Routing and Scheduling of Cross-Town Drayage Operations at J.B. Hunt Transport

Cross-town moves, a special type of drayage, occur when intermodal containers require a transfer from one rail ramp to another for continuance of a shipment. The cross-town problem consists of determining driver load assignments and routing and scheduling these drivers such that the maximum number of loads are covered with minimum empty moves. We illustrate how the cross-town problem has special characteristics that require a novel methodology, and we subsequently develop a heuristic solution approach. Our heuristics consider operational constraints, including a high number of loads per driver schedule, driver start times, driver start and end locations, hourly traffic patterns, load time windows, and required driver service hours. The implementation of the cross-town application has positively impacted J.B. Hunt’s intermodal drayage operation by automating and enhancing planning work flow for dispatchers, reducing the number of costly outsourced loads, and significantly improving operational efficiency. In addition, J.B. Hunt has documented the annualized cost savings of the cross-town heuristic implementation at $581,000.