C.H. Robinson Uses Heuristics to Solve Rich Vehicle Routing Problems

Ehsan Khodabandeh (), Lawrence V. Snyder (), John Dennis (), Joshua Hammond () and Cody Wanless ()
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Ehsan Khodabandeh: Coupa Software, Chicago, Illinois 60654
Lawrence V. Snyder: Industrial and Systems Engineering, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015
John Dennis: C.H. Robinson, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55347
Joshua Hammond: C.H. Robinson, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55347
Cody Wanless: C.H. Robinson, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55347

Interfaces, 2022, vol. 52, issue 2, 173-188

Abstract: We consider a broad family of vehicle routing problem variants with many complex and practical constraints, known as rich vehicle routing problems, which are faced on a daily basis by C.H. Robinson (CHR). Because CHR has many customers, each with distinct requirements, various routing problems with different objectives and constraints must be solved. We propose a novel framework for solving rich vehicle routing problems, which we demonstrate is effective in solving a variety of different problems. This framework, along with a simple user interface, has been wrapped into a new module and integrated into the company’s transportation planning and execution technology platform. Since its implementation, this new module has outperformed the previously used third-party technologies at CHR, significantly reduced setup times, and improved users’ productivity as well as customer outcomes.

Keywords: rich vehicle routing problem; load planning; set partitioning; heuristic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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