Container truck transportation routing as a Mixed Fleet Heterogeneous Dial-a-Ride Problem

In this paper, a new variant of the Heterogeneous Dial-a-Ride Problem (HDARP) is innovatively applied to a routing problem of trucks picking up and delivering full and empty containers in the logistic chain, including container depots, importers demanding full containers and exporters requesting empty containers. On the route different types of trucks pick-up and deliver full and empty 20- and 40-foot containers. We consider trucks that are operated by alternative fuel, as well as the need for refuelling of trucks in any alternative fuel station to eliminate the risk of running out of fuel during its route. The objective of the paper is to contribute to the optimization of container truck transport routing with multiple pickups and deliveries by providing a mathematical programming model aiming at minimizing the transportation cost as well as the negative environmental impacts.