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Ensuring service levels in routing problems with time windows and stochastic travel times

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  • Ehmke, Jan Fabian
  • Campbell, Ann Melissa
  • Urban, Timothy L.

Abstract

In the stochastic variant of the vehicle routing problem with time windows, known as the SVRPTW, travel times are assumed to be stochastic. In our chance-constrained approach to the problem, restrictions are placed on the probability that individual time window constraints are violated, while the objective remains based on traditional routing costs. In this paper, we propose a way to offer this probability, or service level, for all customers. Our approach carefully considers how to compute the start-service time and arrival time distributions for each customer. These distributions are used to create a feasibility check that can be “plugged” into any algorithm for the VRPTW and thus be used to solve large problems fairly quickly. Our computational experiments show how the solutions change for some well-known data sets across different levels of customer service, two travel time distributions, and several parameter settings.

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  • Ehmke, Jan Fabian & Campbell, Ann Melissa & Urban, Timothy L., 2015. "Ensuring service levels in routing problems with time windows and stochastic travel times," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 240(2), pages 539-550.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:240:y:2015:i:2:p:539-550
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2014.06.045
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    9. Mojtaba Rajabi-Bahaabadi & Afshin Shariat-Mohaymany & Mohsen Babaei & Daniele Vigo, 2021. "Reliable vehicle routing problem in stochastic networks with correlated travel times," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 299-330, March.
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    14. Ji, Chenlu & Mandania, Rupal & Liu, Jiyin & Liret, Anne, 2022. "Scheduling on-site service deliveries to minimise the risk of missing appointment times," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
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    18. van der Hagen, L. & Agatz, N.A.H. & Spliet, R. & Visser, T.R. & Kok, A.L., 2022. "Machine Learning-Based Feasibility Checks for Dynamic Time Slot Management," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2022-001-LIS, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
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    20. Jorge Oyola & Halvard Arntzen & David L. Woodruff, 2017. "The stochastic vehicle routing problem, a literature review, Part II: solution methods," EURO Journal on Transportation and Logistics, Springer;EURO - The Association of European Operational Research Societies, vol. 6(4), pages 349-388, December.
    21. Peppel, Marcel & Ringbeck, Jürgen & Spinler, Stefan, 2022. "How will last-mile delivery be shaped in 2040? A Delphi-based scenario study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    22. Anastasios D. Vareias & Panagiotis P. Repoussis & Panagiotis P. Repoussi, 2019. "Assessing Customer Service Reliability in Route Planning with Self-Imposed Time Windows and Stochastic Travel Times," Service Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(1), pages 256-281, February.
    23. Lukáš Adam & Martin Branda, 2016. "Nonlinear Chance Constrained Problems: Optimality Conditions, Regularization and Solvers," Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, Springer, vol. 170(2), pages 419-436, August.
    24. Alexandra Anderluh & Rune Larsen & Vera C. Hemmelmayr & Pamela C. Nolz, 2020. "Impact of travel time uncertainties on the solution cost of a two-echelon vehicle routing problem with synchronization," Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, Springer, vol. 32(4), pages 806-828, December.

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