Challenger Motor Freight: Improving vehicle utilization in truckload transportation

Challenger Motor Freight是加拿大一家年收入3亿美元的大型卡车运输公司，其卡车运输部运营着700辆汽车。这项研究涉及该公司在安大略省和魁北克省的网络，这两个地区分别有约150名和100名司机的住所。挑战者的卡车运输主要从这些省份到美国中西部或大西洋沿岸。**本研究的目标是提高车辆利用率，定义为总行驶里程**，其中产生收入的负载进行的百分比。当到达附近一组城市的所有货物和从这些城市出发的货物的总数大致相等时，货运流被称为“平衡”。盈利的卡车运输业务往往是平衡的。因此，我们会发展一种模式，透过平衡运作，提高车辆使用率**。**加拿大司机一旦越过美国边境，必须返回加拿大。在构建挑战者号的**（不规则）路线时，我们将寻找从给定卡车当前位置附近出发的美国原产货物，以及目的地在加拿大的**。魁北克省或安大略省的司机经常把货物从美国运送到另一个省。我们将强制执行的一个约束是工作与生活的和谐。理想情况下，驾车在外5天后，司机会在家呆几天；外出10天后，司机会在家呆3-4天。**该项目的可交付成果包括一个新的优化模型，挑战者将能够使用该模型来平衡其运营卡车负载网络。该模型及其相关数据在保持最新状态时，将使**公司能够通过使他们达到持续的车辆利用率水平来提高其运营效率。

Challenger Motor Freight, a major Canadian trucking company with annual revenues of $300 million, operates**700 vehicles in its truckload division. This study concerns the firm's network in Ontario and Quebec, where**around 150 and 100 drivers are respectively domiciled. Challenger's truckload trips go mainly from those**provinces to the US Midwest or Atlantic Coast.**The goal of this research is to attain increased vehicle utilization, defined as the percentage of total miles**driven in which a revenue-generating load is carried. When the sum of all loads destined to, and departing**from, a group of nearby cities is approximately equal, the flow of freight is termed "balanced." Profitable**truckload operations tend to be balanced. We will thus develop a model to achieve enhanced vehicle utilization**from balanced operations.**A Canadian driver, once having crossed the US border, must come back to Canada. In building Challenger's**(irregular) routes, we will seek American-origin loads leaving from near a given truck's current location, and**whose destination is in Canada. Drivers based in Quebec or Ontario often carry a backhaul load from the US to**the other province. One constraint we will enforce concerns the work-life harmony. A driver is ideally home**for a couple of days after five days on the road, or is home for 3-4 days after 10 days away.**The deliverables from this project include a new optimization model that Challenger will be able use in**balancing its operational truckload network. This model, and its associated data, when kept current, will enable**the firm to enhance the efficiency of its operations by enabling them to achieve a sustained level of vehicle**utilization.