Collaborative transportation planning (CTP) within a coalition of small and mid-sized freight carriers can be used as a powerful instrument to improve the operational efficiency of the coalition members. In such coalitions, transportation requests acquired from different freight carriers are exchanged among coalition members in order to reduce the total fulfillment costs. We consider the CTP fo...

A heuristic based on genetic algorithms is proposed to the problem of configuring hub-and-spoke networks for trucking companies that operate less-than-truckload (LTL) services in Brazil. The problem consists of determining the number of consolidation terminals (also known as hubs), their locations and the assignment of the spokes to the hubs, aiming to minimize the total cost, which is composed...

Abstract: This paper investigates a decision-making problem consisting of less-than-truckload dynamic pricing (LTLDP) under Physical Internet (PI). PI can be seen as the interconnection of logistics networks via open PI-hubs, which can be considered as spot freight markets where LTL requests of different volume/destination continuously arrive over time for a short-stay. Carriers can bid for the...

Title of Dissertation: DYNAMIC DECISION MAKING FOR LESS-THAN-TRUCKLOAD TRUCKING OPERATIONS Behrang Hejazi, Doctor of Philosophy, 2009 Directed By: Professor Ali Haghani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering On a typical day, more than 53 million tons of goods valued at about $36 million are moved on the US multimodal transportation network. An efficient freight transportation indust...

This paper considers a routing and scheduling problem of forwarding agencies handling less-than-truckload (LTL) freight. On the one hand, the performance of these companies is influenced by unknown customer orders, increasingly received shortly before the actual pickup. On the other hand, the transport times between two consecutive points in a tour sometimes vary significantly. The objective is...

W both retail distribution and less-than-truckload transportation networks crossdocks vary greatly in shape. Docks in the shape of an I, L, or T are most common, but unusual ones may be found, including those in the shape of a U, H, or E. Is there a best shape? We show that the answer depends on the size of the facility and on the pattern of freight flows inside. Our results suggest that many l...