A two-echelon vehicle routing problem with mobile satellites and multiple commodities

Aria Dahimi, Virginie Lurkin, Mehrdad Mohammadi and Tom Van Woensel

European Journal of Operational Research, 2025, vol. 326, issue 1, 124-140

Abstract: This paper extends the two-echelon vehicle routing problem (2E-VRP) by considering multiple commodities, multiple depots, and mobile satellites (i.e., the so-called 3M-2E-VRP). This problem also accommodates flexible last-mile delivery strategies by allowing direct deliveries via first-echelon vehicles (mobile satellites) and indirect deliveries through goods exchanges at meeting points, such as parking lots or customer locations. We first model the problem as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP); and then develop an innovative metaheuristic algorithm to solve medium and large problem instances. The proposed metaheuristic (the so-called AS-LNS) combines an innovative Approximate Scheduling (AS) approach with Large Neighborhood Search (LNS). Computational experiments validate the 3M-2E-VRP formulation and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed AS-LNS algorithm. Key managerial insights are further presented through a comprehensive sensitivity analysis, wherein the impact of key parameters, such as fuel consumption and wage costs, and comparison of different problem variants, is investigated on last-mile delivery strategies.

Keywords: Transportation; Mobile satellites; Metaheuristic; Approximate scheduling; Large Neighborhood Search (LNS) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ejores:v:326:y:2025:i:1:p:124-140

DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2025.04.027

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