A Two-Phase Heuristic and Genetic Algorithm for the Heterogeneous Fleet Vehicle Routing Problem

Acosta-Quintana, Maria Paz Guadalupe; Olivares-Benitez, Elias; Bueno-Solano, Alfredo; Lagarda-Leyva, Ernesto Alonso

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-94630-1_10

A Two-Phase Heuristic and Genetic Algorithm for the Heterogeneous Fleet Vehicle Routing Problem

Journal

EAI/Springer Innovations in Communication and Computing

Publisher

Springer Nature Switzerland

Date Issued

2026

Author(s)

Acosta-Quintana, Maria Paz Guadalupe

Olivares-Benitez, Elias

Facultad de Ingeniería - CampGDL

Bueno-Solano, Alfredo

Lagarda-Leyva, Ernesto Alonso

Type

Book chapter

DOI

10.1007/978-3-031-94630-1_10

URL

https://scripta.up.edu.mx/handle/20.500.12552/13129

Abstract

This document addresses the vehicle routing problem (VRP) for a heterogeneous fleet in different applications. A model for a heterogeneous fleet, suggested by Olivera (Heurísticas para problemas de ruteo vehículos, Universidad de la república, 2004), was adapted to consider the vehicle’s capacity in weight and volume. Different types of vehicles were used, increasing the number of variables; therefore, the solution of this model is limited by the increasing complexity of its combinations. As a result, the commercial software does not have the capacity to perform accurate calculations; in addition, computing time is longer for a single problem with more than a dozen clients. A two-phase heuristic method is presented as an alternative procedure to solve the VRP, as well as a meta-heuristic algorithm for the complexity of the problem from a genetic algorithm (GA) approach and its codification in a heterogeneous fleet, which allows the solution of great magnitudes and scales. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.