State of the practice: a review of the application of OR/MS in freight transportation

Abstract

Freight transportation is an important part of the global supply chain. As distances shipped grow and supply chains become more complex and fragile, operations research (OR) can play an important role in improving the efficiency and robustness of supply networks. This article describes the state of the practice in OR and freight transportation, highlighting recent successful and widely used analytical techniques in oceanic transportation and port operations, and barge, freight rail, intermodal, truckload, less than truckload, and air freight transportation, as well as the use of OR techniques in third-party logistics.