Solving a Dynamic Real-Life Vehicle Routing Problem

Abstract

Real-life vehicle routing problems encounter a number of complexities that are not considered by the classical models found in the vehicle routing literature. In this paper we consider a dynamic real-life vehicle routing problem which is a combined load acceptance and generalised vehicle routing problem incorporating a diversity of practical complexities. Among those are time window restrictions, a heterogeneous vehicle fleet with different travel times, travel costs and capacity, multi-dimensional capacity constraints, order/vehicle compatibility constraints, orders with multiple pickup, delivery and service locations, different start and end locations for vehicles, route restrictions associated to orders and vehicles, and drivers' working hours. We propose iterative improvement approaches based on Large Neighborhood Search. Our algorithms are characterised by very fast response times and thus, can be used within dynamic routing systems where input data can change at any time.