Truck-drone joint delivery network for rural area: Optimization and implications

IF 6.3 2区工程技术 Q1 ECONOMICS

Transport Policy Pub Date : 2025-01-10 DOI:10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.01.016

Jing Lu , Yuman Liu , Changmin Jiang , Weiwei Wu

{"title":"Truck-drone joint delivery network for rural area: Optimization and implications","authors":"Jing Lu , Yuman Liu , Changmin Jiang , Weiwei Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.01.016","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Parcel delivery in rural areas suffers from low efficiency due to low drop density and high delivery costs. In the sense, we examine a new method of delivering packages using trucks and drones together. Specifically, we optimize the truck-drone delivery network and compare the performance of two modes: truck with one drone and truck with multiple drones. The existing model is extened by intergrating different types of truck-drone coordinated trajectory and accounting for both time-related and monetary costs. Furthermore, the specific influences of the truck and drone unit cost to the truck-drone joint delivery are tested and the advantages of such delivery in rural areas are explored with the comparison of the urban case. The results indicate that the truck-drone joint delivery is a feasible option for rural areas, as it can significantly reduce the costs. However, the practical application of this method requires optimal network incorporating designing suitable truck and drone coordinated trajectory as well as appropriate drone unit cost. It also shows that using multiple drones can lower down the costs, but only when the demand volume exceeds a certain threshold in the rural area under study.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48378,"journal":{"name":"Transport Policy","volume":"163 ","pages":"Pages 273-284"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Transport Policy","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X25000162","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Parcel delivery in rural areas suffers from low efficiency due to low drop density and high delivery costs. In the sense, we examine a new method of delivering packages using trucks and drones together. Specifically, we optimize the truck-drone delivery network and compare the performance of two modes: truck with one drone and truck with multiple drones. The existing model is extened by intergrating different types of truck-drone coordinated trajectory and accounting for both time-related and monetary costs. Furthermore, the specific influences of the truck and drone unit cost to the truck-drone joint delivery are tested and the advantages of such delivery in rural areas are explored with the comparison of the urban case. The results indicate that the truck-drone joint delivery is a feasible option for rural areas, as it can significantly reduce the costs. However, the practical application of this method requires optimal network incorporating designing suitable truck and drone coordinated trajectory as well as appropriate drone unit cost. It also shows that using multiple drones can lower down the costs, but only when the demand volume exceeds a certain threshold in the rural area under study.

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Transport Policy Multiple-

CiteScore

12.10

自引率

10.30%

发文量

282

期刊介绍： Transport Policy is an international journal aimed at bridging the gap between theory and practice in transport. Its subject areas reflect the concerns of policymakers in government, industry, voluntary organisations and the public at large, providing independent, original and rigorous analysis to understand how policy decisions have been taken, monitor their effects, and suggest how they may be improved. The journal treats the transport sector comprehensively, and in the context of other sectors including energy, housing, industry and planning. All modes are covered: land, sea and air; road and rail; public and private; motorised and non-motorised; passenger and freight.