Evolutionary Computation in Scheduling

6An Efficient Modified Red Deer Algorithm to Solve a Truck Scheduling Problem Considering Time Windows and Deadline for Trucks' Departure

Amir Mohammad Fathollahi‐Fard, Abbas Ahmadi, and Mohsen S. Sajadieh

Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems, Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

6.1 Introduction and Literature Review

Recent decades have seen a great deal of interest in today's competitive market and the issue of customers' satisfaction, which has become more crucial for companies than ever [1]. Recent reports confirm that supply chain performance directly relies on customers' satisfaction [2]. Clients generally prefer to receive high‐quality products for the lowest cost at the correct place and time [3]. Taking all of this into account, the role of distribution centers is undeniable in creating customers' satisfaction. A high‐efficiency distribution center can not only decrease the total cost of supply chain systems, especially in transportation, and control the quality of products receiving from manufacturers, but also its main duty is to deliver products to customers in the correct place at a suitable time [4]. Hence, one of the most beneficial procedures to increase the efficiency of distribution centers is a cross‐docking system to achieve the goals described above satisfactorily [5]. One of the main operations of cross‐docking is truck scheduling. This complex scheduling often requires extensive effort and time to make a valid plan which ...