area with daily variations in demand. The routes are calculated daily on the basis of what freight is available. New approximations and experimental settings are introduced. Average distance traveled is estimated as a function of the number of customers served and the number of routes needed. Approximations are tested in instances with different customer spatial distributions, demand levels, numbers of customers, and time windows. Regression results indicate that the proposed approximations can reasonably predict the average length of VRPs in randomly generated problems and real urban networks.
Rights
Copyright, National Academy of Sciences. Posted with permission of the Transportation Research Board. None of this material may be presented to imply endorsement by TRB of a product, method, practice, or policy.
DOI
10.3141/2089-01
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/20825
Citation Details
Figliozzi, Miguel, "Planning Approximations to the Average Length of Vehicle Routing Problems with Varying Customer Demands and Routing Constraints" (2008). Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations. 274.
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/20825