A Stochastic Truck Routing Model for Agricultural Freight

This paper analyzes the routing of agricultural freight from the fields to the elevators. A number of optimization models are built to analyze the effects of truck type restrictions in the truck mix on the overall system cost of delivering from fields to elevators. The models account for both the selection of truck type and load type for deliveries while respecting the load restrictions imposed on the highway network. The estimated origin-destination matrix is assigned on the highway network using a stochastic model. The stochastic model is designed to take into account the different behavior of truck traffic as opposed to passenger vehicle traffic and is implemented using simulation. The models developed here are tested on the highway network of North Dakota. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-2925-7.ch015