Using Metaheuristics on the Multi-Depot Vehicle Routing Problem with Modified Optimization Criterion

This article deals with the modified Multi-Depot Vehicle Routing Problem (MDVRP). The modification consists of altering the optimization criterion. The optimization criterion of the standard MDVRP is to minimize the total sum of routes of all vehicles, whereas the criterion of modified MDVRP (M-MDVRP) is to minimize the longest route of all vehicles, i.e., the time to conduct the routing operation is as short as possible. For this problem, a metaheuristic algorithm—based on the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) theory and developed by the author for solving the classic MDVRP instances—has been modified and adapted for M-MDVRP. In this article, an additional deterministic optimization process which further enhances the original ACO algorithm has been proposed. For evaluation of results, Cordeau’s benchmark instances are used.