A COMBINATORIAL APPROACH FOR OPTIMIZING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM: MULTI-OBJECTIVE DECISION-MAKING FRAMEWORK

This study presents a comprehensive multi-objective transportation model aimed at optimizing complex vehicle routing problems, which are nondeterministic polynomial time NP-hard due to spatial, temporal, and capacity constraints. In this study, the multi-objective transportation model integrates decision- maker preferences with hybrid optimization techniques, including the approximate- combinatorial method, ant colony optimization and evolutionary algorithms. it seeks to minimize transportation costs, time, and emissions while accounting for real-world constraints such as fleet composition, customer demand, and service- level agreements. The techniques like multi-criteria decision-making methods are employed to refine the solution set, balancing objectives like cost, time, environmental impact, and service level. The novel optimization model is applied to a fuel distribution case study involving 18 customers and a heterogeneous fleet, where it optimizes vehicle routes to meet delivery requirements efficiently. The multi- objective transportation framework generates multiple feasible solutions, which are further narrowed down using decision-making frameworks to ensure alignment with organizational goals and decision-maker preferences. The integration of quantitative optimization techniques with qualitative decision-making processes makes this model robust and scalable, offering a practical tool for enhancing operational efficiency in transportation systems. This approach effectively addresses real-world logistics challenges, demonstrating significant improvements in route efficiency, cost savings, and environmental sustainability.