A Biased–Randomized Iterated Local Search with Round-Robin for the Periodic Vehicle Routing Problem

The periodic vehicle routing problem (PVRP) is a well-known challenge in real-life logistics, requiring the planning of vehicle routes over multiple days while enforcing visitation frequency constraints. Although numerous metaheuristic and exact methods have tackled various PVRP extensions, real-wor...

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Main Authors: Juan F. Gomez, Antonio R. Uguina, Javier Panadero, Angel A. Juan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-08-01
Series:Mathematics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/13/15/2488
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author Juan F. Gomez
Antonio R. Uguina
Javier Panadero
Angel A. Juan
author_facet Juan F. Gomez
Antonio R. Uguina
Javier Panadero
Angel A. Juan
author_sort Juan F. Gomez
collection DOAJ
description The periodic vehicle routing problem (PVRP) is a well-known challenge in real-life logistics, requiring the planning of vehicle routes over multiple days while enforcing visitation frequency constraints. Although numerous metaheuristic and exact methods have tackled various PVRP extensions, real-world settings call for additional features such as depot configurations, tight visitation frequency constraints, and heterogeneous fleets. In this paper, we present a two-phase biased–randomized algorithm that addresses these complexities. In the first phase, a round-robin assignment quickly generates feasible and promising solutions, ensuring each customer’s frequency requirement is met across the multi-day horizon. The second phase refines these assignments via an iterative search procedure, improving route efficiency and reducing total operational costs. Extensive experimentation on standard PVRP benchmarks shows that our approach is able to generate solutions of comparable quality to established state-of-the-art algorithms in relatively low computational times and stands out in many instances, making it a practical choice for real life multi-day vehicle routing applications.
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spelling doaj-art-ea7db511ef034532ba77e175756ec70d2025-08-20T03:02:58ZengMDPI AGMathematics2227-73902025-08-011315248810.3390/math13152488A Biased–Randomized Iterated Local Search with Round-Robin for the Periodic Vehicle Routing ProblemJuan F. Gomez0Antonio R. Uguina1Javier Panadero2Angel A. Juan3Research Center on Production Management and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, 03801 Alcoy, SpainResearch Center on Production Management and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, 03801 Alcoy, SpainDepartment of Computer Architecture & Operating Systems, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, SpainResearch Center on Production Management and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de València, 03801 Alcoy, SpainThe periodic vehicle routing problem (PVRP) is a well-known challenge in real-life logistics, requiring the planning of vehicle routes over multiple days while enforcing visitation frequency constraints. Although numerous metaheuristic and exact methods have tackled various PVRP extensions, real-world settings call for additional features such as depot configurations, tight visitation frequency constraints, and heterogeneous fleets. In this paper, we present a two-phase biased–randomized algorithm that addresses these complexities. In the first phase, a round-robin assignment quickly generates feasible and promising solutions, ensuring each customer’s frequency requirement is met across the multi-day horizon. The second phase refines these assignments via an iterative search procedure, improving route efficiency and reducing total operational costs. Extensive experimentation on standard PVRP benchmarks shows that our approach is able to generate solutions of comparable quality to established state-of-the-art algorithms in relatively low computational times and stands out in many instances, making it a practical choice for real life multi-day vehicle routing applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/13/15/2488combinatorial optimizationmetaheuristicsperiodic vehicle routing problemlocal search
spellingShingle Juan F. Gomez
Antonio R. Uguina
Javier Panadero
Angel A. Juan
A Biased–Randomized Iterated Local Search with Round-Robin for the Periodic Vehicle Routing Problem
Mathematics
combinatorial optimization
metaheuristics
periodic vehicle routing problem
local search
title A Biased–Randomized Iterated Local Search with Round-Robin for the Periodic Vehicle Routing Problem
title_full A Biased–Randomized Iterated Local Search with Round-Robin for the Periodic Vehicle Routing Problem
title_fullStr A Biased–Randomized Iterated Local Search with Round-Robin for the Periodic Vehicle Routing Problem
title_full_unstemmed A Biased–Randomized Iterated Local Search with Round-Robin for the Periodic Vehicle Routing Problem
title_short A Biased–Randomized Iterated Local Search with Round-Robin for the Periodic Vehicle Routing Problem
title_sort biased randomized iterated local search with round robin for the periodic vehicle routing problem
topic combinatorial optimization
metaheuristics
periodic vehicle routing problem
local search
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/13/15/2488
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