Development and analysis of alternative dispatching methods in truckload trucking

In this paper, the authors discuss industry-university collaborative resear ch aimed at improving the performance of truckload trucking operations for a major North American carrier through the development of alternative dispa tching methods. The research detailed in this paper develops regularly sche duled delivery capacity in the form of delivery lanes, hubs and zones which regularize driver tours while providing performance benefits for the carri er, The impact of the alternative methods developed are studied through ext ensive experimentation using discrete event simulation and actual demand da ta provided by the industrial partner, (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All r ights reserved.