The multiple vehicle pickup and delivery problem with LIFO constraints

Abstract This paper approaches a pickup and delivery problem with multiple vehicles in which LIFO conditions are imposed when performing loading and unloading operations and the route durations cannot exceed a given limit. We propose two mixed integer formulations of this problem and a heuristic procedure that uses tabu search in a multi-start framework. The first formulation is a compact one, that is, the number of variables and constraints is polynomial in the number of requests, while the second one contains an exponential number of constraints and is used as the basis of a branch-and-cut algorithm. The performances of the proposed solution methods are evaluated through an extensive comp…

Polyhedral results for a vehicle routing problem

Abstract The Vehicle Routing Problem is a well known, and hard, combinatorial problem, whose polyhedral structure has deserved little attention. In this paper we consider the particular case in which all the demands are equal (since in the general case the associated polytope may be empty). From a known formulation of the problem we obtain the dimension of the corresponding polytope and we study the facetial properties of every inequality in it.

A comparison of two different formulations for Arc Routing Problems on Mixed graphs

[EN] Arc routing problems on mixed graphs have been modelled in the literature either using just one variable per edge or associating to each edge two variables, each one representing its traversal in the corresponding direction. In this paper, and using the mixed general routing problem as an example, we compare theoretical and computationally both formulations as well as the lower bounds obtained from them using Linear Programming based methods. Extensive computational experiments, including some big and newly generated random instances, are presented.

A Scatter Search Algorithm for the Split Delivery Vehicle Routing Problem

In this chapter we present a metaheuristic procedure constructed for the special case of the Vehicle Routing Problem in which the demands of clients can be split, i.e., any client can be serviced by more than one vehicle. The proposed algorithm, based on the scatter search methodology, produces a feasible solution using the minimum number of vehicles. The quality of the obtained results is comparable to the best results known up to date on a set of instances previously published in the literature.

An algorithm for the Rural Postman problem on a directed graph

The Directed Rural Postman Problem (DRPP) is a general case of the Chinese Postman Problem where a subset of the set of arcs of a given directed graph is ‘required’ to be traversed at minimum cost. If this subset does not form a weakly connected graph but forms a number of disconnected components the problem is NP-Complete, and is also a generalization of the asymmetric Travelling Salesman Problem. In this paper we present a branch and bound algorithm for the exact solution of the DRPP based on bounds computed from Lagrangean Relaxation (with shortest spanning arborescence sub-problems) and on the fathoming of some of the tree nodes by the solution of minimum cost flow problems. Computation…

An optimal method for the mixed postman problem

A New Metaheuristic for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Split Demands

In this paper we present a metaheuristic procedure constructed for the special case of the Vehicle Routing Problem in which the demands of the clients can be split, i.e., any client can be serviced by more than one vehicle. The proposed algorithm, based on the scatter search methodology, produces a feasible solution using the minimum number of vehicles. The results obtained compare with the best results known up to date on a set of instances previously published in the literature.

Some recent contributions to routing and location problems

CORAL 2003, a Conference on Routing and Location, washeld in Puerto de la Cruz (Tenerife, Spain) from February24–26, 2003. A wonderful place, close to the black sand ofthe beach, and a nice temperature welcomed a group ofsenior and young researchers from Canada, England,France, Germany, and Spain. Social activities were alsoprovided and sponsored by the Cabildo Insular de Tenerife(the local government) and TITSA (the public bus transpor-tation company on the island). The conference corre-sponded to the third annual meeting of a research project,funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology,developing a Decision Support System for Vehicle Routingand Facility Location Problems (SAD…

The Capacitated Arc Routing Problem: Lower bounds

In this paper, we consider the Capacitated Arc Routing Problem (CARP), in which a fleet of vehicles, based on a specified vertex (the depot) and with a known capacity Q, must service a subset of the edges of a graph, with minimum total cost and such that the load assigned to each vehicle does not exceed its capacity. New lower bounds are developed for this problem, producing at least as good results as the already existing ones. Three of the proposed lower bounds are obtained from the resolution of a minimum cost perfect matching problem. The fourth one takes into account the vehicle capacity and is computed using a dynamic programming algorithm. Computational results, in which these bounds…