This paper examines the use of multi-zone dispatching alternatives in truck
load trucking using simulation methods and historical freight data of conti
nental scale supplied by J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. After introducing the co
ncept of zone dispatching, several alternative operational configurations a
re presented. Simulation results indicate that multi-zone dispatching works
best when zone boundaries are configured to minimize, to the extent possib
le, the freight imbalance between the zones. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd.
All rights reserved.