Optimisation of mixed cargo allocation and stowage with heterogeneous vehicles

Abstract

To solve the problem of low efficiency and high loading costs in business logistics and distribution operations, this paper classifies non-standard cargoes based on their spatial and temporal characteristics. Based on this, a dual-layer planning model for multi-vehicle cargoes’ loading and transportation is constructed to jointly optimise the loading process. In this paper, a space-inspired heuristic algorithm is designed to solve the model and the feasibility of the model is verified. The results show that, compared to a single-vehicle type, the joint optimisation of multi-vehicle combinations for loading and transportation has stronger adaptability and can better accommodate changes in cargo volume. Compared to the single-vehicle type, not only did the loading rate increase by 18%, but also the transportation cost was effectively reduced by 3%. Different proportions of spatial and temporal characteristics among cargoes have different effects on loading and transportation. Adjusting the proportion of cargoes that can be placed on both upper and lower layers to 50% can better utilise transportation resources such as vehicles. Increasing the proportion of urgent cargoes can improve the economic efficiency of loading and transportation.