Stability approach to CDC truck scheduling problem under uncertainty

Abstract

One of the most significant challenges in logistics today is managing the complexity, uncertainty, and dynamism of the market. External and internal factors highly influence the efficiency of operations processes. Cross-docking Distribution Centers are one way of adopting a real-time philosophy. This work provides a Stability Approach (SA) for solving multi-dock truck scheduling problems under truck release date uncertainty. We consider time-based objectives for optimization and propose two new heuristics to obtain viable solutions for them. To evaluate the performance of the SA, we develop and analyze two other different scheduling policies, namely, Without Adjustments and Perfect Information. Extensive computational experiments allow us to compare SA with others and show that the methodology can support managers in their daily cross-docking operations, efficiently handling dynamic and uncertain data, and making good decisions quickly.