An Optimization Model for Solving Heterogeneous Vehicle Routing Problem with Big Data Considering Level of Service

Abstract

In logistic system, a Vehicle Routing Problem with time windows (VRPTW) is defined as a logistic problem to determine the optimal  routes used by a fleet of vehicles to deliver a given set of customers considering a limited service time; the objective of the problem is to minimize the total travel cost (in terms the travel times or distances) and operational cost (in terms of the number of vehicles used). This paper addresses a variant of the VRPTW in which the fleet of vehicle is heterogenic due to the different size of demand from customers. The problem, called Heterogeneous VRP (HVRP) also includes service levels. As the data involved is so huge (big data) we use a modified integer programming model to describe the problem. An improved feasible neighbourhood approach is proposed to solve the problem.