An Algorithm for Cost-Minimizing in Transportation via Road Networks Problem

Abstract: This paper presents an algorithm for solving transportation via road network problem to distribute goods from a number of sources to a number of destinations. The objective is to minimize transportation cost. Since the trucks travel over the roads that are suitable for the cargo weight, then the cargo weight and the transportation distance become both independent variables in the standalone transportation and network problems. Therefore, the transportation cost and the network distance matrices will not be available for a prior, and the solution requires a merging of the transportation and network models in one framework. Herein, the solutions of the linear programming transportation model and the road network problem are simultaneously attained using the proposed iterative algorithm. Meanwhile, the computation of the transportation cost is obtained in the same framework. Based on the transportation prices of domestic agencies, a simulation of a numerical example is used to explain the proposed algorithm.