Title: The general pickup and delivery problem with backtracking restrictions

Authors: Zachary E. Bowden; Cliff T. Ragsdale

Addresses: Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 3500 Transportation Research Plaza, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA ' Department of Business Information Technology, Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech, Pamplin Hall, Suite 1007, 880 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA

Abstract: This paper introduces a model for the general pickup and delivery problem (GPDP) that provides a novel approach to limit the amount of backtracking allowed in the solution. This problem is motivated by the increase in peer-to-peer vehicle transactions via online marketplaces such as eBay and an associated increase in the direct consumer procurement of shipping services for transporting recently purchased vehicles. We approach this problem in the context of a profit seeking objective while considering the cognitive processes and behavioural preferences of the driver as important to the ultimate solution of the routing problem. We offer a method for producing a set of good solutions that are differentiated based on backtracking characteristics of the directional flow of the route.

Keywords: vehicle routing; backtracking; PDP; behavioural logistics; profit maximisation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOR.2020.111342

International Journal of Operational Research, 2020 Vol.39 No.4, pp.539 - 561

Received: 07 Apr 2017
Accepted: 25 Mar 2018
Published online: 23 Nov 2020 *

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