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Drone location and vehicle fleet planning with trucks and aerial drones

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  • Rave, Alexander
  • Fontaine, Pirmin
  • Kuhn, Heinrich

Abstract

In the context of parcel delivery, aerial drones have great potential that particularly applies in rural areas. In these areas drones mostly operate faster than trucks. As drones are limited in their payload, a combination of trucks and drones can be beneficial in reducing last-mile delivery costs. There are two different delivery methods that combine truck and drone delivery: trucks and drones collaborating with each other with drones launched from trucks, and trucks and drones serving customers independently of each other with drones launched from microdepots or the central distribution center.

Suggested Citation

  • Rave, Alexander & Fontaine, Pirmin & Kuhn, Heinrich, 2023. "Drone location and vehicle fleet planning with trucks and aerial drones," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 308(1), pages 113-130.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:308:y:2023:i:1:p:113-130
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2022.10.015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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