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Simulation of Road Freight Transport Companies, Considering the Pickup and Delivery Problem Optimization

Dahimi, Aria | 2021

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 53727 (09)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Civil Engineering
  6. Advisor(s): Samimi, Amir
  7. Abstract:
  8. This study develops an agent-based model to simulate and analysis of regulatory scenarios in road freight transport. In this agent-based model, actors such as commodity owners, shipping companies, drivers, and fleets interact. The focus of this research is on the development of the behavior of transportation companies by adding the optimization method of pickup and delivery problem to their decisions. The purpose of this study is to analyze the scenarios related to market deregulation and to analyze the behavior of agents, especially transport companies. The key question is that how companies that daily optimize their pickup and delivery problem using automated methods affect the KPIs of the road freight market. In order to provide a suitable tool to answer this question, first, a metaheuristic method based on simulated annealing was developed in combination with local search methods. Second, by developing an agent-based model, the company agent could optimize the pickup and delivery problem using the proposed solution method. Third, as a case study, the agent-based model was calibrated by more than 28 million records of Iran’s road freight transport. After that, we designed six scenarios to investigate the conditions and system parameters in order to companies optimize Pickup and delivery problem while there is no unacceptable queue of waiting requests. As a result, the baseline scenario was determined. This scenario shows the assumptions and system parameters to logically implementation of PDP optimization solution method. Then, to determine the parameters more accurately and achieve the desired scenario, we did sensitivity analysis for parameters such as percentage of the fleet under the management of companies. The optimal scenario was accompanied by a change in some parameters of the baseline scenario. According to the results, we found that, if the market is deregulated and the main barriers to expanding the network are removed, optimization will be cost-effective for national companies which operate all over the network. As a result of the optimal scenario, the key indicators of the market improve compared to the current situation. For example, the cost of transporting each ton-kilometer of goods decreases by 12 percent, and the market share of the top 50 companies increases from 20 percent to more than 45 percent. In addition, the average income of all companies increases. Furthermore, by improving the performance and economic indicators of the fleet managed by companies, the market is more attractive for this category of the fleet
  9. Keywords:
  10. Agent Based Simulation ; Goods Transport ; Road Transport ; Trade Libralization ; Pickup and Delivery Problem Optimization ; Market Deregulation Senarios

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