An integer programming formulation for the vehicle routing problem with cargo stability and multi-drop constraints

Abstract

In this paper, we consider the vehicle routing problem with cargo safety and multi-drop restrictions. The demand of each customer should be delivered by a single visit. As unloading and reloading of packages is not allowed, the placement of the cargo inside the vehicle should be arranged considering the order of visits to the customers. Moreover, the loading strategy should take into account the stability restrictions which must be ensured at every leg of the route for each vehicle. We propose an integrated mathematical programming approach that tackles the routing and loading decisions simultaneously to come up with an optimal strategy. We aim to minimize the total cost of routing.