Abstract
In this paper we propose a heuristic algorithm to solve the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows. Its framework is a smart combination of three simple procedures: the classical k-opt exchanges improve the solution, an ad hoc procedure reduces the number of vehicles and a second objective function drives the search out of local optima. No parameter tuning is required and no random choice is made: these are the distinguishing features with respect to the recent literature. The algorithm has been tested on benchmark problems which prove it to be more effective than comparable algorithms.
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Cordone, R., Calvo, R.W. A Heuristic for the Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Windows. Journal of Heuristics 7, 107–129 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009665907495
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009665907495