Vehicle loading optimization with stochastic supply

The increased availability of information makes it possible to coordinate processes which are usually functionnally separated in large companies, such as production and transportation. This work investigates the optimization of vehicle loading for individual orders over a multiperiod horizon when items have stochastic release dates from production, and time windows are imposed for delivery at the customer plant. The loading decisions are made in order to minimize the expected cost. Starting from the deterministic model, we develop scenario-based models for the stochastic version of the problem and we investigate the performance of various solution methods