TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM MODEL WITH PRIORITIES FOR CARGO SUPPLIERS

https://doi.org/10.33815/2313-4763.2026.1.32.131-140

Abstract

The article proposes a mathematical model of the transport problem taking into account the priorities of cargo suppliers, which is focused on increasing the efficiency of transport flow management in conditions of heterogeneity of transportation participants and different levels of their importance. In modern transport and logistics systems, situations are increasingly arising when cost minimization is not the only and sufficient criterion for transportation efficiency. In practice of operating transport systems, there is a need for priority service for individual suppliers, which is due to the strategic importance of cargo, limited delivery time, social significance or terms of contractual obligations. Such cases include the transportation of humanitarian aid, energy resources, perishable products, medical products, as well as ensuring the continuity of critical production chains. The model is based on a lexicographic approach, which provides priority consideration of supplier priorities with subsequent minimization of transportation costs without the use of weight coefficients. Such a formulation of the problem increases the objectivity of decision-making, eliminates subjectivity in choosing model parameters and allows for the formalization of hierarchical requirements in transport planning. An algorithm for constructing a reference plan that takes into account the hierarchy of suppliers and combines it with local minimization of transportation costs has been developed. The potential method for finding the optimal plan has been improved by introducing restrictions on permissible recalculation cycles, which allows preserving the priority structure of the problem at the stage of iterative optimization. The proposed model can be applied in the practice of freight transportation with a hierarchical structure of participants.