Heuristic bubble algorithm for a linehaul routing problem: An extension of a vehicle routing problem with pickup and delivery

In this study, a further extension of the vehicle routing problem with pickup and delivery (VRPPD) is considered. The VRPPD problem is seen in many practical applications as logistic, distribution and transportation. However, a formal definition of the VRPPD cannot fully represent the real-life daily macro routing problem. For this reason, firstly, a new model of the very close to real-life problem is defined. Secondly, a novel heuristic algorithm with a new objective function is proposed to solve the daily macro routing problem. The proposed nature-inspired algorithm called as Heuristic Bubble Algorithm (HBA) is suitable for the proposed problem because of its particular new operators and fast response. The Matlab simulation results motivate that the proposed model and HBA is capable of solving real-life macro routing problems.