Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Competition and Cooperation in Pickup and Multiple Delivery Problems

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Operations Research and Enterprise Systems (ICORES 2016)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 695))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 477 Accesses

Abstract

Logistics is a highly competitive industry; large hauliers use their size to benefit from economies of scale while small logistics companies are often well placed to service local clients. To obtain economies of scale, small hauliers may seek to cooperate by sharing loads. This paper investigates the potential for cost savings and problems associated with this idea. We study dynamic scheduling of shared loads for real-world truck haulage in the UK and model it as a dynamic pickup and multiple delivery problem (PMDP). In partnership with Transfaction Ltd., we propose realistic cost and revenue functions to investigate how companies of different sizes could cooperate to both reduce their operational costs and to increase profitability in a number of different scenarios.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Albareda-Sambola, M., Fernández, E., Laporte, G.: The dynamic multiperiod vehicle routing problem with probabilistic information. Comput. Oper. Res. 48(1), 31–39 (2014). http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0305054814000458, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2014.02.010

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  2. Belhaiza, S., Hansen, P., Laporte, G.: A hybrid variable neighborhood tabusearch heuristic for the vehicle routing problem with multiple time windows. Comput. Oper. Res. 52(part B), 269–281 (2013). http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0305054813002165

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Benavent, E., Landete, M., Mota, E., Tirado, G.: The multiple vehicle pickup and delivery problem with LIFO constraints. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 243(3), 752–762 (2015). http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0377221714010479

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. Berbeglia, G., Cordeau, J.F., Gribkovskaia, I., Laporte, G.: Static pickup and delivery problems: a classification scheme and survey. Top 15(1), 1–31 (2007). http://www.springerlink.com/index/10.1007/s11750-007-0009-0

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  5. Berbeglia, G., Cordeau, J.F., Laporte, G.: Dynamic pickup and delivery problems. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 202(1), 8–15 (2010)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Bräysy, O.: A reactive variable neighborhood search for the vehicle-routing problem with time windows. INFORMS J. Comput. 15(4), 347–368 (2003)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Bräysy, O., Gendreau, M.: Vehicle routing problem with time windows, part I: route construction and local search algorithms. Transp. Sci. 39(1), 104–118 (2005). http://transci.journal.informs.org/cgi/doi/10.1287/trsc.1030.0056

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Bräysy, O., Gendreau, M.: Vehicle routing problem with time windows part, II: metaheuristics. Transp. Sci. 39(1), 119–139 (2005). http://transci.journal.informs.org/cgi/doi/10.1287/trsc.1030.0057

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Cherkesly, M., Desaulniers, G., Laporte, G.: Branch-price-and-cut algorithns for the pickup and delivery problem with time windows and LIFO loading. Comput. Oper. Res. 62(1), 23–35 (2015). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2015.04.002

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  10. Clarke, G., Wright, J.W.: Scheduling of vehicles from a central depot to a number of delivery points. Oper. Res. 12(4), 568–581 (1964)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Crainic, T.G., Nguyen, P.K., Toulouse, M.: Synchronized multi-tripmulti-traffic pickup & delivery in city logistics. CIRRELT 5, 1–24 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Demir, E., Bekta, T., Laporte, G.: A review of recent research on green road freight transportation. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 237(3), 775–793 (2014)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  13. Desaulniers, G., Desrosiers, J., Solomon, M.M., Erdmann, A., Soumis, F.: VRP with pickup and delivery. In: Toth, P., Vigo, D. (eds.) The vehicle routing problem, pp. 225–242. SIAM (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Dff International Ltd, R.: RHA Cost Tables (2014). http://www.rha.uk.net/, http://www.rha.uk.net/docs/CostTables2014EDITION.pdf

  15. Dff International Ltd, R.: RHA National Directory of Hauliers (2015). http://www.rha.uk.net/, https://www.findahaulier.co.uk/

  16. Dumas, Y., Desrosiers, J., Soumis, F.: The pickup and delivery problem with time windows. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 54(1), 7–22 (1991). http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/037722179190319Q

