A heuristic approach for Periodic Vehicle Routing Problem: a case study

Abstract

A heuristic approach is proposed to solve a real Periodic Vehicle Routing Problem (PVRP) that aims at extending the market share with the minimum transportation cost. In PVRP, vehicles are assigned to routes in different workdays to satisfy the frequency of visiting customers. The objective is to determine the scheduling and routing policies of the vehicles to minimise the fleet size and to maximise the selling benefits. The vehicle capacity and the trip time are the main constraints. The proposed approach is verified by real data and obtained results imply a significant improvement as compared to the current status.