Dynamic Planning Models for Common Carrier Operations

普通的承运人业务，包括卡车运输、零担卡车运输、铁路和海运集装箱，在制造和生产过程中发挥着越来越重要的作用。在很大程度上，这些承运人被要求以更低的成本为使用其标准服务的托运人提供更高质量的服务。这种压力再加上最大的航空公司规模的大幅扩大，使整体运营变得复杂。建立了一个共同的数学基础，重点研究了预测不确定性下的动态船队管理，将其表示为具有随机弧容量(代表市场需求)的网络。使用了一种新的求解策略，扩展了为卡车作业的随机模型所开展的类似研究。研究的核心是解决船队管理问题中出现的随机、动态模型，以及发展随机规划的近似方法，以解决大型现实世界的问题。计划在模拟环境中进行广泛的经验测试。

Common carrier operations, including truckload trucking, less- than-truckload trucking, rail and ocean container, are playing increasingly important roles in the manufacturing and production process. These carriers are, for the most part, being asked to provide an even higher quality of service for an even lower cost for shippers using their standard services. This pressure has been combined with a substantial increase in the size of the largest carriers, complicating the overall operation. A common mathematical foundation is developed which focuses on dynamic fleet management under forecasting uncertainties, which is formulated as a network with random arc capacities (representing market demands). A novel solution strategy is used, extending similar research developed for stochastic models of truckload operations. The core of the research is on the solution of stochastic, dynamic models arising in fleet management problems, and the development of approximation methods for stochastic programs that allow the solution of large, real-world problems. Extensive empirical testing in a simulation environment is planned.