Optimization of intermodal transportation routes for perishable goods considering customer satisfaction

Bei, H. and Yu, M. and Yang, T. and Murcio Villanueva, Roberto (2025) Optimization of intermodal transportation routes for perishable goods considering customer satisfaction. Research in Transportation Business & Management 59 , p. 101261. ISSN 2210-5395.

Abstract

With the deep integration and innovative development of the Internet and traditional industries, perishable goods such as fresh fruits and vegetables can be sold through more diverse channels to distant regions. The perishable nature of these goods, characterized by short expiration dates and susceptibility to spoilage, presents significant challenges to their transportation. This paper proposed an intermodal transportation route optimization method for perishable goods, considering the use of refrigerated containers and customer satisfaction. The route optimization model minimizes quality loss, transportation costs, and carbon emissions while treating customer satisfaction as a constraint. Using the “Urumqi-Shanghai” intermodal transportation network as an example, the model applies a multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm for solution and conducts sensitivity analysis to explore the impact of changes in transportation modes and customer satisfaction constraints on three objectives, ultimately obtaining the optimal transportation route between the origin and destination. The results show that intermodal transportation of perishable goods generally has cost advantage over single-mode transportation. The constraint on customer satisfaction can eliminate uneconomical routes and provide more options to meet the changing customer demands. An increase in customer satisfaction can also reduce the quality loss of perishable goods during transportation. These improvements confirm the effectiveness of the proposed intermodal transportation route optimization model and the importance of incorporating customer satisfaction into the choice of transportation route for perishable goods. The proposed model is expected to provide valuable insights into model development and its applications for transporting perishable goods.

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