The open vehicle routing problem with time windows

P P Repoussis, C D Tarantilis and G Ioannou ()
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P P Repoussis: Athens University of Economics and Business
C D Tarantilis: Athens University of Economics and Business
G Ioannou: Athens University of Economics and Business

Journal of the Operational Research Society, 2007, vol. 58, issue 3, 355-367

Abstract: Abstract In this paper, we consider the open vehicle routing problem with time windows (OVRPTW). The OVRPTW seeks to find a set of non-depot returning vehicle routes, for a fleet of capacitated vehicles, to satisfy customers’ requirements, within fixed time intervals that represent the earliest and latest times during the day that customers’ service can take place. We formulate a comprehensive mathematical model to capture all aspects of the problem, and incorporate in the model all critical practical concerns. The model is solved using a greedy look-ahead route construction heuristic algorithm, which utilizes time windows related information via composite customer selection and route-insertion criteria. These criteria exploit the interrelationships between customers, introduced by time windows, that dictate the sequence in which vehicles must visit customers. Computational results on a set of benchmark problems from the literature provide very good results and indicate the applicability of the methodology in real-life routing applications.

Keywords: distribution; vehicle routing; heuristics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602143

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