Using a Simple Monte Carlo Simulation to Explore the Relationship Between Number of Stops and Travel Distance

Robert Cohen, Michael Leibert, Matthew Robinson () and Samuel Robinson ()
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Robert Cohen: U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission
Michael Leibert: U.S. Department of Education
Matthew Robinson: U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission
Samuel Robinson: U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission

A chapter in Postal Strategies in a Digital and Green Transition, 2026, pp 327-339 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The chapter presents a simulation model with input parameters that include (among others) grid size and shape (e.g., square or rectangular), number of stops, and location of the entry point to the grid. Each intersection on the grid is a possible stop. By altering input parameters the chapter explores: the relationship between density and total distance travelled; the effect of clustering of stops; the savings from merging two or more routes; the savings from e-commerce when delivery is from a central point versus consumers shopping at a store; the effect of using different entry points; the effect of one-way streets; and the effect of barriers (like rivers, railway tracks, closed streets, etc.) requiring the use of a bridge, a tunnel, or a single street to cross the barrier.

Keywords: Monte Carlo; Delivery; Simulation; Travel distance; E-commerce (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:topchp:978-3-032-00502-1_22

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-00502-1_22

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