A model-based heuristic for a three-dimensional loading vehicle routing problem with split pickups and time windows

Developing efficient logistics is crucial with the rise of e-commerce. Logistics service providers handle the first-mile collection problem, a key part of reverse logistics. They must design cost-minimizing routes to collect customers’ boxes in urban areas and return them to a depot. To the best of our knowledge, the insert-and-fix matheuristic, which sequentially solves smaller MILP problems, has never been applied for problems combining routing and 3D packing. We perform computational experiments to analyze parameter impacts and identify this method’s performance.