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  17. Gendreau, M., Guertin, F., Potvin, J.Y., Séguin, R.: Neighborhood search heuristics for a dynamic vehicle dispatching problem with pick-ups and deliveries. Transp. Res. part C: Emerg. Technol. 14(3), 157–174 (2006). http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0968090X06000349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Gendreau, M., Hertz, A., Laporte, G.: New insertion and post optimization procedures for the traveling salesman problem. Oper. Res. 40(6), 1086–1095 (1992)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  19. Gschwind, T., Irnich, S., Mainz, D.: Effective Handling of Dynamic Time Windows and Synchronization with Precedences for Exact Vehicle Routing. Technical report, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany (2012). http://logistik.bwl.uni-mainz.de/

  20. Laporte, G.: Fifty years of vehicle routing. Transp. Sci. 43(4), 408–416 (2009). http://transci.journal.informs.org/cgi/doi/10.1287/trsc.1090.0301

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. McLeod, F., Cherrett, T., Shingleton, D., Bekta, T., Speed, C., Davies, N., Dickinson, J., Norgate, S.: Sixth Sense Logistics: Challenges in supporting more flexible, human-centric scheduling in the service sector. In: Annual Logistics Research Network (LRN) Conference. Cranfield, UK (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Mitrović-Minić, S., Krishnamurti, R., Laporte, G.: Double-horizon based heuristics for the dynamic pickup and delivery problem with time windows. Transp. Res. part B: Methodological 38(8), 669–685 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Mourdjis, P.J., Cowling, P.I., Robinson, M.: Metaheuristics for the pick-up and delivery problem with contracted orders. In: Blum, C., Ochoa, G. (eds.) Evolutionary Computation in Combinatorial Optimization, pp. 170–181. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Nahum, O.E.: The Real-Time Multi-Objective Vehicle Routing Problem. Ph.d., Bar-Ilan University (2013). http://orennahum.dyndns.org/Files/PhD.pdf

  25. Pidd, M.: Computer Simulation in Management Science, 5th edn. Wiley, New York (1998). http://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/47721/

    Google Scholar 

  26. Rochat, Y., Taillard, É.D.: Probabilistic diversification and intensification in local search for vehicle routing. J. Heuristics 1(1), 147–167 (1995)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  27. Savelsbergh, M.W.P.: The vehicle routing problem with time windows: minimizing route duration. INFORMS J. Comput. 4(2), 146–154 (1992)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  28. Taillard, É.D., Badeau, P., Gendreau, M., Guertin, F., Potvin, J.Y.: A tabu search heuristic for the vehicle routing problem with soft time windows. Transp. Sci. 31(2), 170–186 (1997). http://transci.journal.informs.org/content/31/2/170.short

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  29. Toth, P., Vigo, D.: Heuristic algorithms for the handicapped persons transportation problem. Transp. Sci. 31(1), 60–71 (1997)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  30. Xu, H., Chen, Z.L., Rajagopal, S., Arunapuram, S.: Solving a practical pickup and delivery problem. Transp. Sci. 37(3), 347–364 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work has been funded by the Large Scale Complex IT Systems (LSCITS) project of the EPSRC. The authors would like to thank Transfaction Ltd. for the real-world data used in our experiments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. YCCSA & Department of Computer Science, The University of York, York, UK

    Philip Mourdjis, Fiona Polack, Peter Cowling & Yujie Chen

  2. Transfaction Ltd., Cambridge, UK

    Martin Robinson

Authors
  1. Philip Mourdjis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Fiona Polack
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Peter Cowling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yujie Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Martin Robinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Philip Mourdjis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Complutense University, Madrid, Spain

    Begoña Vitoriano

  2. INFORMS, Catonsville, Maryland, USA

    Greg H. Parlier

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this paper

Cite this paper

Mourdjis, P., Polack, F., Cowling, P., Chen, Y., Robinson, M. (2017). Competition and Cooperation in Pickup and Multiple Delivery Problems. In: Vitoriano, B., Parlier, G. (eds) Operations Research and Enterprise Systems. ICORES 2016. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 695. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53982-9_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53982-9_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-53981-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-53982-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation