Dynamic Freight Routing and Dispatch Protocols for the Physical Internet
Author(s)
Shaikh, Sahrish Jaleel
Muthukrishnan, Praveen
Montreuil, Benoit
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Abstract
The Physical Internet (PI) promises to transform freight movement by enabling standardized modular containers to be dynamically routed and dispatched through interconnected hubs. A key challenge in such networks is determining the optimal dispatch timing that balances consolidation opportunities, service reliability, and efficient asset utilization. In this paper, we propose an integrated framework that simultaneously addresses three interrelated decisions at each hub: which containers to dispatch, where to send them next, and when to dispatch them. We compare combinations of two routing protocols, destinational routing (DER) and directional routing (DIR), and three dispatch protocols, Fixed Threshold Dispatch (FTD); Flow-Adaptive Dispatch (FAD); and Dynamic Adaptive Consolidation (DAC). Our simulation experiments, conducted using real-world network data, demonstrate that integrating DIR routing and DAC dispatch protocols significantly improves consolidation, reduces empty mileage, and maintains high on-time delivery performance.
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Date
2025-06
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Text
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Proceedings
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