Technical gazette, Vol. 33 No. 4, 2026.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.17559/TV-20260205003365
Two-Level Location-Routing Optimization for Truck-Drone Emergency Logistics with Road Reliability and Time Windows
Na Xiao
; Beijing Jiaotong University, No. 3 Shangyuancun, Haidian District, Beijing, 100044 P. R. China
*
Hongjie Lan
; Beijing Jiaotong University, No. 3 Shangyuancun, Haidian District, Beijing, 100044 P. R. China
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
After sudden disasters, emergency material distribution must satisfy strict timeliness requirements under disrupted road conditions. Truck-only delivery is vulnerable to road damage, while drone-only delivery is limited by payload and endurance; therefore, truck-drone collaboration provides a practical alternative. This paper studies a two-level location-routing optimization problem for emergency logistics in which candidate distribution centers are selected and truck-drone collaborative routes are planned under payload constraints, coordination time constraints, hard time windows, road reliability, and distribution-center failure risk. A mixed-integer programming model is formulated to minimize a weighted objective combining demand coverage and total distribution time. To solve medium-scale instances efficiently, a simulated annealing algorithm is developed with problem-specific encoding/decoding, neighbourhood operators (route reversal, truck-drone service swap, and location fine-tuning), and an adaptive temperature control strategy. Computational experiments based on the Zhengzhou "July 20" flood scenario and instances with 15, 25, and 50 demand points show that the algorithm consistently returns feasible solutions within short CPU times, while sensitivity analysis on drone speed, drone payload, and road reliability quantifies their impacts on completion time and coverage. The proposed model and heuristic provide an implementable decision tool for rapid planning of truck-drone emergency distribution under reliability and time-window constraints.
Keywords
distribution-center disruption; emergency logistics; truck-drone collaboration; mixed-integer programming; road reliability; simulated annealing; two-echelon location-routing problem; time windows
Hrčak ID:
348707
URI
Publication date:
30.6.2026.
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