Options
Optimization of container transportation in port hinterland with trucks : approaches to cooperation
Publikationstyp
Conference Presentation
Date Issued
2022-06-13
Sprache
English
Author(s)
Citation
8th meeting of the EURO Working Group on Vehicle Routing and Logistics Optimization (VeRoLog 2022)
Contribution to Conference
Publisher
EURO Working Group
In recent years, containerized transportation has become increasingly important. According to the UNCTAD review, the annual growth rate for goods transported in containers amounted to 1.1 % in 2019. This leads to challenges for container handling in ports and hinterland transportation. At the same time, the advancing digitalization of ports and the ever-increasing amount of available data lead to new opportunities for data-based optimization. Logistics in the hinterland of ports account for up to 80% of the total cost of the maritime
logistics chain. Therefore, optimizing hinterland logistics offers large potential for using infrastructure resources more efficiently, for reducing emissions and costs, and for providing high quality hinterland services to increase competitiveness. Cooperation is one promising approach here. Based on a literature review and expert interviews, the relevant approaches, such as compensation mechanisms, which are required for a balanced and long-term cooperation between trucking companies, are identified. A mathematical model for the operative optimization of
container transportation in port hinterland with trucks, considering cooperation, is presented. It is discussed how costs in hinterland container logistics with trucks can be reduced by using horizontal cooperation, i.e. by sharing and/or exchanging customer orders, and how stable and long-term-oriented cooperation can be established. A setting is considered in which each trucking company has its own customer orders, some of which it is willing to share or pass on to others, but only at a certain price or compensation. Hence, each order is specified by a value indicating how much another truck company has to pay if it wants to perform this order as well as by its origin, its destination, time windows and the preferred empty container depot. To enable and promote stable and long-term cooperation, fairness is important; therefore, different fairness constraint groups are modelled and implemented. Moreover, different constellations of so-called ”trust groups”, i.e. groups within which an exchange of orders may take place, are studied. The analysis shows that different degrees of cooperation, i.e. different sizes of trust groups and different intensity of order exchange, as well as different fairness constraints have a strong and varying impact on the efficiency of the system, e.g. in terms of cost and emission reduction as well as with respect to the distribution of orders and profits. The relation between these aspects and the influence on different objectives as efficiency and sustainability is studied and results are presented. Finally, further research needs are identified.
logistics chain. Therefore, optimizing hinterland logistics offers large potential for using infrastructure resources more efficiently, for reducing emissions and costs, and for providing high quality hinterland services to increase competitiveness. Cooperation is one promising approach here. Based on a literature review and expert interviews, the relevant approaches, such as compensation mechanisms, which are required for a balanced and long-term cooperation between trucking companies, are identified. A mathematical model for the operative optimization of
container transportation in port hinterland with trucks, considering cooperation, is presented. It is discussed how costs in hinterland container logistics with trucks can be reduced by using horizontal cooperation, i.e. by sharing and/or exchanging customer orders, and how stable and long-term-oriented cooperation can be established. A setting is considered in which each trucking company has its own customer orders, some of which it is willing to share or pass on to others, but only at a certain price or compensation. Hence, each order is specified by a value indicating how much another truck company has to pay if it wants to perform this order as well as by its origin, its destination, time windows and the preferred empty container depot. To enable and promote stable and long-term cooperation, fairness is important; therefore, different fairness constraint groups are modelled and implemented. Moreover, different constellations of so-called ”trust groups”, i.e. groups within which an exchange of orders may take place, are studied. The analysis shows that different degrees of cooperation, i.e. different sizes of trust groups and different intensity of order exchange, as well as different fairness constraints have a strong and varying impact on the efficiency of the system, e.g. in terms of cost and emission reduction as well as with respect to the distribution of orders and profits. The relation between these aspects and the influence on different objectives as efficiency and sustainability is studied and results are presented. Finally, further research needs are identified.
DDC Class
380: Handel, Kommunikation, Verkehr